Category: Maintenance

Free Trail Building Seminar, September 9 & 10, at Hellwig Memorial Park

September 6, 2017 / Allen Muchnick

Prince William County news release, dated August 28, 2017

http://www.pwcgov.org/news/pages/learn-to-build-trails.aspx

Prince William County Department of Parks and Recreation will host a two-day Trail Building Seminar on Sept. 9 and 10 at Hellwig Memorial Park, at 14420 Bristow Road, for enthusiasts who want to learn how to build and maintain trails.

No experience is necessary for the free seminar that runs between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. each day. Training will consist of one day in the classroom and one day of training in the field, said Prince William County Parks and Recreation Trails Manager Ryan Delaney. “We will cover the basics of sustainable trail design, construction, and maintenance. The classroom and in-the-field trail components of the seminar are designed to give attendees hands-on experience with the latest techniques for trail design and construction.”

Delaney said experienced and inexperienced trail workers will be equally comfortable in the free classes. “The training is geared toward trail enthusiasts and the general public, and will be a great introduction for new trail workers and a comprehensive refresher for experienced volunteers.”

People who attend the classes on trail construction and maintenance will learn to manage a crew of volunteers, use hand tools to dig and create new trails from scratch and improve existing trails at the same time they become part of a community and get some exercise, Delaney said. “Hopefully they’ll have a lot of fun outside and make new friends.”

The class is open to all ages, Delaney said. “We can use people ages 10 and up for the heavy work, but we have younger kids helping with pruning back brush, and trail and stream cleanups.”

Volunteers are essential to keeping the county’s trails cleared for the public. “Our volunteers contribute directly to the construction and maintenance of our trail system; They actively work to make Prince William County a better place to live, work, and play.”

With new trail projects coming to the Occoquan Greenway and Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, or PHNST, now is a good time to learn about trail creation and maintenance, Delaney said. “We’re hosting a volunteer event on Sept. 30 for National Public Lands Day on the PHNST near Powell’s Creek. The Wildlife Refuge segments will be built in early 2018, and the Neabsco Boardwalk construction crew should be onsite early next month to begin that section.”

People must attend the classroom sessions to participate in the field project. Registration is required. For more information, contact Delaney at [email protected]

Before and after comparison of debris removed from sidewalk by VDOT.

How to Submit a Request to Clear Debris from Sidewalks and Trails

June 10, 2016 / Rob Delach

If you walk or bike with any frequency in Northern Virginia, I am sure that you have encountered sand, dirt, gravel, grit, broken glass, etc. covering sidewalks and bike trails along our roadways. VDOT has a website for residents to submit service requests that takes only a few minutes to complete. The process is outlined below.

Debris on sidewalk before request was submitted

Photo of debris blocking sidewalk along Old Bridge Rd across from the Old Bridge/Rt 123 Commuter Parking Lot

Sidewalk after clearing by VDOT within 24 hours of submitted request.

Most roadways and their associated sidewalks and shared-use paths in Northern Virginia are managed by the Virginia Dept of Transportation (VDOT). Exceptions to this rule are where roads are privately owned, such as in some Home Owners Associations, and in some cities, towns, and Counties (such as Arlington County). Most roads in Fairfax and Prince William Counties are owned and maintained by VDOT, not the County governments; therefore, requests to fix problems on the roadways and their associated sidewalks and shared-use paths need to be directed to VDOT on their My VDOT website.

Much of the sand, gravel, grit and debris on our roadsides, curbs, sidewalks, and shared-use paths is left over from the heavy salting, sanding, and plowing that occurred back in January. VDOT does not have a scheduled maintenance program for clearing debris, but they do respond to resident’s requests.

You can easily submit a request on-line for VDOT to clear debris from specific areas that you identify. We recommend that you take a photo of the issue that you want addressed, then visit the My VDOT website.

1. Select the Type of Request

My VDOT Service Request Initial Page

On the My VDOT website, select “I need something removed from a road”, then on the right, under “What do you need removed?”, select “Remove debris”, then below that, under “Where is it located?” select “On the shoulder or in the ditch”. Once you have done this, click the Continue button.

2. Enter the Location

My VDOT Service Request Location Page

On the Location page, you will enter information about where the debris needs removal from. You can either zoom in on the map and click the location to drop a pin, or you can enter an address. