Reston, VA, July 14, 2010 – Virginia bicycling advocates have a new resource to help them review and comment on public road projects. The new guide, prepared by Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (FABB) in consultation with the Virginia (VDOT) and Fairfax County departments of transportation, outlines ways bicycling proponents can get involved in the process of designing, approving, building, and retrofitting roads to ensure that bicycling accommodations are integrated into the plans where needed. Although geared for Virginia, many of the ideas contained in the report could be applied to other locations as well.

As described in the guide, planning, approving, and constructing road projects is a long process that presents many opportunities for bicycling advocates to provide input into the final outcome. Readers will find helpful tips for speaking at public hearings and meeting with engineers. The easy to read booklet covers the basics of understanding engineering plans and also outlines various roadway features (such as intersections, roundabouts, wide curb lanes, and bike lanes) that could be shown in the plans. Design standards and guidelines, design and safety issues, and a checklist for each of these features help advocates review and comment on road design plans.

“As far as we know, no one has compiled material like this before,” said Fionnuala Quinn, primary author of the guide. “I wanted to use my background in civil engineering to help demystify the road design process and to help people take advantage of occasions to incorporate bike facilities whenever roads projects are being designed. A crucial point to remember is that the earlier you provide input to the road design, the better your chances of having an effect on the final design. Besides the printed version of the report, we also plan to have an online version on the FABB web site that contains links to additional information.”

Funding for the report came from an Advocacy Advance Grant from the Alliance for Biking & Walking. Funding for the grant was provided by SRAM, Planet Bike, Bikes Belong Coalition, and 42BELOW. Additional funding was received from the IEEE.

The report “Guide for Reviewing Public Road Design and Bicycling Accommodations for Virginia Bicycle Advocates,” by Fionnuala Quinn and Bruce Wright, will be provided to major bicycle organizations in Virginia and to the Alliance for Biking & Walking. Copies are available free of charge upon request to finnbike [at] gmail.com or can be downloaded from www.fabb-bikes.org.

For more information on the guide, contact Fionnuala Quinn, finnbike@gmail.com, or Bruce Wright, chairman [at] fabb-bikes.org, 703-328-9619. FABB is a grassroots initiative in Fairfax County, VA, affiliated with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA), aiming to make bicycling an integral part of Fairfax County’s transportation network. Visit us on the web at www.fabb-bikes.org.

Doug Landau, a Reston personal injury attorney who specializes in bike cases, has written a book for cyclists called “10 Mistakes That Can Derail Your Bike Injury Case.” Paperback copies are available for $12 from Lulu Press, but you can download a digital copy for free (click on the Download link under Add to Cart). Learn about bicycle crashes, how to avoid them, and what to do when they happen.

Landau’s list of cyclists’ mistakes:

1. Being unprepared
2. Failing to get help
3. Not having any witnesses
4. Not having any evidence
5. Not contacting the authorities
6. Failing to follow up
7. Not having “Show &Tell”
8. Failing to document
9. Talking too much
10. Losing track of time

Cyclists are often their own worst enemy, by failing to follow up after crashes — even when their rights were clearly violated, and damages can easily be compensated. Read Mr. Landau’s book and be prepared for when the unthinkable happens, and ensure that your rights are protected.

Thanks to Doug Landau for this great resource, and also to Bruce Wright of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling.

Boulder Bike Story from Bikes Belong on Vimeo.

Cyclists complain about not being accommodated on our roads, or considered during the planning process.  They may want to get involved, but don’t know where to start.  They have no idea who’s really in charge, or how things actually get done.

The Virginia Dept. of Tranpsortation (VDOT) and the Dept. of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) have published a nice PDF document to explain all this:

http://www.ctb.virginia.gov/resources/Final_PI_Guide.pdf

It describes the planning process, who the various agencies are, and how they interact — with each other, and with the public.

Help educate people in your own community by printing a stack of these to hand out at your next public input meeting, bike club meeting, or other community event.  If you ask nicely, your local government staff may even do it for you!

Potholes are an annoyance for all road users, but are a serious hazard for bicyclists. We wonder why they don’t get fixed. Often it’s because no one has bothered to report them!

Please report dangerous potholes and road debris. Call VDOT’s road problem hotline at 1-800-367-ROAD, or use the form at VDOT’s Report a Road Problem web page.

You should also report broken pavement, washouts, malfunctioning traffic signals, or anything else that could be a hazard.

In-town roads are usually the responsibility of city and town governments. Every bike club should make available the contact information for their local public works departments.

In July 2008 VBF announced an upcoming campaign to inform bicyclists and dog owners of the dangers of dogs running loose. We are now asking for your help to bring this important information to bicyclists around Virginia. There are two parts to this campaign.

