bicycling | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published June 25, 2015 at 8:00AM

Labor Protests in Rosslyn — Two labor unions, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Union Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, held separate protests near the Central Place development in Rosslyn yesterday. The unions were protesting the use of non-union labor, and used an inflatable rat and an inflatable “fat cat” to underscore their complaints. [Twitter, Twitter]

Boundary Channel Bike Path Plans — Conceptual plans for a new bike trail from Long Bridge Drive to the Mount Vernon Trail have been revealed. The trail is set to be built as part of the reconfiguration of the I-395 and Boundary Channel Drive interchange. [The Wash Cycle]

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published June 22, 2015 at 9:30AM

First Week of Summer — This is the first full week of summer and the first full week of summer break for Arlington public school students. High schools, middle schools and elementary schools let out for the summer on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of last week, respectively. School will begin again on Tuesday, Sept. 8, the day after Labor Day. [Arlington Public Schools]

Bus Enforcement Begins on Memorial Bridge — Police will reportedly begin enforcing the 10-ton load limit on the corroding Memorial Bridge today, effectively banning “most buses.” [Patch]

News

County Board Denies W&OD Trail Connector

By Heather Mongilio

Published June 17, 2015 at 3:10PM

County Manager Barbara Donnellan and her staff had recommended the Board approve the connection, which would link N. Carlin Springs Road with the W&OD rail trail.

The proposed connector would have been an eight-foot-wide, 220-foot-long trail that could be used by pedestrians and cyclists to reach the W&OD from N. Carlin Springs Road. The county was seeking the permit as part of a partnership with Northern Virginia Regional Parks Authority.

Around Town

Photos: Air Force Association Cycling Classic

By Heather Mongilio

Published June 15, 2015 at 3:10PM | Updated June 15, 2015 at 3:48PM

(Updated at 3:45 p.m.) Hundreds of cyclists took to Clarendon and Crystal City streets as part of the Air Force Association Cycling Classic this past weekend.

The two-day event saw professional, amateur and youth cyclists speed up and down Wilson and Clarendon Boulevards and Crystal Drive. The course also featured several tight turns for participants to whip around. The Clarendon Cup had five of these turns, which makes it one of the more difficult courses of its kind in the United States.

News

Boundary Channel Drive Revamp to Include New Bike Trail

By Heather Mongilio

Published June 10, 2015 at 4:30PM

Changes to the Boundary Channel Drive interchange with Interstate 395 and a new bike trail near Long Bridge Park are on the way.

Arlington residents will have a chance to offer feedback on new designs for the Boundary Channel Drive interchange project on Tuesday, June 23 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Aurora Hills Community Center (735 18th Street S.).

News

Ft. Myer Access Changes Frustrate Cyclists

By ARLnow.com

Published June 5, 2015 at 11:30AM | Updated June 5, 2015 at 11:50AM

Hatfield Gate at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington (file photo)

Changes to the access policy at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall has some cyclists changing their routes and at least one abandoning bicycling to work altogether.

The new security policy, which started in February, affects cyclists who bike through base, which has been fairly common practice, especially for those along Columbia Pike and Route 50 seeking a safer route to D.C.

Around Town

Arlington Resident Riding Across U.S. to Raise Money for Man’s Medical Bills

By Karen Goff

Published June 5, 2015 at 10:15AM | Updated June 5, 2015 at 2:58PM

Frank Fumich is trying to raise $30,000 to aid a local family.

(Updated at 2:55 p.m.) An Arlington resident will take off on a 3,000-mile cycling race from Oceanside, Calif., to Annapolis next week.

Frank Fumich will ride more that 250 miles a day, since the Race Across America (RAAM), one of the most grueling athletic events around even for an endurance athlete like Fumich, must be completed in 12 days.

News

Tuesday Night Rides to Return Tonight With New Rules

By ARLnow.com

Published June 2, 2015 at 1:30PM

The summer bike rides, featuring hundreds of cyclists who ride from the store to hilly Military Road and back with an Arlington County Police escort, will return tonight (June 2). Cyclists will meet at Mosaic Park, just behind the store, and depart at 6:30 p.m.

After originally blaming county staff and a few resident complaints for the ride’s cancellation, Freshbikes is now effusive with praise for the county and the cycling community that rallied around the rides.

Around Town

AAA to Roll Out Local Roadside Bicycle Assistance

By ARLnow.com

Published May 14, 2015 at 4:30PM

The announcement is timed to coincide with Bike to Work Day and will be made at a Bike to Work Day pit stop in D.C.

“To encourage bicycle commuting, which is growing exponentially across the region, AAA Mid-Atlantic will debut the addition of its new roadside assistance service for bicyclists,” the organization said in a media advisory Thursday.

Events

Bike to Work Day is This Friday

By Ethan Rothstein

Published May 13, 2015 at 10:15AM

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association says there are 79 pit stops for cyclists around the region, including six in Arlington. Arlington’s pit stops will be, rain or shine, at:

At each pit stop, there will be free food, beverages and giveaways. Those who want to be entered in raffles for a free bicycle — or be one of 14,000 people to receive a T-shirt — can do so at the official event website. If you’re one of the first 14,000 people registered, your T-shirt will be waiting at the pit stop you choose.

Around Town

Tuesday Night Rides to Resume in June

By Ethan Rothstein

Published May 8, 2015 at 4:30PM

The rides have been organized by FreshBikes owner Scott McAhren for eight years, growing from a few dozen people to as many as 500, and in recent years they have been accompanied by a police escort. The first ride was scheduled for this week, but it was cancelled after McAhren didn’t secure a permit.

On Tuesday, McAhren told ARLnow.com that he reached out to the county “earlier this year” when a special events staffer told him “there’s almost a zero percent chance we’re going to approve it every week again.”

News

Ballston Tuesday Night Bicycle Rides Postponed Indefinitely

By Ethan Rothstein

Published May 5, 2015 at 5:00PM | Updated May 8, 2015 at 4:39PM

Update: Tuesday Night Rides are expected to resume in June after organizer Scott McAhren admitted he submitted the special events permit less than two weeks before May 5.

(Earlier) Driver complaints have pushed Arlington County to reconsider the future of Tuesday Night Rides, the weekly mass-cycling event in Ballston Tuesday evenings during the summer, according to the ride’s organizer.