June 2012 Arlignton BAC Notes

Highlights from the meeting notes of a meeting I did not attend. So read with that discount in mind.

Bike Arlington Updates -

Bike to School Day - 18 elementary schools participated in Bike to school day and turn out was good. Some schools had overflowing bike racks. Because of the success, Bike Arlington will begin planning Bike to School Day earlier. The BAC then discussed the lack of participation of some schools on Bike to School day. BAC members proposed opening a dialogue with Principals to make them more comfortable with the concept and to find out what intersections could be causing some of the hesitance to participate.

Bike to Work Day – The Rosslyn rest stop had more registrants than any other rest stop, even the Ronald Reagan building stop -  with 968 riders. This is the first time that has ever happened. Crystal City had 508 registrants while Ballston had 512 register.

Safety Education - The County is promoting better bike handling with Two Wheel Tuesdays, Confident City Cycling classes and “Wheels Wednesday” - an after-school event held at Long Branch Elementary. A Learn to Ride class was held on May 27th in Crystal City with 18 people, 14 successfully learned how to ride a bike during the class.

Staff Report The Joyce Street project that is currently underway is a Federal Highway Project. It will take about five months and will result in a wider sidewalk.

Bike Counter Data There is less of a spike in commuters on bike to work day than in the past as more people are commuting consistently [WC: Does this mean there is less room to grow, since most of the people who are interested in bike commuting are already doing it?]. For the first time, the Key Bridge counter is now counting more cyclists than the Custis Trail counter.

Signage - David Goodman reported that they are working with the wayfinding signs contractor to ensure consistency and are checking everything for accuracy. He further reported that he took the feedback from the BAC to the developers for the Bergmann's Cleaners/Custis site. He showed the adjusted bike path and the BAC agreed that his representation accurately depicted the feedback discussed at the earlier meeting with the developers. The crash on the Custis near the Marriott has prompted an investigation on the legality of the stop sign.

The BAC then participated in a discussion of the site plans for Rosslyn Plaza (Bounded by Wilson Blvd., N. Kent St., Arlington Ridge Rd., and 19th. St.) which includes a proposed connection between Arlington Ridge Rd and Kent Street with a pedestrian bridge to go over the GW Parkway to Roosevelt Island. The BAC felt that the developers proposal does not meet the needs of the bicycling and pedestrian communities and feels the the developers should work with the County toward a more practical solution. The BAC will work with County staff and the Site Plan Review Committee to identify better alternatives.

Bollards – Steve Offutt provided a brief update on the efforts to reduce useless bollards (and bollard collards) around the county. Steve spoke at a recent county board meeting about the issue as more bollards have been installed around the county. Steve also encouraged BAC members to use the Google map to identify bollards (and collars). A link to the map is accessible through the Washington Area Bike Forum.

Comments

[SJE]

I think that there is room for more bikes if the infrastructure improves. I think we are seeing improved infrastructure, albeit slowly. The other thing is that there us a change in mindset: more people are considering biking than before.

[Greenbelt]

Tons of room to grow in the suburbs. Just waiting for the trail infrastructure to be built out and for less hostile roadways.

[antibozo]

Glad to see that item about the stop sign on Custis at the Marriott; i totally dropped the ball on that matter, tho i'm pretty sure i still have a browser tab open on that discussion around here somewhere...