First is an information article written by Bud Vye, VBF Vice President, that explains the law pertaining to dangerous dogs, and VBF’s recommendations on how to respond when you are injured as the result of actions by a dog, whether a bite or being knocked down. Full text of the article follows below, or you can download and print this file:

Dangerous Dogs — What To Do If Injured (PDF)

The second part of the campaign is aimed at dog owners who allow their dogs to run loose. We encourage all bicyclists to download and print the Dangerous Dog Hang Tags, fold them and keep them in your tool pouch or jersey pocket. When you are chased by a dog, fill in the information indicated and hang the tag from a mail box (outside of the box) or other location where the dog owner will find the tag.

Dangerous Dog Hang Tag, Tall Style (PDF)

Dangerous Dog Hang Tag, Wide Style (PDF)

VBF encourages clubs and organizations to make these files available to their members by linking to the this page, or by posting the files directly on the club/organization web site. The material may also be reproduced in club/ organization newsletters.

If we all work together we can reduce the incidence of injuries caused by unrestrained dogs.

Dangerous Dogs — What To Do If Injured

by Bud Vye

A 2006 Virginia law provides for the registration of dangerous dogs and establishes penalties for owners of dangerous dogs who do not comply with registration and confinement requirements.

The Virginia Bicycling Federation (VBF) urges bicyclists to report dangerous dogs to law enforcement authorities to make our roads safer for everyone.

This law is relatively new, so bicyclists must know the law to effectively coach police, animal control officers, and judges through the steps needed to have a dangerous dog registered as such. Thus, VBF encourages all bicyclists to print the act [http://tinyurl.com/3wprxe or http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/animals/dogs.shtml] and read it closely.

The law defines a “dangerous dog” as a dog that “has bitten, attacked, or inflicted injury on a person”, whereas a “vicious dog” is a dog that “has killed a person, inflicted serious injury, or continued to exhibit behavior that resulted in a previous finding that it is a dangerous dog”.

There are serious consequences for a dog owner when a dog is declared “dangerous”, including registering the dog with the Dangerous Dog Registry; paying the registration fee; maintaining $100,000 in liability insurance coverage; and conforming to confinement, leashing and muzzling requirements. Should the dog repeat the dangerous behavior or should a dog be declared vicious, the court may order the dog euthanized.

If you are bitten by a dog, the law requires that a law-enforcement or animal control officer “… apply to a magistrate of the jurisdiction for the issuance of a summons requiring the owner … to appear before court, etc.”

Because it is often difficult to contact animal control officers, VBF suggests that bicyclists who encounter a dangerous dog call 911 to report an “attack” to the responding law enforcement officer(s) and ask them to contact the animal control officer. A cyclist who has been bitten can certainly make a case for a dog to be declared “dangerous”; and a cyclist whose bike has been run into, or under, by a dog, and caused to fall, could make a good case that they have been “attacked”. If, however, the dog has run at your bike, but not bitten or caused you to fall, enforcement officials are unlikely to declare a dog “dangerous”.

Please notify Bud Vye [bdvye@comcast.net] if you contact law enforcement officials about a dog attack, so that VBF can document dog attacks against bicyclists.

There may be some effort and inconvenience involved in waiting for police and/or animal control to arrive at the scene, and appearing in court later. However, if we, the bicycling community, can track and publicize these judgments, we hope owners of these dogs will better control their animals, resulting in fewer dogs interfering with, chasing, and attacking bicyclists.

As a bike advocate your relationship with your local VDOT District Office is important. So it’s important to know which VDOT district you’re in. VDOT’s Districts page has a map showing the districts and their counties, plus contact information for all VDOT District Offices. Here’s our own listing of VDOT districts and their counties:

• Bristol District: Bland, Buchanan, Dickenson, Grayson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise and Wythe counties
• Salem District: Bedford, Botetourt, Carroll, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Henry, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski and Roanoke counties
• Lynchburg District: Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Campbell, Charlotte, Cumberland, Halifax, Nelson, Pittsylvania and Prince Edward counties
• Richmond District: Amelia, Brunswick, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico*, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, New Kent, Nottoway, Powhatan and Prince George counties
• Hampton Roads District: Accomack, Greensville, Isle of Wight, James City, Northampton, Southampton, Surry, Sussex and York counties and the cities of Chesapeake, Emporia, Franklin, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach and Williamsburg counties
• Fredericksburg District: Caroline, Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford and Westmoreland counties
• Culpeper District: Albermarle, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock counties
• Staunton District: Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Clarke, Frederick, Highland, Page, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Shenandoah and Warren counties
• Northern Virginia District: Arlington*, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties

*Henrico and Arlington counties maintain their own county roads.