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Health & Fitness

Making Fairfax County More Bicycle Friendly

What does it take to make a community more bicycle friendly? Come to the bicycle planning meeting on Thursday, Oct. 20 to find out.

Fairfax County is holding a bicycle planning meeting for the Reston-Herndon area on Thursday, Oct. 20 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Sunrise Valley Elementary School, 10824 Cross School Road in Reston.

County planners want to make Fairfax a more bicycle-friendly place. They want residents to have more choices for getting around rather than having to rely on cars for most of their trips. Using bicycles for short trips is a healthy transportation option and a proven way to relieve traffic congestion and reduce air pollution. It’s also an easy way to save money.

The county is currently developing a bicycle master plan. The plan is structured around several major areas of emphasis, often referred to as the 5 E’s: Engineering (bike lanes, trails, bike racks), Education (bike safety classes in school, adult bike ed, motorist education), Encouragement (events such as Bike to Work Day to encourage more people to ride), Enforcement (for motorists and bicyclists), and Evaluation & Planning (counting bicyclists, tracking planning goals and milestones).

A major part of the planning process is to hear from local bicyclists about where they would like to ride and how their trips can be made more safe and convenient. Is there enough bike parking in the community? Is the parking the proper type, such as inverted U racks which are a standard in many communities? What are your top priorities for making biking better?

If you’d like to help Fairfax become a more bike-friendly place, come out to Sunrise Valley Elementary School on Thursday evening and participate in the discussion. For more information about the planning process see the Bicycle Master Plan website.

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