I’m pressed for time this morning but I did want to thank the JM for writing up the BikeManassas thing. The headline they use is technically accurate but a little misleading – Yes, the plan will cost $2 million but most of that is “out year” spending. A convenient phrase that usually means that something seems like a good idea but nobody has a clue where the money will come from…:)
The only big-ticket item that has any money at all, the Winters Branch trail extension, has been around since before I arrived on the scene. I think Winters Branch is a great trail but I don’t ride it much – it’s too rough for road bikes.
March 21, 2011 at 8:23 am
Andy,
You get my vm regarding this topic?
March 21, 2011 at 10:01 am
http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/virginia/manassas
Another reason to support bike and walking trails in Manassas.
March 21, 2011 at 5:28 pm
I guess when it is not your money it’s easy to say 2 million is not a lot. We already have some questionable spending on self interest items. We do not need more.
How hard can it it be to count trails? There goes my support for the project. I’ll continue to use trails already in place. But I suppose since you and others are ib such a giving mood can I have some of my tax dollars back? As usual im a far better spender then politicians.
March 21, 2011 at 8:56 pm
COM:
Did you even read the lead-in up at the top? As stated above, out of that $2 million there is almost no funding identified. The vast bulk of the projects in the CIP (wether they are related to bikes or not) have no funding. Some of the projects have been in there for 20 years with no action. I suspect that this will be the case with the bike projects. They aren’t high priority and will be done in little bits here and there.
There is, in fact, $10k in this budget for bike stuff not related to Winters Branch. 10 Grand is a lot of money but it ain’t $2 million.
March 21, 2011 at 9:48 pm
Andy,
Does it really matter if the funding has been “found” It’s still 2 million, right?
March 22, 2011 at 6:10 am
The journey of a thousand bicycles starts with one. Didn’t non-profits and corporations looking for tax shelters build the rails to trails projects?
March 23, 2011 at 7:01 am
I’d rather have something like that take place, where the Government sees very little cost. Also, what are the other projects and do any of them have more merit than the bike/hike trail? Maybe it’s time to do a little house cleaning and remove projects that are either no longer needed/wanted/practicle, etc. Then the focus can be on just a few projects.
March 23, 2011 at 8:55 am
The airport bike/hike trail isn’t in the CIP. It hasn’t been fully planned out yet but the intent is that it will be done by volunteers.
Full CIP: http://www.manassascity.org/index.aspx?NID=425
March 23, 2011 at 9:18 pm
Having an item for 20 years in a CIP is not a bad thing – in the world of Smart Budgeting, that is called “identifying requirements”. Granted, if the requirement is no longer there, remove it. If the School System maintained a CIP like the City Staff does, maybe our oldest school could have been targeted for funding better in days more funding was available.
One thing about all this talk of Bike Routes – I suggested this once, and will again. Get a GOOD CLEAR MAP up on the City website of them. Arlington has one. I realize Dave Core presented to the Council about the routes, but the maps he used are buried too too deep. That way, those who choose to bike around can do a little homework before on their routes. Get one up and put the link in the box in the lower right on City webpage.
March 24, 2011 at 8:02 am
Raymond,
I guess I question if a project has been around for twenty years, why has it not progressed past that point? That’s why I think a little house cleaning is in order. I also agree with you on having a better resources placed on the City website. It does appear there is needless confusion based on not having better web resources.
March 24, 2011 at 8:12 am
Funding is the reason projects wait. Many times it’s a function of cooperation with other state or federal departments. This is, after all, the CIP. Things in there tend to be expensive and don’t happen immediately.
For your house cleaning, which projects would you see taken out of the CIP?
March 24, 2011 at 9:03 am
Andy,
I don’t know if any particular project, since I’ve not reviewed them. I was just going off of what you wrote how some have been on there for twenty years. That just strikes me as being a long time to have projects sitting around waiting for funding. Which then brings up the other question I asked.
Where can the CIP be found?
March 24, 2011 at 9:05 am
linked it in an earlier reply to you on this thread……
March 24, 2011 at 9:34 am
You can also promote the city bike trails beyond the city:
1. link the map to bike clubs that search for places to ride.
2. Make sure books that promote bikes include the Manassas trails in their next edition.
3. Start a meetup group.
4. Start an annual bike event in honor of something, like the “Bull Run Bicycles Annual Manassas Vice Mayorial Bike To Brillance 10K,” honoring citizen volunteers who move something forward. Funds raised will go to the project that has moved forward the most that year, due to citizen volunteer efforts.
You don’t need to clean house, just pick something out and focus attention on it like Manassas Next has done. You’re doing great – bikemanassas.org gets attention.
March 24, 2011 at 10:26 am
@Raymond:
Regarding a good clear map, seems to me some dedicated bicyclers who are also tech savvy ought to be able to build some sort of overlay of trails in Google Maps or Google Earth. And BikeManassas could promote it? Then it is accessible from pc’s or even smartphones (like your Droid or Andy’s iPhone)? Dunno what’s involved, but it wouldn’t take a penny of tax dollars. And even if done privately, that wouldn’t prevent the City web site from also promoting it I wouldn’t think.