GreenFest Helps NoVa Students Navigate their Commutes by Bike, Bus or Transit

Fairfax County DOT Supports Student Commuters

Nearly 300 participants attended this year’s annual Green Festival held at the Northern Virginia Community College at the Annandale campus on Tuesday, April 25. This NoVa event is intended to increase community awareness of regional, national, and global environmental issues and help educate individuals on ways to preserve the environment.

It’s also a great way for NoVa college students who are often commuting to campus to figure-out more ecofriendly ways to get to NoVa campuses around Fairfax County.

Both the Bikeshare team and Fairfax County’s Transportation Services were represented at the Green Festival in addition to 20 other environmentally focused exhibitors. These teams under Fairfax County Department of Transportation were there to inform people of commuting alternatives to limit traffic congestion and prevent excess environmental pollutants from engine emissions.

Marcus Moore, Transportation Demand Management Employer Outreach Specialist at Fairfax County Department of Transportation was on site to educate people about the different commuting alternatives within the county.

“We try to tailor the commuting options to the individual’s situation. That’s the good thing about [transportation services], there are so many different strategies that people can take advantage of based on their individual commute,” said Moore.

Despite the overwhelming presence of public transportation in the area, many people were surprised at the convenience of various transportation services after visiting with the Transportation Services team. Dr. Sabrina Ricks, a professor at NVCC said, “The information was very helpful. There are a lot of different options that are available that I had not necessarily considered that I will definitely think more about moving forward.”

Alice Tran, a student at NVCC, stated that she learned about alternate routes to go as driving is a stressful activity. Furthermore, she also commented on the easy access to buses and trains that many students take advantage of to get to campus and around the area.

The Bikeshare team has been working to redesign bike infrastructure throughout Fairfax County through Bikeshare implementations, new trail openings, and creating a user-friendly bike map to highlight bike-friendly pathways.

“The [new] bike map shows the roads that are safe to bike on and where trails connect. It’s a guide designed for beginners to find their way around Fairfax,” stated Nicole Wynands, Transportation Planner II for Bicycle & Pedestrian Programs.

Wynands showed individuals their commuting options tailored to their destination with the new bike map. Most people were surprised at how easily they could commute via bike after reviewing the map.

“I think the overall take away was that biking is Fairfax County is actually pretty easy if you know where to go. So, the new bike map will provide information about neighborhood routes, other shortcuts and daily destinations that are easily accessed,” said Wynands.

The new bike map is set to release online in the coming weeks. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov