Alex Bike News Corrected

[Bruce & Linda Dwyer]

The Picketts Ridge SUP public hearing is Sat Feb 21, not Feb 10.
Sorry

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Bruce&Linda Dwyer 
To: BSC 
Sent: Friday, February 06, 2004 12:20 PM
Subject: Alex Bike News


Park & Rec. Commission
Congratulations to Bill Hendrickson on his appointment to the Parks & Recreation Commission from District II.
Council will make an appointment for District III on Feb 10 between Kaj Vetter and Isabelle Baird.  I do not know either of these people, but understand that Kaj is a bicycle commuter.
Applications for my position from District II and Bill Conkey's position from District I are due Friday Feb 13 with Council making the appointments on Feb 24.  I am not reapplying so the District II position is open.  Bill is reapplying and has my strong support.  He  is young by Alexandria standards and has been very active in a variety of issues.

Pickett's Ridge/Buzzard's Gap Sup and trail easement decision
We lost another one on Feb 3 Tuesday night.  Four Commissioners (Wagner, Robinson, Liebach, & Komorosky) were in favor of the easement, but they could not agree on the width, so the SUP was recommended for approval without the staff recommendation for a trail easement.  It will be before City Council at the Sat. Feb 21 public hearing.  In the course of the hearing Donna Fossum spoke against parks and trails as crime, trash, and homeless ridden.  Most disconcerting for an appointed official to be so out of touch with the desires of the citizens of Alexandria who survey results show strongly favor parks, trails and open space.  The results of this hearing do not bode well for implementation of the City approved Open Space Plan and trails network.  Please let you friends, city officials, and political leaders know of your disappointment and urge them to support putting the easement back in at the City Council hearing.  More later on City Council hearing information. Thanks Ann Hunt for speaking on behalf of the bike committee. 

Transportation Commission/Advisory Board 
The transportation working group examining the wisdom of establishing a Transportation Commission met Feb 4 for the second time.  They decided to recommend to Council to create a task force to help finish the Comprehensive Transportation Policy and Program and rewrite the transportation master plan.  This task force will consist of two Planning Commissioners (probably Eric Wagner and Larry Robinson) and five citizens appointed by the City Council.  This task force will meet for a period of 12 to 16 months, report its recommendations, and disband.  If the working group's advice is followed, applicants for the five citizen slots will submit their applications in March and receive appointments in April.   They will be asked to have some knowledge or interest in transportation planning. Meanwhile the transportation working group would remain in existence and reconvene some months from now after the task force working on the transportation master plan has gotten underway.   At that time we'll return to the question of whether a transportation advisory board should exist and what its mission should be.

Comprehensive Transportation Policy and Program
Rich Baird made a presentation to City Council on Feb 3 re the status of the development of this plan, summarizing data collection and feedback from the community meetings.  On a good note, the terms "multimodal", "bicycle", "pedestrian"," transit" were frequently used, even the phrase to "Aggressively promote the use of these modes". Our recommendation from last year  to "stripe multilane roadways to increase the width of outside lanes to accommodate bicycle use" was presented as an example of multimodal corridor program.  Too bad that the no cost implementation of this program did not occur last summer with the repaving and striping of many city streets, including our favorite: Mill Road. 

Hunting Towers/Mt Vernon Trail Alignment
As previously reported, this proposal has been sent to city staff, the Mayor, several City Council Members, Park and Rec Commission, Planning Commission members, the WWB Project Office and we have not heard much back.  We do know that VDOT, other state officials and the Feds will not bother with it until the city says it wants to do it.  So again, talk it up with your local connections.

Next meeting
Wednesday Feb 18.  I will get an agenda out next week.

Bruce Dwyer
Chair, Alexandria Bicycle Committee
703-549-3263
ouibike at att.net



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