2014 Bicycle Friendliness by State

League of American Bicyclists:

The League of American Bicyclists released their 2014 rankings for bikeability. Virginia dropped two spaces from last year’s rankings and is now listed as 18^th. “Every year, the League ranks all 50 states on their bikeability.  We do this based on a mutli-faceted Bicycle Friendly State℠ questionnaire that is answered by each state’s Bicycle Coordinator. We look at five categories: Legislation & Enforcement, Policies & Programs, Infrastructure & Funding, Education & Encouragement, and Evaluation & Planning.”

~ League of American Bicyclists

Click here to check out the rankings

Planners Survey Bike Route 76 for Improvements

Thomas Jefferson PDC:

“Central Virginia planners are surveying 136 miles of a cross-country bike route that runs through the region. Bike Route 76 directs riders on some of the area’s busiest, curviest roads. One trouble spot planners have identified is Route 53, which winds its way from Route 20 to Monticello. There are no shoulders, the drop-offs are steep, and it has become a busy commuter road. But a study is looking at ways to make it safer for cyclists to pedal through our part of the cross-country bike route.”

~Writes NBC29

Click here to learn more

Click here for another story from November 2013

Click here for the project website

Court ruling in land dispute could threaten bike trails

U.S. Supreme Court:

“The Supreme Court's ruling in an obscure Wyoming land dispute Monday could result in the loss of thousands of miles of bicycle trails or cost the government millions of dollars in compensation. The justices ruled 8-1 that government easements used for railroad beds over public and private land in the West expired once the railroads went out of business, and the land must revert to its owners.

Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, said the case was decided based on an 1875 act of Congress and a 1942 Supreme Court decision involving Great Northern Railway. That ruling confirmed that the government merely had received easements without any long-term land rights, he said. The establishment in 1983 of the federal ‘rails to trails’ program didn't change the court's interpretation for easements that expired earlier. ‘We're going to stick with that today,’ Roberts said from the bench.

The decision could jeopardize the ‘rails to trails’ program, responsible for creating more than 1,400 bike and nature trails, many of them built along railroad rights-of-way.”

~Writes Richard Wolfe of USA Today

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Our view: Pedal harder on bike safety

General Assembly:

“Biking enthusiasts were only one for three this year in lobbying the General Assembly for traffic safety laws that would cut their risks of injury when sharing the road with far heavier, faster motor vehicles.

The Virginia Bicycling Federation focused on three bills, reasonable measures all, that might have passed on a surge of goodwill this year, what with Richmond preparing to host one of the world's premier cycling events in 2015. Except that, well, there will be races for a couple of open congressional seats in November.

Though avid bicyclists might fall anywhere along the political spectrum from far right to far left, lawmakers are ever mindful with every piece of legislation in election years of where partisan advantage might lie. And in Virginia, every year is an election year. Republican Del. Barbara Comstock of Fairfax, not known as a bicycle friendly legislator in the past, sponsored a bill this year (HB 82) to apply the state's prohibition against following too closely to tailgating non-motor vehicles - e.g., bikes.

The bill passed in the usually hostile House, only to die in committee in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where, The Washington Post reports, Transportation Committee Chairman Creigh Deeds voted to pass it by indefinitely, despite his past support.”

~Writes Christopher Chung in an editorial of The Roanoke Times

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We can improve system for bicyclists

Statewide:

“Bike tickets are on the rise and they carry the same fines and legal consequences that vehicle infractions do. This system is a bad one for four big reasons:

1. The cost of a ticket is disproportionate to the cost of riding a bicycle.
2. Bicycles are not 2-ton blocks of metal that go 70 mph and kill thousands of people a year
3. It is often difficult for bicyclists to follow the rules safely
4. Motorists are almost never held responsible for collisions with bicycles”

~Writes Luke Juday of Charlottesville Tomorrow

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Bicyclists getting tickets need to watch the road, and court computers

City of Charlottesville:

“With the Charlottesville Police Department handing out more tickets to bicyclists, riders should watch not only the rules of the road, but also the strokes on the keyboard. Bicyclists can receive demerit points if the police and courts don’t accurately document the offense. At the heart of the matter is the information contained on the summonses issued by a police officer and a computer database field recently added to Virginia’s court case management system. The field, when checked, is intended to prevent tickets issued to bicyclists from being sent to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

‘The courts have the ability to indicate in their systems when convictions are from bicycling infractions,’ DMV spokeswoman Pam Goheen confirmed in an email. Absent the database notation, bicycle convictions appear just like other traffic tickets, which can result in demerit points being added to the offenders’ driving records, a circumstance that can increase vehicle insurance premiums.”

