EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Northern Virginia Regional Bike Network Study provides a coordinated and strategic approach to developing a regional transportation system for bicycling in Northern Virginia. While local jurisdictions are primarily responsible for bicycle planning in Virginia through the development of local bicycle plans and transportation plans, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) plays an important role as the agency responsible for constructing and maintaining many of the primary and secondary roads, which provide Northern Virginia with regional connections between activity clusters. [Important regional concentrations of employment and households as identified by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.]

In order to further enhance Northern Virginia's non-motorized transportation network and advance bicycling as a viable mode of travel throughout the region, VDOT initiated the following study. This study coordinates local planning efforts and identifies key regional connections.

The purpose of this study is to identify facilities and outline the steps that could be taken to develop a network of bikeways in Northern Virginia linking activity clusters throughout the region.

The development of a regional bikeway network is supported by federal and state transportation policy goals. At the time of this report's distribution, VDOT is involved in two projects that will further support bicycling within the transportation system. One project is a review of policies and procedures to ensure that motorized and non-motorized modes of transportation receive the same consideration in the planning, design, funding, construction, operation, and maintenance of Virginia's transportation network.

VDOT is also working with the state's transportation agencies on a statewide initiative to integrate planning for highways, bicycle and pedestrian accommodations, passenger rail and transit, freight rail, airports, and ports, which will produce the statewide long-range multimodal transportation plan, VTrans2025. One goal of this comprehensive approach to such planning is to move towards implementation activities that will build a balanced transportation infrastructure.

Regional Focus of the Study

A considerable effort was undertaken to coordinate a wide range of local jurisdictions bikeway planning and implementation projects in Northern Virginia. The study reflects the guidance and input of a working group of representatives of local jurisdictions, including Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties; the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas and Manassas Park; and the towns of Herndon, Leesburg, and Vienna. The regional bikeway network proposed by this study has also been closely coordinated with the adopted plans for these jurisdictions.

Bicycling - A Viable Alternative?

This project comes at an important time for the future of bicycling, and transportation in general, in this region. With increasingly challenging requirements for better air quality in the region and traffic delays growing worse each year, there is a great deal of interest in new approaches to land use and transportation in Northern Virginia. In fact, bicycling is already becoming a more accepted alternative for Washington area commuters. The W&OD, Custis and Mount Vernon trails experience a morning rush hour, and the neighborhoods that lie along these trails have higher bike commute levels than other parts of the region. Northern Virginians are looking for alternatives to single-occupant vehicle trips.

In Northern Virginia, many bicyclists find roadway conditions to be challenging for long distance bicycle commuting. Particularly on the primary routes that lead to important destinations, bicyclists face heavy volumes of high-speed traffic on roads that lack dedicated bicycle facilities. This study continues VDOT's efforts to improve bicycling conditions in Northern Virginia and provide first-class facilities for all users of the transportation system.

Study Process

The planning process for this study involved a number of different activities and outreach efforts. The process is outlined briefly below.

1. Field Analysis
   An analysis of conditions on existing trails and roadways was conducted in the field and included a trail facility inventory, roadway lane width measurements, and assessment of pavement conditions. Other issues such as connections to transit facilities were also examined and extensive background research and field measurements were taken to develop solutions at each of the 14 demonstration project study locations.
2. Public Input
   Public input on the study was received through a public meeting held in centrally-located Fairfax County in July 2002 and through the project website. Electronic newsletters and regular updates to the project web page were also used to keep interested individuals and groups aware of the project progress. More than 200 emails with suggestions and comments were received from the public. In addition, several representatives of bicycle coalitions and other groups participated in the working group meetings.
3. Jurisdiction Input/Coordination
   Input was received from a working group of local representatives from the counties, cities, and towns in Northern Virginia. This input was particularly important since the study is based upon local adopted plans and planning efforts.
4. Latent Bicycle Travel Demand
   The study included a measure of latent bicycle travel demand, which provided information on routes that serve a high number of potential bicycling origin and destination points.
5. Demonstration Projects
   Local jurisdictions recommended locations for more in-depth field analysis to demonstrate the range of various types of bikeway improvements that may be possible for different roadway corridors. Demonstration project studies completed in 14 locations throughout Northern Virginia.
6. Final Network Map and Recommendations
   The final regional bikeway network map and study recommendations in this report were based on all of the input and analysis described in the steps above utilizing the locally adopted bicycle plans as guides.

Summary of Recommendations

The recommendations outlined below are steps towards the creation and continued support of a regional network of bikeways in Northern Virginia. These recommendations are divided into two categories, A) Bikeway Network Recommendations and B) Planning and Policy Recommendations. In order to successfully implement these recommendations, a cooperative effort on behalf of the state and local jurisdictions will be necessary.

Bikeway Network Recommendations

The locations of the proposed network facilities are shown on the existing and proposed regional bikeway network maps provided in the full report. The system of facilities includes both on-road bike lanes and paved shoulders, as well as off-road shared use paths.

