September Minutes

[Dalton, George W.]

Bicycle Study Committee Minutes for Wed. Sept. 20, 2000

Kirk Kincannon from Parks and Recreation introduced himself as
the "fill in" person until Marion's replacement comes aboard.

Suzanne Salva introduced herself as the liaison from TES.
Suzanne will be the conduit for communications to TES regarding
bicycle transportation infrastructure.

Bruce asked if there were any corrections to the minutes.
Michael asked that we note that the list of budget priorities
in the minutes didn't match what went out in the e-mail letter.
We decided to just attach the letter to the minutes.(See attached.)

We decided that the e-mail list server is working for us.
Since Suzanne our TES representative is on the list, we decided
to use the list server as the way to send maintenance issues to
TES.  This will save time for everyone.

In order to implement the Bicycle Master Plan, the city signage
has to be changed.  BSC started a list of needed changes.
George Dalton will bring in the data that he accumulated during
the failed attempt to create a signage database.

Many of the signs require merely a removal of the little "On
Sidewalk" sub-sign.

Maitland  agreed to bring in a list of such signs for Duke Street.

Sam will bring in a list of sub-sign removals for Route One.

Ruth and Chan will bring in a list of  sub-sign removals for
Braddock Road.

During all future work around the Jameison connector, Suzanne
will be involved in all future work and will have a chance to
prevent contractors from closing the path entirely.

The Holmes Run tunnels are on the scheduled inspection route
for the city so they should be cleared up within a few days of
a storm.  We spent some time discussing options for keeping
them clear.

There are three projects that the committee gives equal
priority and would like TES to decide which is the most likely
to be done.  The three projects are the Mt. Vernon/Abingdon spur (including
the Slaters lane crossing),
the Chambliss weir bridge, and Holmes Run/Raleigh Connector).

Chan will be giving a short presentation to the Holmes Run
civic  association about the Raleigh connector to the Holmes Run
Trail. Chan will also be meeting with the Wakefield Tarleton Civic
Association regarding the Tarleton Park Trail (Bike Plan Project A6).  The
neighborhood is working with Comcast, who will be moving to a new location
on Wheeler Ave. at Gordon St, on improvements in the area to mitigate the
impact of the move. The decision is to let Chan negotiate the
best deal he can with respect to trail location and surface.

On September 28 from 5-8 pm at Polk Elementary school there
will be a VDOT presentation about improvements to Van Dorn
street between Picket and Edsel roads. One option that the Bike
committee wants to support is that the curb lane be made 15ft
wide.  When VDOT gets done with it, Alexandria can stripe a
bike lane.  One point we can make in supporting this option is
that the wider curb lane gives more room for cars entering and
leaving the roadway.  We should go to make our comments on this.  Bruce will
post more details on the BSC list server.

There is no new news on Jones Point.

On November 9 there will be a VDOT poster session on the Route
One and Telegraph Road interchange projects.  Details an time and location
are to be determined.

Marion is working a re-submission for the TEA-21 grant.

We were directed to take copies of the new bike map to pass out
at bike shops etc.

Bruce is working with the City on setting the sensitivity of
the traffic signals so they will detect bikes.

The Grand Prix Bike Race is still scheduled to go on September 23.

The committee opposes calling the asphalt side walk in Potomac
Greens a bike path, because the master plan calls for an on
street route through there and the asphalt sidewalk is
dangerously narrow.

On September 30, we will have a bike ride with the city engineer.
This ride will begin at St. Elmos on Mt. Vernon avenue.  We can
arrive at 7:30 for coffee for an 8:00am start.

Alexandria's next Earth Day is June 2nd 2001 at 4 mile run park
.  Ruth was wondering how much we could support a bike rodeo
for kids in addition to the bike ride.  Jim agreed to e-mail
Ruth information about contacts at State Farm who could help.

The next meeting is October 18th.

