Pointless Prize: KOT and QOT
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@Boomer2U 187675 wrote:
I cleared the snow berms from the county plowing at 2 dangerous intersections along the W&OD between miles 7.0 and 8.0, before they freeze over tonight
The first one as at Virginia Lane.
Before:
After:
The second one was at Shreve Road, near the Popular Heights tennis courts.
Before:
After:
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Two points for a solo act of snow shoveling goodness. Double points because shoveling is hard. One additional point for the picture of a tiny bike with a big snow shovel on it. 5 points!
@Boomer2U 187676 wrote:
While at it, I also cleared a single track to Shreve Road so that I can get to Mike’s Deli for pancakes, because I like pancakes!
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Two points for a solo act of single track. One additional point for enabling more people to get to them yummy pancakes. 3 points!
I rode my bike to a well attended advocacy meeting tonight in Fairfax VA hosted by @BikeFairfax (aka FABB) with VDOT and Fairfax County officials about the proposed I-66 Trail Outside the Beltway, as well as plans by FFX county to connect to it from outside the I-66 corridor, and an update on trail upgrades Inside the Beltway. There were a number of cyclists there, including FABB reps, and I chatted with Cathy M (whom I believe is participating in BAFS2019).
I’m not a very good bump on a log unless I’m sleeping through a meeting, so I asked a few question like “why not switch the sound barrier and trail barrier between motorized vehicles and pedestrians/cyclists since it uses existing space more safely?” (…no, because the homeowners won that NIMBY battle already with the elected county supervisors); “what do all the different color codes and symbols mean on your PowerPoint maps?” (…a legend will be provided in an updated version); “can you please upload your coded maps with legend on the web?” (…yes, but not yet); and, “how do you determine when to approve payments to the contractor and manage delivery risk if your contracts do not include any performance milestones?” (…lengthy discussion on the basics of public-private partnerships and who bears the risk…buy me several beers if you want to unpack this one!).
It was good to see such good coordination between VDOT, their lead contractor, Fairfax County and FABB (@BikeFairfax). They are trying to do the right thing for cyclists/pedestrians within the constraints of motorists and property owners who don’t want any of this in their backyard (NIMBYs…not in my backyard) and money left over after the cars take the lion’s share.
While the basic parameters have been defined, contracts negotiated, and construction already underway on some sections of the 22 miles to be reconstructed, there are still lots of finer details yet to be defined re where exactly the trail will go, if it is at/below/above grade with vehicular traffic, and exactly what kind of physical barrier will separate people from motorized vehicles (though current standard is a 50 inch high concrete barrier–when at grade). There will be lots more public meetings where you can ask questions and provide input/feedback. This is especially true of the “outside corridor” trails and cycle tracks to be built by Fairfax County to feed into the I-66 trail and connect to Vienna and Dunn Loring MetroRail stations.
On a closing note, this is probably the single most significant opportunity to get non-motorized modes of transportation built along the I-66 corridor in my almost 30 years of bike commuting along that route. Another opportunity like this probably won’t come around for another generation. I encourage you engage and make a lasting difference that will benefit cyclists/peds for years to come.
Find out more info here: https://fabb-bikes.org/project/i66-trail/
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