Over at the Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling, 2024 will start out with a new president, as former president Bruce Wright steps down and newly elected Joy Faunce takes over. She is a long time cyclist and will be behind all the cycling efforts of FABB through her tenure as president.

Wright founded FABB in 2005 and has been the president since 2021. He’s seen several positive things for bicycling in the area, including the growth in the widespread system of trails and the formation of the county Bicycle Master Plan that is now in place. “Without that plan, I don’t think we would have the bike facilities that we have now,” said Wright.

Back when Wright started with FABB, they were working with then-Chairman Gerald Connolly, and then-Supervisor Jeff McKay who is now chairman who still advocates for an improved bicycling network in the county. The creation of the county’s first bike map was started with Connolly and remains one of the highpoints of Wright’s tenure.

Wright will still work with FABB and will remain on the board of the non-profit as past president, but “I think we need some new ideas,” he said. He is working with Faunce on the transition.

County Biking Outlook

Other items that impact the local biking community are a look at the future George Snyder Trail proposal that will link the Rt. 123 Trail with the Cross County Trail in Fairfax, the 2024 Bike Summit on March 19-20 and an update on the seven construction projects along Route 50 between Blake Lane and Prosperity Avenue.

Over at the Virginia Department of Transportation, they are updating the “Regional Bike and Trail Network Study," which started in 2004 and was last updated in 2015.