~Writes Charlottesville Tomorrow

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Bike-Walk Summit Selected as Model Program

Shenandoah Valley

“The 2013 Harrisonburg-Rockingham Bike- Walk Summit was featured in the January issue of American Bicyclist, published by the League of America Bicyclists, as a model for  bringing diverse stakeholders together for better cycling and better communities.  The article titled, ‘United Spokes: When community stakeholders come together, the result is better cycling for all’ starts on page 16 and Harrisonburg is featured on page 20.”

~Central Shenandoah PDC

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King Street bike lanes brake for an appeal

City of Alexandria

“The battle over installing less than a mile of bike lanes on Alexandria’s King Street will go into spring, after city officials announced Wednesday that they will allow public hearings on the controversy in February and March.

Bicyclists and residents have squared off over the plan to narrow the busy traffic lanes on a residential portion of King Street in order to accommodate bike lanes. The proposal has been in the works since last summer, but residents objected to losing parking spots in front of their houses while bicyclists said the existing road is dangerous to use.

Last month, Alexandria’s transportation director Rich Baier announced that a compromise plan would go forward. That plan calls for full bike lanes part of the way, and street markings that indicate bikes, cars, buses and trucks will share existing traffic lanes the rest of the way.”

~Writes the Patricia Sullivan of the Washington Post

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Bicycle-passing bill advances

General Assembly

“The Virginia Senate Transportation committee recently has approved a bill increasing the distance at which cars must pass bicycles, from 2 feet to 3 feet. Senate Bill 97, introduced by Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Fredericksburg, has been unsuccessfully introduced in the past by Reeves and a number of other Republican and Democratic legislators. Previous opponents of the bill, including Sen. Charles W. Carrico, R-Galax, have cited enforceability issues as a reason for barring passage of the bill, saying that it is hard for drivers to know the difference between 2- and 3-foot distances while driving.

This bill would change the distance at which a car can pass electric personal assistive mobility devices (scooters and wheelchairs), mopeds and animal-drawn vehicles. Twenty-two other states and Washington, D.C. have similar laws that say drivers must pass bicycles with at least 3 feet of room.”

~Writes Lauren McLellan of the Tidewater News

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Gloucester officials want Route 17 pedestrian crossings

Gloucester County

“County officials are pressing the Virginia Department of Transportation for pedestrian crossings on Route 17 in Gloucester Point as part of a series of projects on the highway and connecting roads to make it more compatible with people walking and biking and to improve traffic flow through Gloucester.

The request by Gloucester County officials comes as plans are being set for a number of projects along the highway and its corridors. The projects include:

• Coordinating traffic signals on 11 miles of Route 17, from the Court House area to the Coleman Bridge, at an estimated cost of $2.2 million.
• Constructing facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists for nearly 2 miles on Hayes Road, at an estimated cost of $1.6 million.
• Constructing facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists for 3.6 miles on Guinea Road, from the intersection of Route 17 to the intersection of Maryus Road, at an estimated cost of $1.4 million.
• Widening Route 17 for pedestrians and bicyclists, from just north of the Coleman Bridge to Farmwood Road, at an estimated cost of $349,000.”

~Writes Matt Sabo of the Daily Press

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Bike-Related Bills in the 2014 Virginia General Assembly

General Assembly

“With Session to begin tomorrow, the VBF is currently working for the passage of three bills focused on cycling. Two bills, one requiring three foot passing and another for dooring, have been introduced in the Senate by Senators Reeves and Petersen, and Delegate Comstock has introduced a “following too closely” bill in the House.”

~Writes the Virginia Bicycling Federation

Click here for a summary of the bills

American Trails "Advancing Trails" Webinar Series

Webinar Series

“Accessibility is closely related to better trail design. The new guidelines provide a great opportunity for all trail planners and managers to identify ways to make their trail systems more sustainable and available to more hikers while maintaining the character of the trail and reducing maintenance costs in the long term.

