Loudoun Bicycling Advocates Organize!

As Loudoun County has experienced rapid suburban growth over the past decade, residents have been regularly asking their elected officials for bicycling and pedestrian accommodations. Recent development has been auto-oriented, and many new roads were built without bike lanes or sidewalks.In 2003, the County adopted the Bicycle and Pedestrian Mobility Master Plan, whose recommendations have been largely ignored. The current Board of Supervisors, however, has shown interest in environmental and transportation issues, including bicycle and pedestrian mobility. Thanks to the W&OD Trail, Loudoun has a large contingent of bike commuters, such as the 100+ regulars at Orbital Sciences in Sterling / Ashburn. Moreover, recent County outreach projects and surveys have revealed that many Loudoun residents are eager to safely bike or walk to shops, work, schools, and recreation centers.This interest in cycling has prompted the formation of Bike Loudoun, a countywide network of bicycling advocates. An initial meeting in December 2008 was announced by email to Loudoun members of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) and to bicyclists identified from recent County outreach. The group holds regular meetings at locations in the county, open to all.  Bike Loudoun’s short-term objectives are to establish a Loudoun County Bicycle Advisory Committee, convince the County to designate a competent Bicycle Program Manager, update the 2003 Bicycle and Pedestrian Mobility Master Plan, and include the latter as a component of the revised Countywide Transportation Plan.