26 New Stations, 212 Bikes Coming Fall 2016

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a $1.7 million plan to bring Capital Bikeshare to Reston and Tysons at its regularly scheduled meeting today. This investment will help get cars off the road, boost local economy and contribute to a healthier community.

“With the transformation of Reston and Tysons into more urban centers, Fairfax County is investing in infrastructure needed to make it easy to get around.” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova. “More people are living and working in these areas than ever before. “Downtown” areas by definition are not designed to accommodate high volumes of car traffic and parking. Creating the right atmosphere that encourages walking and biking is important for these areas to continue to be attractive and highly sought after by residents and businesses alike.”

The bikeshare system will allow individuals in the Reston and Tysons to check out a bike and ride short to moderate distances from station to station. There will be 132 bicycles available in Reston at 15 stations located between the Wiehle-Reston East Metrorail Station and Reston Town Center; and 80 bicycles available in Tysons at 11 stations located east of Route 7, north of Route 123, and south of the Dulles Toll Road. The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) is working to identify and refine the exact locations for the stations in Reston and Tysons, and will be moving forward with the equipment purchase for the program. The first phase of the system is expected to open in the fall of 2016.

The Board’s action comes just one month after the approval of 31 pedestrian and bicycle projects in Herndon and Reston, and it also supports the county’s Strategic Plan to Facilitate Economic Success. The economic plan calls for creating dense, mixed use communities with many transportation options, and Capital Bikeshare helps to accomplish this goal. Not only do bikeshares attract the younger “creative class” that fuel an innovation economy, but also they produce tangible economic benefits. Also, a 2014 Capital Bikeshare member survey found that its riders make more trips to restaurants and stores than they normally would without the bikeshare system.[1] In addition, an academic study found that 23 percent of Capital Bikeshare riders spent more money because they used the system.[2]

In 2014, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) awarded Fairfax County a Transportation and Land Use Connection grant to study the feasibility of launching a bikeshare system. The results of the study showed that bikeshare could succeed as a viable transportation option in Reston.

In the summer of 2015, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), in partnership with Fairfax County, and with the support of the Tysons Partnership, implemented several miles of bike lanes in Tysons. This new infrastructure provoked the idea that a bikeshare system could succeed in Tysons, as well as in Reston. The Tysons Partnership approached FCDOT with a proposal to bring bikeshare to Tysons, and to make a financial contribution to the initial capital cost, as well as operating costs.

For more information on this project, contact FCDOT at 703-877-5600, TTY 711 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/transportation/bike-walk/.

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Fairfax County Transportation Media Contact
Anna K. Nissinen, Head of Communications
anna.nissinen@fairfaxcounty.gov
Direct: 703-877-5606, TTY 711
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