This letter reflects the most current recommendations on budget priorities
and replaces the priorities listed in the minutes of August 16, 2000:
September 13, 2000

Dear Sandra and Rich,

The Alexandria Bicycle Committee is pleased with the efforts on the part of
the city to increase the funding for bicycle projects, specifically the
FY2001 CIP budget increase from $15,000 annually to $77,000 annually, and
the application for federal TEA21 funds for the Eisenhower Valley project.
We are disappointed in the state's disapproval of the grant application,
but, nevertheless, encourage the city to update and resubmit the application
for federal FY 2002 funds.  We will be glad to work with city staff on
preparing the application. We believe that the project is an ideal candidate
for TEA 21 funds and we think the FY 2001 application was well prepared.
Perhaps the weak link was in being unfamiliar with the application process
and players in this first-time effort to obtain TEA21 funds.   We would
suggest continuing some planning and engineering work for the first phase of
the project near Cameron Run Park including the underpass at Eisenhower.
This way, with future year city funds or reduced federal funds, the projects
could proceed incrementally.

 Since we were unsuccessful in getting the TEA21 grant, the Bicycle
Committee recommends that a majority of the FY 2001 CIP funding of $75,000
in addition to prior year unallocated funds (estimated to be $87,000 in
June) be used on other projects.   The committee reviewed the Bicycle
Transportation Master Plan and recommends priority consideration for the
following:

1. Path and Route Maintenance: Well maintained paths, both, on-street and
off-street, are necessary for safety reasons as well as to encourage more
use of the paths.  This includes safe traffic controls, such as traffic
signal activation devices sensitive to bicycles. In the past, committee
members have prepared several inventories of needed maintenance activities.
Early on we also distributed to bike shops self-addressed cards for the
public to report path problems.  Getting attention paid to these maintenance
needs has been difficult.  We do see improved communication efforts between
the city departments responsible for maintenance and encourage you to
continue improving these relationships.  It has not been clear to us whether
path maintenance is funded from the operations budget or the CIP and how the
city determines which department is responsible for the funding.  In the
meantime there is a significant backlog of path maintenance that needs to be
addressed.  Our first priority is to maintain the city's current inventory
of paths.  The committee would be glad to assist in identifying priority
maintenance needs.

2. Signage: The Bike plan was adopted by City Council in June 1998, and a
new map of the bike route system was published in January 2000.  The signs
currently on the streets need to be updated to coincide with the officially
approved plan.

3. Bike Plan Project Implementation: The bike plan identified 9 projects
that we felt would primarily require city funding.  While the status of some
of these projects has changed, the committee has identified a group of 3
priority projects from this category as well as 2 other projects for which
we would like you to consider funding.   We realize that all of these
projects could not be undertaken with available funding and that there may
be other factors that would go into the decision as to which project(s) to
undertake.

a. The Jamieson connector path (Bike Plan project C4 titled Payne St.
Connector) has been partially completed awaiting restoration of the historic
bridge over Hooff's Run. While this was originally intended to be funded by
a developer, it had to be expedited to get bikes off dangerous Duke Street.
The bridge work is scheduled to be done this fall and we urge a swift
completion of the path work.  This route will greatly improve the safety of
bicyclist, joggers and pedestrians traveling through the Eisenhower Valley.
The use of Duke Street as an alternate route for the last 1 and ½ years due
to the sewage treatment plant construction has been a safety concern for the
committee.

b. A.7 Mt. Vernon/Abingdon Spur: This project is located where there was a
cyclist fatality in April 1999 and our concern for safety is our primary
reason for this recommendation. At the time of the Bike Plan, there was a
plan for a street to pass over the railroad tracks in Potomac Yards. The
street has been replaced with a bike/pedestrian crossing, but our
understanding that the feasibility and location of the crossing in not
finally settled. In the meantime, during the public discussions on Potomac
Yards, there was the issue of safe and easy access for bicycles and
pedestrians to the Mount Vernon Trail and other Potomac River resources from
the southern sections of the Yards and Del Ray. As we understand it, that
access would have to be along Slater's Lane and through the Slater's Lane/GW
Parkway intersection. This area needs to be studied in more depth with the
idea of making needed safety improvements now in the context of a good
access plan consistent with the Potomac Yards and Monroe St. Bridge
improvements. Within this larger context, additional sources of funding
would seem to be appropriate.

c. A3. Chambliss Street Connector: We believe this to be a relatively low
cost project that would greatly benefit West end neighborhoods and provide
greater access to the Holmes Run Greenway.  This Greenway runs about 5 miles
from Eisenhower Ave to the city's western limit.  In conjunction with the
Eisenhower Valley path, people are able to get all the way from the West End
to Old Town with relatively little street usage.  We have made presentations
to the Lincolnia Citizens Association and they have written to the city in
the fall of 1999 asking that this project be implemented.  Communication
with the Downden Terrace community has indicated less enthusiasm.  The
project is literally located on the city boundary with Fairfax County, who
is very interested in working with the city on this project.  Our latest
thinking is that a weir crossing similar to the crossing of Homes Run close
to Beauregard would work fine at a relative low cost, which may be shared
with Fairfax County.

d. A8. Holmes Run/Raleigh Connector: This is another project that would
improve access from the Holmes Run and Fox Chase communities to the Holmes
Run Greenway.   This is an area where local residents, in the past, have
raised concerns about vagrants and drug use.  An asphalt path would bring
more people into the area, which will discourage undesirable users.  An
asphalt path through the woods should be a relative low cost project unless
drainage proves to be a problem.

e. We have mentioned the Holmes Run Greenway as a wonderful resource for the
city.  A critical link in the Greenway is the tunnel under I-395.  While
there is no project in the Bike Plan for this area, it is in need of fixing
up.  This route is heavily used by the high-rise community to the west of
I-395 as a pedestrian transportation route to the commercial establishments
at Fox Chase, Landmark Center, and along Duke St as well as to the new
library. For the Holmes Run neighborhood to the east, it serves as access to
the peaceful wooded area and Buddy Ford Nature Center to the west of I-395.
The smaller tunnel to the west should have more secure lighting installed.
Recent work appears to be addressing the problem of flooding in the larger
open area to the east.

Our most immediate concern is the VDOT preliminary plans to reconstruct
South Van Dorn Street from Pickett St to Edsall Rd. This project, just north
of the Van Dorn Street Metro station in the densely settled West End, would
encourage more driving and discourage walking and bicycling in a community
where most travel should not involve motor vehicles.  The roadway would not
accommodate bicycling (e.g., with bike lanes or wide curb lanes).  These
plans do not take the Bicycle Master Plan into consideration, see project
B7. It was our understanding that highway planning is to take bicycle and
pedestrian needs into consideration where a local jurisdiction had a plan in
place.  While the bicycle community will speak out at the September Public
Hearing, we strongly urge the city to also speak up to support its local
plan.  This process is reminiscent of mid 1990's public hearing on the VDOT
preliminary design for Braddock Road.   The bicycle committee and other
local community groups raised many concerns then that remain concerns with
the final product.  Let's take advantage of this opportunity to include
pedestrians and bikes (and the near by Metro Station) in the transportation
solution to this area.

With respect to other road and development projects, the Bike Committee is
actively involved in the Wilson Bridge Stakeholder panels.  We have been
following the Arlington Potomac Yards planning process slightly and do have
a bicycle concern brought to our attention by the Arlington citizens group.
We have supported the linear trail in Alexandria as well as continuing the
path in Arlington with a connection to the existing path that runs under the
bridges at Four-Mile Run.  The responsibilities in this area are confusing
because the area on the north bank is mostly in Alexandria, but the
development of that area is being done in the Arlington project.  I have not
kept up with the status of the Alexandria project for the Four Mike Run
Park, but I do not believe that it addressed the northern bank.  The
Arlington group is getting signals from the design team that indicate that
this area is subject to conflicting community guidance, in other words, it
may be falling through the cracks.  We encourage you to check up on this to
be sure the community gets what it wanted and let us know if we can be of
any help.  We would also glad to assist in review of other projects for
bicycle and pedestrian concerns.

Thank you for the consideration of our recommendations and we stand ready to
help in any way that we can.  Please contact me if you have any questions or
need any help from the committee.  In addition to our monthly meetings, we
do have a listserv and web page for more timely communications.

Yours Truly,
Bruce Dwyer, Chair, Alexandria Bicycle Committee

Cc:  Judy Noritake, Chair, Park & Recreation Commission
Alexandria Bicycle Committee Members