  

The program is hosted by American Trails and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with the presentation made by Janet Zeller, National Accessibility Program Manager, U.S. Forest Service. Learn more about the presenter here.”

~National Trails Training Partnership

Click here to learn more

Visit ‘Bike the Valley’

The Central Shenandoah PDC developed this website, which “accommodates and encourages bicycling in the Central Shenandoah Valley. It offers a comprehensive network of cycling facilities connecting neighborhoods, communities, and key destination points. Enjoy the maps connecting the counties of Augusta, Bath, Highland, Rockbridge, Rockingham; the cities of Buena Vista, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Staunton, and Waynesboro, and the eleven towns that lie within.”

Click here to visit the site

New Bike Lanes in Richmond

City of Richmond 

"The City of Richmond has added bikelanes to the Second Street connector of US Bike Route 1  where the route enters downtown Richmond.  Though only .3 miles long, this  scenic section of the  route connects to  US 1/301 and crosses the James River, passing by the historic, Tredegar Iron Works, Belle Isle and the Virginia War Memorial." 

~Virginia Bicycling Federation
To learn more, click here

Roanoke County

“While the City of Roanoke has been proactive in bike-friendliness (a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community), Roanoke County has lagged behind. Though incorporating bike-ped has been VDOT policy since 2004, the county was not necessarily onboard. (Is this a familiar story?) Well, no more. Two county supervisors who are also on the MPO board brought the bike-ped case to the county board, which unanimously agreed to, and passed, a bike-ped integration policy. Kudos to the Roanoke County supervisors for their vision and leadership.”

~Writes Virginia Bicycling Federation

Click here to learn more

Work Begins on Corridor Study of Bike Route 76

Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission

"U.S. Bicycle Route 76, also known as the TransAmerica Bike Route, is a National Bike Route that spans from the Midwest to eastern Virginia. Along this path, the route passes through five of the localities in our region - Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Louisa and Nelson. As part of its FY14 Rural Transportation Program, the TJPDC staff will conduct a Corridor Study of the Route 76 segments within our region. The intent of this work ultimately is to increase safety, access and awareness of the bike route. The Rural Technical Committee has conducted a scoping meeting for this project to help guide the process and deliverables.

TJPDC staff included the Route 76 project in its FY13 Rural Transportation Work Program, but was unable to begin work because of the large volume of rural projects. The Rural Technical Committee and Commission carried over this project to the FY14 Work Program, intending it to be a high priority project. The original project scope included three main elements:

1.    An inventory of existing conditions;

2.    A promotional campaign to provide route information and online resources; and,

3.    Recommendations for roadway improvements that would increase bike safety."

~TJPDC News Brief

Click here to learn more

Work Begins on Corridor Study of Bike Route 76

Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission

"U.S. Bicycle Route 76, also known as the TransAmerica Bike Route, is a National Bike Route that spans from the Midwest to eastern Virginia. Along this path, the route passes through five of the localities in our region - Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Louisa and Nelson. As part of its FY14 Rural Transportation Program, the TJPDC staff will conduct a Corridor Study of the Route 76 segments within our region. The intent of this work ultimately is to increase safety, access and awareness of the bike route. The Rural Technical Committee has conducted a scoping meeting for this project to help guide the process and deliverables.

TJPDC staff included the Route 76 project in its FY13 Rural Transportation Work Program, but was unable to begin work because of the large volume of rural projects. The Rural Technical Committee and Commission carried over this project to the FY14 Work Program, intending it to be a high priority project. The original project scope included three main elements:

1.    An inventory of existing conditions;

2.    A promotional campaign to provide route information and online resources; and,

3.    Recommendations for roadway improvements that would increase bike safety."

~TJPDC News Brief

Click here to learn more

Bicycle Crashes, Injuries and Deaths by Locality

Statewide Statistics

“The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles tracks the total number of bicycle crashes, injuries and deaths each year. Below are the 2011 data for central Virginia. If a locality is not listed, there were no reported bicycle crashes.”

~Writes the Richmond Times Dispatch

Click here to learn more