CommuterPageBlog

We'd like your input on the future of Capital Bikeshare!

Arlington County is currently in the process of creating a six-year, strategic Transit Development Plan (TDP) to guide our future investments in Capital Bikeshare. This is the first of its kind (that we know of) for a bikesharing service and establishes Capital Bikeshare as an official transit mode in Virginia. For a detailed overview of this project click here.   

A major component of this TDP is public outreach. We need input from citizens, businesses and organizations to ensure that the service expands and operates in a way that best serves Arlington. There are lots of ways to get involved, including a series of public input meetings and online input. See full details here.    

A particularly significant date is March 29th, from 7pm to 9pm at George Mason University's Arlington Campus. This is the general public input meeting, open to all. 

This is an exciting time as Capital Bikeshare spreads throughout Arlington and the region. Take the opportunity to get involved!

 BikeArlington is an initiative of Arlington County, Virginia to encourage and enable more people to go by bike more often. To stay up to date on biking in Arlington, follow BikeArlington on Twitter or visit the Washington Area Bike Forum.

Is your neighborhood Walkabout-worthy?

Did you know that 86% of Arlington’s neighborhoods have a Walk Score of at least 50 out of 100 according to Walk Score, a nifty website that measures the walkability of any address based on specific criteria? What’s more, these Walk Score numbers make Arlington the most walkable jurisdiction in Virginia! Coming in at the top of the Walk Score ranking for Arlington neighborhoods are Clarendon-Courthouse, Ballston-Virginia Square, and Lyon Village.

The impressive Walk Score ranking correlates with Arlington’s designation as a Walk Friendly Community by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center.  A Walk Friendly Community is defined as a city or town that has shown a commitment to improving and sustaining walkability and pedestrian safety through comprehensive programs, plans and policies. Arlington was honored with Gold Level Walk Friendly status last April in the first round of Walk Friendly Community designation, and was one of only four communities nationwide to receive Gold Level recognition

Why does walkability matter? According to Walk Score, “the latest real estate trends show that homes and apartments in walkable areas are in higher demand and are worth more than their less-walkable counterparts. “  More specifically, independent research conducted by CEOs for Cities indicates that “one point of Walk Score is worth as much as $3,000 in home value,” said Walk Score CEO Josh Herst.

If you are interested in exploring the walkable Arlington neighborhoods listed on Walk Score, go online to WalkArlington.com and check out the Walkabouts tab.  WalkArlington’s Walkabouts are self-guided neighborhood walking tours that let you discover the beauty and history of Arlington’s neighborhoods.

Right now, WalkArlington is conducting a search for a walk friendly neighborhood that will be showcased as our 20^th Walkabout in 2012.

If you think your neighborhood is Walkabout-worthy, click here for more on how to submit your Walk Friendly Community Walkabout nomination. It’s easy to do, but don’t delay -- the deadline is Wednesday, February 29!

WalkArlington, an initiative of Arlington County Commuter Services within the Department of Environmental Services, gets "more people walking more of the time" by promoting the health, environmental, community-building, and commuting benefits of walking.

Fame and Fortune. For You. Try this Car-Free Challenge

Over on the Car-Free Diet site, they have posted a challenge: Go on a car-free date.

Video the highlights of your date, submit to the challenge, and you could be famous.  And you might win some prizes, too.

Car-Free Kyle posted this video of his sample date.

 

Visit the Challenge Page for more details.

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Steve Offutt, Arlington

Clarendon Mardi Gras Parade '12

As in previous years, BikeArlington participated in the annual Mardi Gras parade in Clarendon along with WalkArlington.

Volunteers from Arlington Transportation Partners, the kids from Phoenix Bikes, and members of the Washington Area Bike Forum all came out to help toss Capital Bikeshare lollipops and beads.

Check out all the photos from the event on our Facebook page!

 BikeArlington is an initiative of Arlington County, Virginia to encourage and enable more people to go by bike more often. To stay up to date on biking in Arlington, follow BikeArlington on Twitter or visit the Washington Area Bike Forum.

Take A Walk On The Green Side.

