The deadline to submit comments for VTrans 2035 — Virginia’s long-range transportation plan — is Friday, July 30. VBF representatives attended several public meetings to offer input, but the bicycle parts are still very weak. In fact there is almost no bicycle content at all. Needless to say, with bicycling an increasingly important part of the transportation system, it deserves to be treated as such in Virginia’s long-range transportation plan.
From Bruce Wright of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling:
“There are no specific recommendations included in the plan. While it is stated that “Forty-nine percent of active bicyclists who did not currently commute by bicycle said they would sometimes commute by bicycle if there were safe bike lanes,” there is little in the plan that would lead toward that goal. The Bike Policy Plan is stalled and now that the statewide bicycle coordinator position is vacant no progress is being made.
Cyclists should send comments on the plan to statewideplan@VDOT.Virginia.Gov, asking that the state bicycle coordinator position be filled as soon as possible. The position is federally funded and there is no reason for it to be vacant. There also need to be specific bicycle facility recommendations included in the plan. There are several pages of very detailed highway recommendations for each region. The same should be true for bicycle recommendations such as: Improved bicycle access to park and ride facilities, including better bicycle parking at those facilities, improvements to existing roads to improve bicycle access such as paved shoulders or restriping for bike lanes, recommendations for construction of new bicycle facilities, and other bicycle facility recommendations.
There also needs to be a goal for funding of bicycle improvements. A portion of the Virginia Motor Fuels Tax could be dedicated to bicycle improvements. Several pages of the document are devoted to ideas regarding Funding of Public Transportation. Similar recommendations are needed for funding bicycle infrastructure, including funds for bicycle improvements on existing roads such as U.S. Bike Routes 1 & 76, funding for regionally significant non-motorized facilities such as the Capital Trail, and funding for other bicycle infrastructure such as bicycle storage facilities at state buildings, park and ride lots, and other state facilities.”
In a blog post earlier this month, Bruce touched on some specifics that should be included in VTrans. Here are a few that you can include in your submitted comments:
- Immediately fill the statewide bike/ped/mobility coordinator position, which is federally funded
- Bicycling improvements such as paved shoulders, wide curb lanes, and restriping for US Bicycle Routes 1 and 76, which are important for tourism, economic development, and recreation
- Development and construction of new, regionally significant bicycle routes, for both transportation and recreation/tourism
- Identify and mprove existing regional and local bike corridors, to improve safety, and encourage more bicycle use
- Development and construction of new, regionally significant bicycle facilities such as park and ride, and rails with trails
- Improve bike access and parking at park and ride facilities, and all state government buildings
- Improve maintenance of bicycle facilities – plowing, sweeping, broken pavement
- Develop plans to fund the above
Please submit your comments via e-mail to statewideplan@VDOT.Virginia.Gov by July 30, 2010.
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