Bike lanes, road paving program announced
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation and VDOT are proposing to add buffered or standard bike lanes on John Marr Drive between Backlick Road and Columbia Pike in Annandale.
That would be done where space allows by narrowing travel lanes or converting underutilized travel lanes where feasible.
That project and two others in the Braddock District will be discussed at a virtual community meeting at 7 p.m. on April 20. Access the meeting on Teams here. Comments can be submitted online through May 4.
Transportation officials will also discuss the 2023 paving program at the meeting. In general, paving begins this month and will conclude in November.
In the Annandale/Mason District area, lots of streets in the Camelot and Broyhill Park neighborhoods are scheduled for paving along with these roads:
- Braddock Road between Backlick Road and Columbia Pike
- Lincolnia Road
- John Marr Drive between Backlick Road and Columbia Pike
- Chatelain Road
- Arlington Boulevard between Seven Corners and Graham Road
- Carmine Street
- A section of Bradford Drive
- Overlook Place
- Rapidan Place
- Part of Shenandoah Avenue
- Part of Phillips Road
- Kenwood Drive
- Blue Ridge Avenue
- Part of Piedmont Place
- The I-495 ramps at the Little River Turnpike exit.
Paving has already started on streets in the Winterset-Varsity Park area.
In subdivisions, “no parking” signs will be posted at least three business days before the start of work. Basketball hoops and garbage cans may need to be temporarily relocated, as well as cars.
Crews typically work on neighborhood streets on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. On primary roads and interstates, the work could occur overnight.
The more bike lanes the better in this part of the county. Making the area more bike and pedestrian friendly is a win for reducing traffic, increasing well-being, and increasing sustainability practices.
This is great news. By making our older close-in neighborhoods more bike and pedestrian friendly, this improves our quality of life, well-being and the value of our communities. This is a win-win.
How about a bike lane or sidewalk on Braddock Road from Ravensworth to Backlick Road? There is currently a sidewalk only about a third of the way on the eastbound side of Braddock Road.
Bike lanes are fine, although I rarely see anybody on a bike, but our traffic is bad enough without “converting underutilized travel lanes” – I can’t think of any of those.
It’s a chicken or egg situation. I am not currently a biker and I can’t see myself getting on a bike when there aren’t dedicated and continuous bike lanes. It just isn’t safe and honestly lanes by themselves aren’t that much safer. It would be cool to bike the 5 miles to work down col pike. Every morning I see the biker with his yellow vest in the right lane and think he’s just one curve or blind turn away from being seriously injured.
Yeah honestly I don’t think it’s worth having bike lanes out here in the burbs, and that’s coming from someone who used lived in DC and biked in DC. in the city, everything is much closer so it makes sense to bike, it’s convenient. Out here, it’s too many long distances to get anywhere. You will get folks who live near the businesses but it won’t be many. Because there won’t be many bikes, folks will never get used to looking out for bikers, and when cars need to turn right, they will fail to look to see if there’s a bike behind them going straight and will hit them b/c it’s not in people’s minds.
Never seen a bike on that road. Wouldn’t risk it with the Annandale drivers. Half of which are unlicensed.
Someone is pulling an April Fool’s joke. LINCOLN ROAD? It can’t handle the existent traffic. Basically it was an old cow path that was paved over. Traffic backs up in both directions beginning most of the day.
Bikeshare has already arrived in some parts of Fairfax County, and is coming to Annandale in 2024 and 2025, as it expands area by area.
https://fabb-bikes.org/new-capital-bikeshare-e-bikes-arrive-in-fairfax-county/
In a decade, we almost definitely will see many more bicycle riders in our suburban paradise. It took a few years after Bikeshare hit before bicycle riding became really widespread in other DC areas.
Our frustrated, distracted, and occasionally bad drivers may not be happy about the pending increase in bicycle riders, but we really need to expand bicycle facilities and connections in this area as fast as possible to accomodate the future.
I don’t think it is a good idea to have the bike lanes added. The bike lanes that are already in Annandale ( on heritage) I never see anyone using it. There is too much traffic and I don’t believe by having bike lanes that it will help with reducing traffic!!
Yeah because its not safe enough and its incomplete routes. As well as the series of moralities that happen in Annandale and Little Turnpike, you can’t be serious to think this is not excessively needed. Biking does reduce the traffic if you make it safe, comfortable and convenient to, we have no biking infrastructure. Biking takes a lot less space and serves more people with the little space it takes from roads. We would save a LOT of money if we allowed for more people Biking instead of Cars that degrade roads, we have plenty of SUVs and trucks for that.
Bikes are for children. When I drive my car I have somewhere to be and something to do that is important to me. My time is valuable and my dollar is worth less every day. This is not Amsterdam.
Yeah, no one in Amsterdam has anything to do that is anywhere near as important as what you have to do. Maybe distracted drivers aren’t the only reason for pedestrian fatalities. There’s also the self-important a-hole faction out there.
What a way to be a self righteous selfish a-hole, you must be extremely daft to think that bikes are for children especially when mentioning Annandale is not Amsterdam as some sort of protest which you should obviously know everyone cycles not just kids. Supporting Bike infrastructure even if you were an selfish righteous ass like yourself would benefit you in several ways. Also “my time is valuable and my dollar is valuable” what does that have to do with anything, you are grasping for non-existent straws, yeah sure inflation and your commute is bleeding you out?! Are you on Acid. Bike lanes aren’t gonna make any of the traffic here worse and the traffic accidents are very important and common, to act as if traffic is more heavy and important this insane is crazy and heartless. These Bike lanes gets more people on bikes out of cars, encourages people to walk which makes taking the bus more comfortable and useful experience. Even if only “kids only bike” that means they aren’t driving to school or taking the bus and taking more space. The property taxes you pay HAS to keep up with infrastructure costs and heavy duty cars are degrading it, biking takes a lot less space on the road than cars so fits more people as well being very fit and positive transportation method. All of which are more important than whatever reason you tried to conjure up from your rear
I agree. The weather here is horrible and bikes are for people with minimum wage jobs and children. It’s time for the real grown ups to get back to work. Move aside children