The deadline for WalkArlington’s Walk Friendly Community Walkabout nominations is Wednesday, February 29^th.  We’ve received quite a few nominations already and hope you’ll consider nominating your neighborhood to be featured in our 2012 Walkabout.

For inspiration and motivation leading up to the nomination deadline, WalkArlington is showcasing one of the 19 neighborhoods featured in our Walkabouts…

Designated a National Historic District in 2005, Arlington Forest is located in west-central Arlington, on both sides of Arlington Boulevard/Route 50.  Covered by a dense natural canopy of mature trees, Arlington Forest derives its name from the forested residential terrain and neighboring parkland.   The neighborhood is surrounded by Glencarlyn and Lubber Run Parks, which contain some of the largest remnants of natural forests in Arlington County. 

Along with acres of flora, Arlington Forest features some notable man-made attractions, including Henderson House, the first Arlington Forest residence, which was built as a 468-acre summer estate back in 1894. Today the house is gone, but in its place you’ll find the Lubber Run Community Center.

Arlington Forest is also home to the Lubber Run Amphitheater, which was built in 1969 and hosts dozens of performances each summer, including live theater, music, dance, and
comedy. 

Want to learn more about this historic neighborhood?  Check out the Arlington Forest Walkabout YouTube video, pick up a WalkArlington Walkabout brochure, or print out an Arlington Forest Walkabout map and explore this hidden oasis! After all, centrally located Arlington Forest offers easy access to shopping, trails, biking and is within walking distance to bus and metro, so you can get there from any starting point!

 

WalkArlington, an initiative of Arlington County Commuter Services within the Department of Environmental Services, gets "more people walking more of the time" by promoting the health, environmental, community-building, and commuting benefits of walking.

ART Bus Detours Feb. 21 for Mardi Gras Parade

On Tuesday, February 21, the Arlington County Police Department will close Wilson Boulevard in the Courthouse and Clarendon neighborhoods in the evening for the Clarendon Alliance Mardi Gras Parade.

ART 41, ART 45, ART 62, and ART 77 westbound (from Courthouse to Clarendon) will be rerouted.

The affected streets are:

• Wilson Blvd. from Veitch St. to Barton St. will be closed from 6:45 PM to 9:30 PM
• Adams St and Wayne St., between Clarendon Blvd. and Wilson Blvd., will be closed from 6:45 PM to 9:30 PM.
• Wilson Blvd. from Barton St. to Irving St. will be closed from 7:45 PM to 9:30 PM

The scheduled detours (subject to change) for ART routes are:

ART 41 will serve the Court House Plaza stop.  The next stop served will be Wilson & 10th Street and continue the regular route towards Ballston Mall. 

ART 62 will serve the Court House Plaza stop.  From there, it will detour until the stop at Kirkwood and 13th Street and continue the regular route towards Lorcom Lane and Ballston Metro. 

ART 77 will serve the Court House Plaza stop.  The next stop served will be Washington & 9th Street and continue the regular route towards Shirlington. 

ART 45 from Rosslyn will serve N. Wilson and N. Rhodes Street.  The next stop served will be at N. Barton and 10th Street and continue the regular route towards Columbia Pike.   

For more information

Sign-up for ART Alerts to receive up-to-date information about these detours via email or text message. You can also follow ART on Twitter and Facebook to receive the latest information about ART.

A “charmed” neighborhood...

“Tree-lined streets with brick colonial, Victorian and semi-detached duplexes” and “a small business district cut from the cloth of small-town USA…reminiscent of times gone by.”  That is how the Washington Post describes the charming Arlington neighborhood known as Westover.

Located in the western part of Arlington County, Westover was mostly farmland until the late 1930s when plots were subdivided for housing, the Westover Shopping Center was built, and Claude A.Swanson Junior High (now Middle) School opened.

By 1952, Westover and adjacent neighborhoods looked much as they do today, with a mix of housing, public transit, multi-use trails, and a concentration of full-service shops. This friendly, self-sufficient
and supremely walkable neighborhood retains a mid-century character that evokes memories of simpler times.

Here’s a quote from a Westover resident interviewed for the Post article that pretty much sums it up, "It's comforting to know that if my car died, I could walk to all my shopping in a friendly community. It feels like a village, which is unique in the area."

