“A Bicycle Is Not a Transportation Device”
A bike light giveaway in Fairfax County recently attracted plenty of peopple who use bicycles for transportation. (Photo: FABB Blog)That’s according to Supervisor Cook (R-Braddock District), who at a recent Board of Supervisors Transportation Committee meeting said "I don’t believe a bicycle is a transportation device. I think it’s a recreation device. The big problem is people don’t want to ride their bike in the rain or get sweaty before work."
Supervisor Cook needs to get out more. Every day people in Fairfax County use bicycles to get to work, shops, and to run errands. They use bikes to get to Metro, to libraries, and yes, some even ride to jobs at the Government Center. Some people don’t want to ride in the rain but many do because they have few other options. You could ask some of the workers pictured above who are receiving free bike lights. They ride in the rain, snow, and darkness to get to jobs around the county.
According to a recent survey, nearly 40 percent of all trips made are 2 miles or less. With a good bicycle infrastructure, many of these trips could easily be taken by bike. Apparently Supervisor Cook doesn’t think bicycling is a viable option for these trips.
Earlier Supervisor Herrity (R-Springfield District) stated that the county should eliminate the bicycle coordinator position. While we think these are minority opinions among the Board, which implemented the Comprehensive Bicycle Initiative in 2006, cyclists may need to gear up to fight for the bicycle coordinator position in the county budget which will be announced on Tuesday. I plan to attend that meeting (earlier in the meeting I’ll be among a group of citizens receiving recognition for serving on the Tysons Task Force for nearly 5 years) and will report afterwards.
You can write to Supervisor Cook to let him know that you use bikes for transportation.
