Dear Members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors,
I am writing to strongly oppose the elimination of funding for the Bicycle Program in the FY2011 Advertised Budget. Bicycling is a key part of the transportation network. While we understand that cuts must be made in difficult financial times, a disproportionate amount of those cuts have occurred to the bicycle program.
On a personal note, starting last summer, I began to bike ride to work from the Sleepy Hollow Road area to DC almost every day. The available bike trails are crowded with riders each day. This is most definitely transportation. It has transformed my health and also saves money.
Further, I should note that investments in bicycling or shared use trails costs a tiny amount of the total investment in road infrastructure. A key to reaping the rewards of this investment is that the trail infrastructure usefulness goes up exponentially as the network increases. If more and more users have connected trails near their houses, then a larger percentage of them can use them for transportation since the network of trails can take them where they need to go. For example, there are few links between the trails outside the beltway, particularly the south part of the cross county trail, and the trails inside the beltway. A small investment in safe trails connecting over the new bridges over the beltway could work wonders by allowing many more people to safely walk or bike between different areas of the county. If this investment is not made, all the money spent on wide sidewalks over the new bridges will be wasted. I could list lots more examples of small investments that would pay bid dividends. The great start that Fairfax county has made on trails will be wasted if we don't continue to make the system denser. Put another way, the denser the trail system, the more it can be used for transportation, not just recreation.
When you developed the Board Goals & Priorities in December 2009, you said that "we must ensure An Efficient transportation network - Fairfax County makes it a priority to connect People and Places. We will continue to plan for and invest in transportation improvements to include comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian initiatives..." Eliminating the bicycle program funding directly contradicts one of your basic budget priorities.
A great deal has been accomplished as part of the Board's Comprehensive Bicycle Initiative for a very small investment:
Bicycle Route Map which for the first time is providing assistance to residents in selecting safer routes
Bike racks on all Fairfax Connector buses which enable people to connect safe bike routes
Bike to Work Day in Fairfax County that has grown from 135 cyclists in 2002 to nearly 1,000 in 2009.
Bike lanes on Gallows Road, Lawyers Road, Westmoreland Street, and Old Courthouse Road which provide safer dedicated space on the roadway for cyclists.
We've still got a long way to go. Unlike our neighboring jurisdictions, we don't have a bicycle master plan, and without a funded bicycle program, it will not happen. This is about more than just bicycling; it's about the quality of life of Fairfax County residents, and their ability to safely use our streets. For Fairfax to remain a vibrant, growing community we need to provide residents and employees of Fairfax businesses with multiple transportation choices. Many potential future residents want to live in vibrant, mixed-use communities served by transit, bicycling, and walking. Without the bicycle program, we will fall far behind our neighbors and other communities that compete for that future growth.
In 2006 Fairfax County joined neighboring jurisdictions by hiring a bicycle coordinator and creating the bicycle program. Eliminating that program now would send the wrong message to Fairfax residents and our surrounding neighbors at a time when we need to find more creative solutions for reducing gridlock, reducing air pollution and creating safe, healthy transportation options for our residents. Bicycling is one of those solutions.
Sincerely,
David G. Blair
Mason District
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)