Westover was #16 in the series of Walkabouts, or neighborhood walking routes, mapped by WalkArlington since 2005. Right now, WalkArlington is conducting a search for a walk friendly neighborhood that will be showcased as our 20^th Walkabout.

If you think your neighborhood is Walkabout-worthy, click here for more on how to submit your Walk Friendly Community Walkabout nomination. The deadline is Wednesday, February 29, so don’t delay!

In the meantime, if you want to know what’s so charming about Westover, pick up a WalkArlington Walkabout brochure or print out the Westover Walkabout map, then head out and see for yourself all the charm this neighborhood has to offer!

And if you head to Westover today, maybe you’ll find that some of the neighborhood’s popular restaurants are offering specials for Valentine’s Day!

 WalkArlington, an initiative of Arlington County Commuter Services within the Department of Environmental Services, gets "more people walking more of the time" by promoting the health, environmental, community-building, and commuting benefits of walking.

140,000 Bikes Counted in Arlington in January, 2012

(Click the image to embiggen.)

140,252, to be precise actually!  Please keep in mind that this doesn't accurately reflect the total number of riders, as one bike ride could easily be counted at multiple locations.  It does however, show which areas of the county are most popular as transportation and recreational routes.  Not bad for January, even if it was fairly mild in temperature.

For further reading, here are some previous posts about Arlington's automatic counter system. And if all goes well, we expect to have a publically accessible dashboard availble in the next month or so!

 BikeArlington is an initiative of Arlington County, Virginia to encourage and enable more people to go by bike more often. To stay up to date on biking in Arlington, follow BikeArlington on Twitter or visit the Washington Area Bike Forum.

The 2012 Bike Map Is Now Available!

Once you pick up the new Arlington County Bike map, as the gold star on the cover proudly proclaims, you've got the best map of Arlington in your hands! And we've updated it once again for 2012, with lots of minor changes to keep you cycling around town.  

The bike network has been tweaked, Capital Bikeshare stations have been updated to reflect the latest of what stations are in the ground, and PAL information makes an appearance on the reverse side.

The map is available for download in electronic format on our Maps and Rides page, and a printed version of the updated map will be available soon for free by mail through Arlington County's brochure distribution service!

 BikeArlington is an initiative of Arlington County, Virginia to encourage and enable more people to go by bike more often. To stay up to date on biking in Arlington, follow BikeArlington on Twitter or visit the Washington Area Bike Forum.

Does your neighborhood have it all?

The deadline for WalkArlington’s Walk Friendly Community Walkabout nominations is Wednesday, February 29^th.  We’ve received quite a few nominations already and hope you’ll consider nominating your neighborhood to be featured in our 2012 Walkabout. For inspiration and motivation, WalkArlington will showcase a few of the 19 neighborhoods featured in our Walkabouts brochure in the weeks leading up to the nomination deadline…

We all want to live in a great neighborhood, and there are plenty to choose from in this region. No matter where we live, most of us would agree on the ingredients that make a great neighborhood.  Does it have good schools?  Is it accessible to transportation and shopping?  Does it have a lot of trees and open spaces? Does it preserve its historic architecture?  In other words, does it have it all?

One neighborhood touted by locals as “having it all” is Arlington’s Yorktown. That’s a bold claim, but does Yorktown really live up to the hype? Once home to an Indian village and burial ground, yeoman farmers, and a wagon road that led from Four Mile Run to the Potomac, present-day Yorktown boasts top-rated Yorktown High School, popular Greenbrier Park, and bustling Lee-Harrison Shopping Center.  Strong civic involvement has characterized Yorktown since the 19th century and contributes to the quality of life in this northwest Arlington neighborhood to this day.

Pick up a WalkArlington Walkabout brochure or print out the Yorktown Walkabout map, then head out and see for yourself what Yorktown is all about. Only then can you decide whether this northwest Arlington neighborhood really has it all—and see how your neighborhood measures up!

 WalkArlington, an initiative of Arlington County Commuter Services within the Department of Environmental Services, gets "more people walking more of the time" by promoting the health, environmental, community-building, and commuting benefits of walking.