The BikeWalk Virginia Board is expanding! We welcome eleven new Board Members who will be participating in the February retreat in Richmond. Our Articles of Incorporation allow for 24 Board members; we now have 23. Members serve for a three-year term with eight terms expiring each year. Our goal is for the Board to represent the state in terms of both geography and the user groups we support – walkers, bikers, hikers, equestrians, paddlers, and all trail users. New members are:

Sally Aungier – Chair, Virginia Horse Council Trails Committee. Powhatan.
Jameson Auten - Executive Director, GRTC Ride Finders. Richmond.
Liz Belcher - Executive Director, Roanoke Valley Greenways. Salem
Bruce Dwyer – Citizen Advocate and Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA) staff. Alexandria.
Dick Elder – Senior Director, International Food Information Council. Richmond.
Ed Fendley – SR2S Advocate and School Board Member. Arlington.
Thomas Horsch – Trails and outdoor adventure retailer. Damascus.
Ike Koziol – Citizen Advocate and member of Richmond Area Bicyclists Association (RABA). Richmond.
Bill Mechnick – President, Land Planning and Design Associates. Charlottesville.
Bruce Stewart – Attorney with the Virginia Outdoor Foundation. Williamsburg.
Sandra Tanner – Virginia Tourism Corporation and Roanoke River Trails Association. LaCrosse.

Joining the BikeWalk Virginia first annual retreat will be Sherry Peck, staff member for the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA). Ms. Peck will help facilitate BWV’s strategic planning process during the retreat. All BWV members and friends are strongly urged to attend to help shape the BikeWalk Virginia agenda for the coming period. Your voice, ideas, and enthusiasm are needed. The retreat convenes Friday and Saturday, February 24-25 at Richmond’s picturesque Roslyn Center. The Board meets during the day on Friday and member involvement begins that evening. There is no charge, except for those staying overnight on Friday for bed and breakfast; lunch will be provided to all in attendance on Saturday.

Reserve a seat by returning the 2006 Retreat Registration Form.

8th Annual Virginia Bike Walk Conference
April 30 - May 3, 2006
Lynchburg, VA

The exciting conference agenda will equip all participants with tools for improving pedestrian safety in our communities. Attendees will hear firsthand about:
*community programs that are successfully improving conditions for pedestrians,
*practitioner advice on navigating the jurisdictional maze to improve pedestrian facilities,
*ways in which some Virginia communities are weaving transit and the walkable community concept together
*plus many other great topics.
The conference agenda includes opportunities to network with other participants and explore Lynchburg. If you're interested in being an exhibitor, contact Stephanie Smith (danderson@bikewalkvirginia.org).

On Thursday, February 8, the Senate passed their version of the pedestrian crosswalk legislation (SB233 amended)! The House Transportation Committee also reported out their version of the pedestrian legislation (HB1211) on Thursday. The full House of Delegates will most likely vote on the legislation early next week. Now is the time to contact your delegates and urge them to vote "YES" on HB1211! They need to hear that their constituents care about this issue!

Governor Kaine has announced a new round of five town hall meetings across Virginia on transportation. The first will be this Monday, February 13 at 6:30 pm at the Nauticus Theatre in downtown Norfolk. The meetings aim to mobilize public support for the Governor’s transportation and land-use proposals.

On February 7, Kaine spoke at a Capitol Square rally in support of smarter land use planning, a key component of his transportation initiative. The Governor’s plan gives localities more power to make smart land use and transportation decisions, and increase local partnerships.

As reported in last month’s BikeWalk VA newsletter, the state Auditor of Public Accounts concluded that “the Commonwealth lacks a coordinated transportation plan.” Stewart Schwartz of the Coalition for Smarter Growth goes further, noting: “We lack a coordinated land use and transportation plan that will protect our scenic landscapes, provide more options for travel, and reduce traffic. For the first time, some proposals include performance standards that set goals to reduce traffic, but many projects offer minimal transportation benefit compared to high financial and environmental cost. There is still a need to evaluate alternate growth strategies and transportation solutions on a system-wide basis.”

Schwartz advises: “Your support for better growth management holds more weight than ever this session, but only if you communicate frequently with your legislators and the Governor.” Read Stewart Schwartz's editorial on Land Use and Transportation.

