Monday Morning Commute - LeMunyon

Good Morning

• One Virginia Delegate wants to redirect state money for bike sharing. "Del. Jim LeMunyon, R-Fairfax, proposed shifting some of money set aside for bike-sharing programs to projects he argues would do more to reduce congestion, such as widening Interstate 66 and building a ramp from I-66 to East Falls Church Metro to encourage Metro use." Bikesharing can reduce congestion if it gets people to bike to the Metro or work instead of driving, and per dollar might be more effective - especially since adding lanes reportedly doesn't relieve congestion. So I'd like to see LeMunyon's numbers. And while we're at it, I'd ask why congestion-relief should be the only goal of transportation funding (instead of quality of life, air quality, health etc...).  Relatedly, there are meetings this week in Manassas and Fairfax on reducing congestion on I-66, "there are studies underway about widening 25 miles of the highway outside the beltway sometime after 2013. But a separate study to look at transit, bike, and pedestrian options inside the beltway has some critics who think the money would be better spent on pavement."
• In addition to BikeFest this weekend (which I will attend and where you might be able to touch me but I would not recommend it), there is also the Air Force Classic and the World Naked Bike Ride (where you should not touch anyone).
• Your GPS bike computer may stop working if a "massive new network of towers and satellites to expand wireless communication" is allowed to build out. But the article makes it clear that it won't be allowed to build out if it interferes with GPS. Still, if you want something to worry about...
• MPD are stepping up patrols on the Met Branch Trail. Good job. [The video below starts with an unrelated story and is below the fold

Bike Trail Attacks Leads to Police Patrols: MyFoxDC.com

Comments

[Mike Essig]

Wouldn't widening I-66 inside the beltway also remove the Custis Trail? I bet the thousands of Virginians who use this trail every day to get to work would rather be sitting in traffic anyway right?

[charlie]

the claim is the widening can take place w/o killing the custis trail. However, I can't imagine it would as "nice" and you'd be closer to the traffic.

Great point about using congestion as a sole metric for funding. However, when you are talking about inside the beltway funding of Virginia projects, that is something like 1% of virginia (Arlington, Alexendria, Falls Church, and a sliver of Fairfax)

[Fred]

Inside the beltway contains far more than 1% of Virginia's population.

[Shawn]

Of the $11.2 billion Virginia plans to spend on transportation projects over the next six years, $2.3 billion will be used for projects other than roads, the chief concern of Northern Virginia drivers.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/virginia/2011/06/2b-virginia-transportation-money-will-not-be-used-roads#ixzz1OVqKhs62

Because transportation money should only be spent on drivers.

Roads: $7.1 billion
Bike/Pedestrian/Trails $68.8 million.

'nuff said.

[charlie]

hmm. Maybe 300K people live inside the beltway? 150 Arlington, 100K Alexandria, 50K in Fairfax/Falls Church? Let's say 350K.

That is 2% of Virginia's population.

[Math Geek]

US Census Bureau information (from 2009 estimates)

Fairfax County – 1,037,605
Arlington County – 217,482
Alexandria (City) – 136,974
Total = 1,392,062

Total Virginia Population = 7,882,590

1,392,062/7,882,590=0.1765

Northern Virginia thus contains approximates 18% of the commonwealth’s population

[Steve]

I'd like to see the numbers too. I saw recently that in Portland all the money spent on all bike projects to date would only pay for 1 mile of new freeway.

http://www.politifact.com/oregon/statements/2011/mar/19/sam-adams/portland-mayor-sam-adams-says-portlands-spent-its-/

[Jacques]

On the VA population, using the same source (Census 2009 estimates), but charlie's inside the beltway designation:

Arlington County: 217,483
Alexandria City: 150,006
Falls Church: 11,957
Total: 379,446

These three jurisdictions make up nearly 5% (4.8 to be more precise) of the 7.9 million in the Commonwealth.

So yeah, a lot more than 1%, and a lot more than 2%.

Source: http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=uspopulation&met_y=population&idim=state:51000&dl=en&hl=en&q=va+population (I'm not sure why I got a slightly different Alexandria number than Math Geek).

[charlie]

@Jacques; thanks for the better estimates. There are sections of Fairfax inside the beltway as well.

And my original math was wrong, which is why I posted the numbers. 5% is a better estimate.

So, let me edit my previous statement:

"However, when you are talking about inside the beltway funding of Virginia projects, that is something like 5% of virginia (Arlington, Alexendria, Falls Church, and a sliver of Fairfax)."

My point is while Northern Virginia, depending on how you draw it, is something like 1/5 to 1/3 of the state, the actual inside the beltway portion is not a large percentage of the state.

[Evanwilder]

I saw two police on bikes sitting on benches watching the Metropolitan Branch Trail on my Monday ride home from work. I've been riding the trail for almost a year and haven't seen any funny business.