I am writing regarding the recent article titled “Group Opposes Cinder Bed Bikeway.” The title of my letter is “Group Supports Cinder Bed Multi-Use Trail.” The proposed trail will benefit all future
users, whether they travel by bike, on foot, wheelchair, or other active transportation mode.
According to Fairfax County, the planned trail along Cinder Bed Road will “connect to an existing trail through Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) property, and then continue through private property to tie into the trail at the end of Barry Road that leads to the Franconia/Springfield Metro Station.” The proposed trail is included in the County Bicycle Master Plan and the Countywide Trails Plan and has been in the works for many years.
Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling supports this project and appreciates that Supervisor Lusk has worked with the community to address their concerns and find a viable route for this trail. The two pedestrian bridges are designed with longer spans “to minimize impacts to the Flood Plain of Long Branch.”
Without this connection, the existing patchwork of poorly maintained trails and on-road routes will discourage people from biking or walking to/from Metro. The trail will help address the county’s climate change goals by providing residents with an alternative to driving to Metro
while at the same time allowing them to enjoy our local natural areas.
We support this proposed multi-use trail and appreciate work being done by the county to make it happen.
Bruce Wright
Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling