ABAC Meeting Summary – April 2011
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October 3, 2011 at 8:41 pm #910443Mark BlacknellParticipant
[Please note – this the draft, not as adopted. Will update with corrections when available.]
Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee
Draft Meeting Summary
April 4, 2011Attendees: Mark Blacknell (Chair), Eric Goodman(Co-Chair Pedestrian Committee), Megan Jones, Steve Offutt, Allen Muchnick, David Goodman (Arlington County), Barry Skidmore, Chris Eatough (Arlington County), Randy Swart, Michael Raizen, David Patton (Arlington County), David Kirschner (Arlington County), Chris Hamilton (Arlington County), Kevin Stalica (Arlington County), Ed Blanton, Brian McEntee, Franz Gimmler, Jeremy A. Pearce, Allen Reiter, and Dwight Hlustick.
1. Introduction: Chairman Blacknell called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. and introductions were made.
2. Distribution of December Meeting Minutes: There are no notes for the March meeting. This meeting will be discussed as part of today’s agenda. The February meeting notes are not yet available.
3. Trail Updates: According to Kevin the cleanup of bushes along the trails should be complete. Tree cleanup is still needed and a new contract may be used to complete this project. There appears to be $100,000 available for repaving; this will be used on the Custis Trail. David may have found some more funds for repaving the trails, about $50,000. There is some confusion as to whether these amounts are exclusive or complimentary. The issue about asphalt upheavals on the Custis Trail was discussed. Kevin said he should be able to correct this item. Steve said that edging is needed on some spots on the Custis Trail where soil has washed onto the trail and grass has started grow on the trail in a few cases.
4. Bike Arlington Updates: Chris Eatough reported that Bike To Work Day is Friday May 20. Pit Stops are scheduled for Ballston, Rosslyn, and Crystal City. Bike DC is scheduled for Sunday May 22 and will be about half in DC and half in Virginia. The start and finish of the ride will be in DC and the finish will be near the start. Eleven bike safety classes have been scheduled. They are “Learn to Ride” and “Confident City Cycling”. The classes average about 22 students. The County is planning to charge $10 for a reservation in order to assure increased attendance of students who make reservations. The classes are being taught under a WABA contract.
Another bike station will open in Rosslyn for Capital Bikeshare. This will result in three stations in Rosslyn and one in the Courthouse area. Eric Gilliand is now running Capital Bikeshare.
Three new bike friendly businesses have been added by LAB. These are Paramount Properties in Rosslyn (bronze), CEA, Crystal City, and Revolution Cycles, City Hub in Crystal City (gold).
The County will be considering the use of NACTO (National Association of City Transportation Officials) designs for bike lanes and structures where the is a lack of standards or better alternatives to AASHTO since it takes so long to get changes to the AASHTO standards.5. Topical Discussions:
· March Meeting – According to Mark there were about 100-150 people at the March meeting. He also got 75 new E-mail addresses. The issue of what message(s) should we send this group was discussed. It was decided that we should make them aware of the BAC google group, and are welcome to join if they like. Also, we should tell them that they should let the Board know about their interests about bicycling in Arlington County. The thought was that we should try to schedule another BAC event during this summer. Allen thought we should reinstate the County Board Bike Ride which has not taken place for the past couple of years. The problem is getting on the Board’s calendar so at least a few Board members would attend. Eric Goodman said he would look into it.
· FY2012 Budget – According Mark there are no new cuts for cycling issues. The final mark-up and discussions will be April 12. The final budget will be adopted on April 16. According to David Patton there is some interest in putting trail snow removal in the budget.
· East Falls Church – Mark distributed his comments on the project. The group only found minor issues with the comments. The issue of a new route to Route 29 was discussed extensively. Most preferred to use the route through Issac Crossman Park [Comment from MB: is this right? I don’t recall this consensus at all]. However, this trail is limited to pedestrians since the neighboring townhouses consider this County property as part of their backyard. The Falls Church staff said they would support this change if the Arlington staff also supported the change. One of the major advantages to this change is that bicyclists would cross at Westmoreland St. which has a sensor for bicycles. This crossing is much safer than the present trail crossing since there are so many turning motions by motor vehicles at the exiting trail crossing. In addition, some thought the Nellie Custis Trail should be extended to the Metro Station. This trail is thought to be mainly used by pedestrians. It was decided by the Committee that Mark would forward his comments to County with some minor changes.
6. Staff Report and Issues:
· Columbia Pike Bike Boulevard – According to David Goodman, the contractor has completed the report and drawings. The county plans to take them to the public. There are four civic associations involved. The route ends at George Mason Drive instead of Jefferson Street. Both projects are funded out of the Columbia Pike Implementation Plan.
· Sycamore Street – A bridge is being replaced on a connector trail this spring.
· Rosslyn /Ballston – Wayfinding project is underway for these areas.
· South Ninth Street – The County is considering a bridge over Four Mile Run . This should be good for the neighborhood and the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevard.
· According to David Patton a culvert is being rebuilt on the W&OD at Little Falls Road. There is also a meeting for Arlington volunteers on April 10. Invites were sent from the County. On May 14th Montgomery County will have a half day meeting with civic associations to get some type of citizens bike program started. They are looking for some help.
· Safety Grant Application – Toole Designs for Custis Trail and W&OD Trails. Also money to implement 56 countdown pedestrian light signals. According to David Kirchner, countdown lights are being considered at Scott and Oak Aves. along the Custis Trail.
· Paving – Paving will be done on George Mason Drive which will involve the addition of bike sharrows. There is also some paving planned for Wilson Blvd., also with sharrows. There will be work on Walter Reed Drive on improving pedestrian facilities (crossings).
7. Liaisons:
· Pedestrian Advisory Committee – The committee discussed snow removal and the dumping of snow on pedestrian facilities.
· Traffic Calming Committee – The committee has begun two new projects based on traffic speed monitoring. One is in the East Falls Church area and the other is in South Arlington off of Glebe Road.
· Allen brought up some issues for future meeting with NPS and VDOT.
· There is a Bikes of the World fund raiser on April 5 at the Arlington Draft House at 7:00 PM.
Dwight Hlustick
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