ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA
INTERDEPARTMENTAL MEMORANDUM
(Streets in or near Williamsburg Civic Association marked in bold italics)

July 20, 2001
To: The County Board of Arlington, Virginia
From: Ron Carlee, County Manager

Subject: Adoption of a revised Appendix to the County's 1994 Arlington Bicycle Transportation Plan of the Comprehensive Plan to establish a plan for bicycle lanes, and adoption of revised amendments to the Comprehensive Plan, 1986 Master Transportation Plan - Part 1, as amended, to reduce the number of travel lanes on Nelly Custis Drive and sections of North Pershing Drive, Military Road, and Williamsburg Boulevard.

RECOMMENDATION: Adopt the attached a) revised Appendix D, Arlington Bicycle Lane Network to the 1994 Arlington Bicycle Transportation Plan, of the Comprehensive Plan, and b) revised amendments to the Comprehensive Plan, 1986 Master Transportation Plan - Part 1, for the reduction of the number of motor vehicle travel lanes on Nelly Custis Drive and sections of North Pershing Drive, Military Road, and Williamsburg Boulevard.

ISSUES:
1. Should the 1994 Arlington Bicycle Transportation Plan be amended to include an appendix that specifies a plan for a network of bicycle lanes on Arlington County arterial and neighborhood streets?

2. Should the advertised plan be revised to delete proposed bicycle lanes on Yorktown Boulevard between 28th Street North and North Kensington Street?

3. Should the 1986 Master Transportation Plan - Part 1 be amended to reduce the number of through motor vehicle travel lanes, from three and four lanes to two lanes, on Nelly Custis Drive and sections of North Pershing Drive (between Arlington and Washington Boulevards), Military Road (between Nelly Custis Drive and North Old Glebe Road), and Williamsburg Boulevard (between North Glebe Road and North Westmoreland Street)?

BACKGROUND:
In the Fall of 1999, at a work session with the Transportation Commission and Bicycle Advisory Committee, the County Board expressed a desire for the implementation of new measures that would make bicycling on County streets safer and more acceptable for the "average" cyclist. Since that time, a subcommittee of the Bicycle Advisory Committeehas been working with the Transportation Commission and the County Department of Public Works to develop a plan for a network of bicycle lanes to bemarked on arterial and neighborhood streets across Arlington. The plan has been developed as an Appendix D, to be added to the County's 1994 Arlington Bicycle Transportation Plan. In addition to the Transportation Commission, the proposed bicycle lane network plan has been reviewed by the Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee.

DISCUSSION:
Although Arlington currently has only a few bicycle lanes (approximately two miles of lanes on three streets), bicycle lanes have been used for decades in many cities and suburban areas around the world. Bicycle lanes are generally four- to six-feet-wide and marked with special symbols as reserved for the exclusive or preferential use of bicyclists. Bicyclists use the lanes in the same manner, and with the same regulations, as bicycles or motor vehicles traveling in general traffic lanes. The reserved lanes reduce bicyclists' interactions with motorists, creating safer conditions and a greater level of comfort for the cyclists. Studies of bicycle lanes have shown that they significantly improve a bicyclist's perception of safety while riding on streets and that the lanes encourage more bicycling for transportation purposes. The addition of bicycle lanes also has the benefit of narrowing travelways thereby encouraging slower driving speeds and greater safety.

The proposed Bicycle Lane Network Plan was developed by staff and citizens with the intention of providing better bicycling conditions on those streets upon which bicyclists are most likely to want to ride and where they encounter the highest volume of motor vehicle traffic. For that purpose, all of the arterial roads (except limited access highways) and some neighborhood streets in the County were measured and evaluated in terms of physical suitability for accommodating bicycle lanes. Road segments were then characterized as being either generally able to accommodate bicycle lanes within the existing paved area (Category 1), or generally having insufficient existing paved area to accommodate necessary general traffic lanes and bicycles lanes (Category 2.) The Category 1 road segments were subdivided into two groups: segments which could accommodate the addition of bicycle lanes without changing the number of travel or parking lanes (Category 1A) and segments which could only add bicycle lanes if there were a reduction in the number of travel or parking lanes or if the travel lanes were reduced to a width of less than 11 feet (Category 1B.)

The plan calls for the marking of bicycle lanes on approximately 83,200 feet (15.8 miles) of Category 1A road segments. The 23 segments include the three (along Patrick Henry Drive, North Veitch Street and South Eads Street) upon which bicycle lanes already exist. Each of the remaining 20 segments of roadway section will need to be evaluated to determine whether and how to implement the bicycle lanes. The bicycle lanes will be implemented by marking solid or dashed lane lines four feet from the gutter pan on streets without parking or five to six feet to the left of on-street parallel parking. Also, bicycle lane symbols and directional arrows will be placed on the road surface. For most of the Category 1A road segments, the bicycle lanes will be marked out of existing extra space in the curb lane. For some of the multi-lane Category 1A road segments, both interior and curb lanes will need to be narrowed to create sufficient road space for the new bicycle lanes. Available width can vary considerably. Incidental construction, parking control and the use of unmarked lanes in some sections will be considered on a case-by-case basis. A marked shared-use lane may be implemented in some locations where insufficient width exists for a separate lane.

An additional 36,750 feet (7.0 miles) of bicycle lanes are planned for six Category 1B segments, four of which would require the elimination of general travel lanes in order to permit the establishment of bicycle lanes. The conversion of general travel lanes to bicycle lanes could also make available space for on-street parking, center median or a left-turn lane. A specific proposal will need to be developed by County staff for consideration by the County Board. Williamsburg Boulevard (Westmoreland Street to North Glebe Road) and Nelly Custis Drive (Lorcom Lane to Military Road) are four-lane arterial roads in relatively low-density, primarily residential sections of the County. Military Road (Nelly Custis Drive to North Old Glebe Road) varies between two and four lanes, with the extra lanes primarily on the uphill stretches. Most of North Pershing Drive between Washington Boulevard and Arlington Boulevard is marked for two westbound lanes and one eastbound lane. Traffic volumes on all these roads have been moderate and stable for many years and could be accommodated with a single traffic lane in each direction, perhaps with turn lanes at selected intersections. The lane reductions should be reflected as revisions to the streets Master Transportation Plan - Part 1 of 1986.

One Category 1B road, Lee Highway (North Kenmore Street to North Lynn Street) could accommodate the addition of new bicycle lanes without the loss of any travel lanes if the travel lanes were narrowed to approximately 10.5 feet. The lanes would be narrower than the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) minimum standard of 11 feet for State-maintained roads and would require a design exemption from VDOT. The road provides important access to the Rosslyn and Court House areas. Implementation of bicycle lanes on any State-maintained roadway, such as Lee Highway and Fairfax Drive, requires approval from VDOT. The other Category 1B road is South Eads Street between 18th and 23rd Streets. The section of Eads Street south of 23rd Street already has bicycle lanes. Extending bicycle lanes to the north would make the existing lanes more useful by providing better access to the high-density office, residential and retail area in Crystal City and Pentagon City. South Eads Street north of 23rd Street is a four-lane road and could accommodate bicycle lanes only if parking were removed from portions of the east side of this section of road.

After the County Board's authorized advertisement of the proposed plan amendments, County staff has determined that sections of Lorcom Lane west of Military Road would not be appropriate for the addition of bicycle lanes. Consequently, the proposal for Lorcom Lane has been revised to include only the section of Lorcom Lane between North Edgewood Street and Military Road. Due to concerns about future, as yet undetermined, plans for expansion of Yorktown High School, the Yorktown Civic Association has voted to not support the proposed changes to Yorktown Boulevard that would be necessary to establish bicycle lanes on the section of road near the school. Therefore, the previously proposed designation of bicycle lanes for Yorktown Boulevard between 28th Street North and North Kensington Street has also been deleted from the plan.

The Arlington Transportation Commission approved the proposed bike lane plan and the associated changes to the Master Transportation Plan (copy attached) at its June 20, 2001 meeting. There were no public speakers. The Planning Commission unanimously supported the draft plan at their July 16, 2001 meeting. However, the Commission split 5 to 5 on whether to support the proposed changes to the Master Transportation Plan- Part I because of concerns about community support.

A previous draft of the plan been reviewed by the Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Commission representatives this March. The draft plan had also been shared with the President of the Arlington Civic Federation and the Federation's Transportation Committee. County staff has been meeting with the affected civic associations where bicycle lanes are proposed for implementation during the next year. With the exception of the Yorktown Civic Association regarding Yorktown Boulevard near the high school, the civic associations contacted have strongly supported the bicycle lane proposals.

IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS:
As an element of the County Comprehensive Plan, the network of bicycle lanes is intended for phased implementation over a period of years. In two instances, Potomac Avenue and North Quincy Street, implementation relies upon roadway development; but in most cases, the pace of implementation will be determined by funding levels and the desires of the local community. Because Lee Highway (U.S. 29) and Fairfax Drive (VA 237) segments are state highways, implementation of bike lanes depends upon approval by VDOT.

Each year, in consultation with the Bicycle Advisory Committee, staff will develop a capital funding request for priority routes. As described previously, each designated road segment will need to be evaluated for specific treatment. Especially where roadway width is limited, some combination of painted lanes, wide curb lanes, and share-the-road signing will result. Also, changes to on-street parking (additions and deletions), new or widened medians (raised or painted), and changes to lane designations may be part of the bike lane proposal. Once the County Board approves the capital funding, the County Board will need to designate by ordinance the particular street segments for which bicycle lanes will be implemented.

Under 14.2-65(f) of the County Code, the County Board is authorized to create, by ordinance, bicycle lanes for the exclusive use of bicycles. A separate report to the County Board recommends an ordinance to establish the bicycle lane segments that are planned for implementation in Fiscal Year 2002, and three bicycle lane segments that are currently in place. Staff has informed the civic associations in which the bicycle lanes were proposed, to obtain their viewpoints on the proposals. Revisions to the proposed plan do not affect the proposed ordinance.

FISCAL IMPACT:
The plan calls for the eventual implementation of approximately 21 centerline miles of new bicycle lanes in the County. The cost of marking and signing a mile of new bicycle lane on a two-directional street is an estimated $10,000 to $12,000. Costs will be about half as much on one-way streets (such as Wilson Boulevard, Clarendon Boulevard and Crystal Drive) and will be higher on roads where existing lane lines must be ground off and relocated. Full implementation of the bicycle lane network will likely cost approximately $250,000, not including any median construction. $50,000 in Fiscal Year 2002 capital pay-as-you-go funding has been approved in the County budget to pay for implementation of four to five miles of new bicycle lanes.

Once established, the bicycle lanes will require on-going public expense for maintenance, including frequent street sweeping and replacement of markings due to utility work and other pavement cuts. Like other street markings, the bicycle lanes should have a useful life of about 10 years before they eventually wear off.

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