Topic for TES Director

[Bruce Dwyer]

This will be the first agenda item

Rich,
Thank you for agreeing to attend the Alexandria Bicycle Committee meeting on
Wednesday, April 19 at 7:30 at the Lee Center.  Following are the topics
that the committee would like to discuss with you. We would welcome any
introductory comments you would like to make.  Please call me day or evening
at 703-549-3263 if you have any questions.

Bruce Dwyer
Chair, Alexandria Bicycle Committee

Topics for Discussion with new Director of TES

General topics

1.  Bicycle committee is a subcommittee of Park & Recreation Commission.
However, the committee supports bicycling for both transportation and
recreation.  The committee provides lots of support to the city, preparing
the Bicycle Master Plan and the bicycle routes for the new map, plus more.
We believe that pedestrian concerns go along with bicycle concerns in
addressing how to make Alexandria a more livable community.  The committee
is proud of the contributions and work it has done beyond just serving in an
advisory capacity.  We would like to work more closely with TES.

2.  The Master Bike Plan recommends the creation of a full-time
bicycle/pedestrian coordinator reporting to both TES and Park&Rec.  The
committee spends much time chasing around the city offices to coordinate on
projects with a bicycle impact. Plus there is a lack of expertise on AASHTO
and VDOT guidelines on bicycle facilities.  The City Council adopted the
Master Plan 2 years ago, endorsed the request for FY 2001 TEA-21 funds, and
increased the FY 2001 budget for bike trails to $77,000/year.  Successful
implementation will take project management and bicycle facilities skills.

Specific topics

1.  Eisenhower Valley Greenway Project overview with aerial photo charts.
Project is a Master Plan for developers, requires coordination with Planning
Department and TES.  Ties in to Rt. 1 and Telegraph Road interchange
bike/ped accommodations recommended by bike committee and adopted by Wilson
Bridge Technical Evaluation Committee.

2.  Bike/Ped considerations very disappointing and dangerous in the East end
of Eisenhower Valley with the loss of trail due to sewage treatment plant
construction.  An alternative route to use Jamison Street right-of-way has
been frustrating to committee.

3.  Need attention to adjust the sensitivity of traffic signal
activation loops to bicycles.  Detector at Slater's Lane and GW Parkway was
changed in Jan 2000 in response to committee request in response to cyclist
death in April 1999.  City and TES response to this death was disappointing.

4.  King Street RR bridge area, even without a new bridge, needs ped/bike
safety improvements.

5.  Committee recommended wide curb lanes, wide sidewalks (for pedestrians),
and a pedestrian crossing of Braddock Road at the Metro Linear Trail during
design public hearing in mid 1990's.  VDOT response was that these would be
included. Are these bicycle and pedestrian accommodations still in the
design?

5.  Alexandria Heritage Trail need safety improvements and other
improvements (especially in I-395 underpass, which is also a highly used
bike/ped neighborhood commuting route to stores and new city library) and
signage.

6.  What can be done to improve the safety of peds and bikes in
right-turn-on-red intersections?

7.  Need to update sidewalk/sidepath ordinance consistent with other
jurisdiction is the state, Arlington, Hampton.

8.  Would TES support the resurrection of the Bicycle Improvement Request
postcard from several years ago. Postcard was put in bike shops in
mid-1990's for citizens
to use to report maintenance needs. Stopped because maintenance suggestions
were not acted upon for the most part.  An example is drainage grates that
run parallel to
rather than vertical to the flow of traffic thus dangerous for catching a
bike wheel, e.g. Monroe St. bridge and 200 block of East Monroe.

9.  We have suggested that striped bike lanes are effective for encouraging
bicycling and also have a side benefit of traffic calming.  Bike lanes are
on parts of Commonwealth Ave. and Pendelton streets.  Parking lanes were
recently restriped on Commonwealth, however the bike lanes were not.
However, we are not sure that they were in compliance with AASHTO
guidelines.  Committee would like to see more marked bike lanes when they
can be in compliance with AASHTO.

9.  VDOT is coming to the end of its program of providing free bike
racks/installation.  Alexandria put them in parks and has orders in for
commercial area placements.  VDOT has asked if Alexandria could take
advantage of a few remain racks.  The committee would like to see even more
racks in retail and commercial areas following the Arlington example.