• Establish a regional network of on-road bike lanes, paved shoulders and shared use paths within and between activity clusters in Northern Virginia. This study provides a framework for creating a more coordinated system by recommending a network of regional bikeways and trails that extends between and through all of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government (MWCOG)'s activity clusters in Northern Virginia, as well as connecting to activity clusters in Maryland and the District of Columbia. This network of facilities should be among the top priorities for standalone projects under VDOT's new policy that allows for the funding of independent bicycle facility projects.[Resolution of the Commonwealth Transportation Board, December 19, 2002, Section 1B.]
• Eliminate critical gaps in the existing bikeway network.
  • A number of short gaps in the existing network were identified during public meetings, through field visits, and from analysis of the network map. Future planning efforts should focus on eliminating known gaps, as well as other gaps that are identified during project development.
• Upgrade regionally-significant trails to industry standards. While most of the responsibility for major commuter trails in Northern Virginia is outside of the jurisdiction of VDOT, Northern Virginia jurisdictions, in coordination with VDOT, should undertake a program to widen and further improve trails that do not meet national guidelines for bikeway design. A number of needed upgrades were identified during this study and are listed below:
  • W&OD Trail: Widen narrow sections of the W&OD Trail to 10-foot wide minimum, 12-foot wide in areas with heavier volumes. The trail is currently less than eight feet wide in several sections. In addition, intersection safety improvements are needed at Sterling Boulevard, Church Street in Sterling, Hunter Mill Road, West Street in Falls Church, and Route 29 in Arlington.
  • Mt. Vernon Trail: Widen narrow sections of the Mt. Vernon Trail to 10-foot wide minimum, 12-foot wide in areas with heavier volumes. Improve the trail alignment along the Roosevelt Island parking lot; widen pinch points, such as the sidewalk over the inlet to the Boundary Channel. Provide connections from the trail to the Washington D.C. bridges, especially the connection across the George Washington Parkway to Arlington Memorial Bridge. Also, improve connections to the Pentagon and north Crystal City.
  • Accotink Trail: Widen narrow sections of the Accotink Trail to 10- foot wide minimum. The trail is 6' six feet to eight feet wide near King Arthur Road.
  • Trails along arterials: Widen narrow (defined as less than eight feet wide) shared-use paths along arterials such as Wiehle Avenue, Telegraph Road, and Lee Highway (Route 29), and others.
• Establish a system of high quality commuter corridors that connect outlying areas directly to core urban areas. There are a number of key corridors that cross jurisdictional boundaries which should be considered high priority because they provide viable bicycle connections through areas that are not currently served. Two trunk routes are already in place: the W&OD Trail/Custis Trail connection and the Mt. Vernon Trail from the south. Other bicycle trunk routes that need to be developed include Route 50 (Arlington Boulevard) , Braddock Road and Route 1. These routes are shown as proposed routes on the regional bikeway network map.
• Establish a route signage system that is easily and quickly understood by bicyclists. A signage system should be developed to identify the regional bikeway network in Northern Virginia. Signs should be enhanced to show bikeway route numbers or names. Additional signage should also be installed to show a pictorial of the bikeway with destination and interest points.
• Improve the mass transit system to offer seamless connections for bicycle commuters. Continue to improve bicycle access to transit in Northern Virginia by adding bike racks to local buses, providing secure bike parking at transit stations and park-and-ride lots, by improving bicycle connections in the vicinity of transit stations, and by ensuring bicycle and pedestrian through transit area design.
• Provide bicycle access across major barriers. There are a variety of major barriers to bicycling in Northern Virginia including major highways such as 495, 95 and 66, rivers, rail lines and property sites that can force bicyclists to travel miles out of their way to cross. Providing access across these barriers should be a standard component of roadway and bridge design, including interchanges between roads.
• Coordinate maintenance activities for bikeways to ensure a high quality, safe experience for every user of the facilities. VDOT and local jurisdictions should coordinate maintenance program activities that address both regular and remedial maintenance of bicycle facilities throughout the region. One component of this may be an “Adopt-a-Trail” program.

Planning and Policy Recommendations

The following actions are recommended to better incorporate bicycle access into standard policies and procedures of local and state government.

• Encourage the use of context sensitive roadway design that facilitates bikeway development in all jurisdictions. Flexibility should be encouraged in the VDOT Roadway Design Manual to ensure that bicycle facilities can be accommodated in corridors with constrained rights-of way.
• Undertake comprehensive changes to land use policies to encourage bicycle mobility and discourage development that is solely oriented to automobile access.
In order for bicycling and walking to become comfortable and convenient transportation options, these modes must continue to be fully integrated into local land use decisions in Northern Virginia. While this is outside of VDOT's specific area of responsibility, the department can provide assistance through land development recommendations and permitting process.
• Augment regional planning efforts with local bikeway planning, design and encouragement / promotional projects. It will be important for local governments to continue to advance high priority regional bikeway projects through the established channels of the transportation funding process such as the VDOT Six-Year Improvement Program, Secondary Road Program, Incidental and Revenue Sharing funds and local funding.
• Identify sufficient funding sources to establish the regional bikeway network.
• Establish mechanisms to enable on-going coordination and public involvement in regional bicycling issues. Continued coordination will be needed in the future in order to effectively implement this recommended regional bikeway network. This recommendation addresses the on-going planning, coordination, and oversight that will be needed to advance bicycling as a viable transportation alternative in the region.

Conclusion

The thirteen recommendations described above form the basis for creation of a bikeway facilities network. This will provide the option of bicycling as a practical mode of transportation to major destinations throughout the region. These recommendations are intended to support local activities and coordination between jurisdictions as these facilities, programs, and policies are put in place.