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Bicyclists, transportation planners in the Fredericksburg area have collaborated on a regional plan for trails, bike lanes Date published: 8/22/2010
By KELLY HANNON When it comes to walking and biking to work, the Fredericksburg area is below the national average. Just over three in 100 Americans--3.3 percent--reported biking or walking to work in the 2000 U.S. census. Isolate numbers for the Fredericksburg region, and just 2 percent of the population biked or walked to work, according to the census. A devoted crowd of cyclists, pedestrians and transportation planners are trying to change the numbers by changing the landscape. There is no lack of planning or interest in building bike lanes, trails, sidewalks and crosswalks in the Fredericksburg area. As part of any new or renovated road project since 2004, a Virginia Department of Transportation policy requires it to examine ways to provide facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. "The way the policy works is every project that comes through is eligible. It's sort of 'prove why it can't be done,' as opposed to 'prove why it could be done,'" said Liz McAdory, VDOT policy and planning specialist. Also, a multi-year planning effort at the Fredericksburg regional level calls for bike lanes, trails, sidewalks, and pedestrian crosswalks in every locality: Caroline, Fredericksburg, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford. It identifies the specific street corners where projects should go, and estimates prices. The entire plan is online at fampo.gwregion .org/bikeandpedestrianplan .html. Called the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, it was part of the area's 2035 Long Range Plan for transportation, a federally-required study. The document was adopted by the Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization in 2009. Projects were identified by an advisory group that included planners from local governments, VDOT, school districts and the National Park Service, and representatives from the Sierra Club, Fredericksburg Pathway Partners, Fredericksburg Cycling Club and the Potomac National Scenic Heritage Trail Association. Residents also joined as individuals. Committee members identified where bike and pedestrian facilities already existed in the Fredericksburg area, and tried to expand them, said Andy Waple, a FAMPO principal planner. Next, the group tried to close gaps between trails or facilities that are missing a link, Waple said. Members highlighted "activity centers," such as ballfields and employment zones, where people would be likely to want to travel on bike or foot. Finally, they looked at locations where people are already biking, walking and running, such as along Lafayette Boulevard in Fredericksburg, Waple said.
Date published: 8/22/2010
Do bike paths take priority over the the nearly $2B that GWRC/FAMPO says Stafford need for highways over the next 20 years.
2035? I'll be 75...no bike riding for me...or work, hopefully!
No bike path on Rt 17 or 3? There's a reason those roads are so heavily traveled...that's how people get to work! If the city and county are genuinely interested in helping people bike/walk to work, they'd invest the money to build paths along those roads. I grew up in Eugene, OR, which has an amazing bike path system that actually gets people where they need to go. It can be done. But it requires more than lip service, which it seems is all that's really going on here.
There certainly is little interest in bike trails etc. when only 2% made use of them in this area and 3.3% nationwide! Take a poll of people tied up on I-95 if they would like 247 Million spent on bike lanes,trails etc. rather than ROADS between now and 2035! Motorists are paying for this stuff from fuel tax paid at the PUMP and elsewhere! Im sorry but I just throw my hands up when small minorities expect the majority to support and pay for their whims. Have a nice commute!
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