The Southeastern Equestrian Trails Conference will be held in Roanoke, Virginia this year from August 3-5, 2006. Under the theme of “Working Together for Trails in a Changing Environment—Collaborative Adaptive Management of Trail Systems,” equestrians and allied groups will focus on the importance of collaboration between trail users, managers, and scientists in all phases of trail planning, construction, maintenance, and data gathering.

The purpose of SETC is to bring together people who are concerned about the future of the natural and cultural heritage of the trail experience from the back of a horse. Contact organizer Sally Aungier at 804- 379-9829 or by e-mail: saungier@mindspring.com

BikeWalk Virginia Board Members David Brickley, Doug Pickford and Executive Director Allen Turnbull have been appointed to the Technical Advisory Committee tasked with updating the Virginia Outdoor Plan (VOP). The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) updates the VOP every five years. It serves as the comprehensive guide to Virginia’s conservation, outdoor recreation, and open space needs. The 2002 version was regarded as one of the best in the nation. The 16-person committee will meet in Charlottesville several times in 2006 to implement DCR’s goal of creating the new version by January 2007.

Designer Lane Vance exhibits the license plate he designed to remind drivers to “Share the Road”. BikeWalk Virginia is asking drivers to e-mail us photos of your Share the Road plate for a special exhibition on the BWV website. Don't have yours yet? You can order one now from DMV.

National Public Health Week Focus: Children and the Built Environment
During this year's NPHW, April 3-9, the American Public Health Association (APHA) and its partners will promote awareness of the built environment as it relates to specific children's health issues including access and equity, physical activity, injury prevention, and asthma.
Last year, NPHW was observed in all 50 states with more than 500 events and 250 partners. NPHW presents a good opportunity to raise key issues about community development and active living by design.
For more information or to sign on as a partner, see their website or or call APHA at 1-202-777-2432. (See newsletter).

Bike Summit to Meet in March
The National Bike Summit is an annual bicycle advocacy conference and day of lobbying federal legislators to support bicycle projects and funding. Organized by the League of American Bicyclists, the Summit runs from Wednesday, March 1 - Friday, March 3. Whether you are a recreational rider, a bike commuter, a bike shop owner, or just someone who cares about improving bicycling conditions in Virginia, consider attending. Participants are responsible for their own conference fees (payable to the League of American Bicyclists) and food/lodging. To register and for more details.

Poor Urban Planning Adds Pounds, Pollution Studies Show
Researchers found that individuals living in more walkable neighborhoods walked or biked more, had lower Body Mass Indexes (BMI), drove less, and produced less air pollution than individuals living in less walkable neighborhoods. A neighborhood is more "walkable" if it is easy to walk or cycle to destinations.

Isle of Wight to Get a New ‘Blueway’
Isle of Wight county officials are planning a recreational waterway for canoes and kayaks along the Pagan River and Cypress Creek. The new blueway should be ready in time for the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement in 2007. Blueways, as well as bicycle and pedestrian trails, are a burgeoning tourism market nationwide, notes Alan Nogiec, the county’s Parks and Recreation director.

Loudoun's Explosive Growth
From 2000 to 2004, Loudoun County ranked as the fastest growing county in the nation, growing by 41%. At this rate, growth in Loudoun is accounting for approximately 25% of Virginia’s total growth and 20% of the Washington region’s growth. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments projects that the population of Loudoun County will grow 87.6% by 2010. (See Issues Facing Loudoun in 2006, Loudoun Times-Mirror.) Developer plans to add over 100,000 more houses to Loudoun County will overwhelm any new transportation investments. More balanced regional growth linked to the region's transit networks would allow for revitalization of many communities and help reduce traffic congestion. Find out more about creating a sustainable future for Loudon.

Free Bikes with Houses in New Development
Homebuyers are being offered two free bikes per family when they purchase a new house in an environmentally conscious development project going up near Fredericksburg. The Haymont developers promise an organic farm, riverfront park, and working and shopping within a five-minute walk from the five planned neighborhoods. The high-tech cost-efficient green homes will range between $200K and $700K More info