This is based on an article originally published by Arlington Transportation Partners.
Biking is an important way to reduce car trips, and just about any place should have a strategy.
Because of its small geographic size as the fourth-smallest county in the U.S., Arlington County, Virginia is a good example of how small communities and towns can make it easy for people to choose bicycling as a commuting option.
Here are four tips that will work if done right and might help reduce car traffic in any place:
1. Have a great bike map: The BikeArlington bike map isn’t the “best map of Arlington” just because it says so on the cover! There are distinct reasons this bike map is so popular.
It is extremely detailed, with every Arlington street named, parks and community centers labeled, bike lanes and trails shown, as well as the famous “Arlington Loop,” restrooms, drinking fountains, steep hills, bike shops, Capital Bikeshare stations, and more. The map also features trail connections from Fairfax County and Washington D.C. because, although biking in Arlington is fun, who wants to be limited?
The back side of the map is full of useful information too. Users can do bike-trip planning, figure out where sites like the Gulf Branch Nature Center are, or just find the closest Metro or Capital Bikeshare station.
2. Have trails that connect all parts of your local area: Arlington County is fortunate because it’s located in the middle of five major trails. Four of them connect to each other, creating the 17-mile Arlington Loop. It has stunning views of Washington D.C. monuments and Reagan National Airport, with ample and gorgeous park space, especially throughout the W&OD Trail.
3. Have some level of protection for “on street” bike riders: Arlington County has about 160 total miles of bike lanes, with about 100 of those miles considered “on street” lanes. While most of the lanes are traditional bike lanes, some are more advanced.
Buffered bike lanes – bike lanes with painted buffers to better highlight the space between bike and car lanes – are prevalent in the bustling Clarendon neighborhood. Some of these are even painted green and are used in “conflict areas” to help all street users understand that bikes are nearby and to travel with care.
New protected bike lanes, including the ones in the Pentagon City neighborhood, are ideal. These are often added next to the sidewalk, and separated physically with bollards and sometimes parked cars. Protected bike lanes are very safe for bicyclists, and keep bike traffic out of the way of automobile drivers as well. They are inexpensive to build, and present a real opportunity to get more people, including children and the elderly, feeling safer and more confident about riding in busier areas.
4. Bikeshare is worth exploring as an option to help more people choose bicycling: Capital Bikeshare is a system designed to get people from Point A to Point B, just like the bus or Metro. It’s an easy way to add some activity and fresh air to your day. Stations are being added all the time, which means accessibility is constantly expanding.
As noted, the 2015 Bike Map is great for finding stations. For those more technologically inclined, the Spotcycle app, which works in cities all over the world, fulfills this same function, with the added bonus of informing you, in real time, how many bikes or docks are available at each station. This is especially important when trying to go somewhere in a hurry, and knowing before going makes the ride even smoother.
For more information about how to do it in your community, contact the League of American Bicyclists, which has designated Arlington County as a “Bicycle Friendly Community.”
Additional reporting for this article by Paul Goddin and Paul Mackie of Mobility Lab
Photo by Sam Kittner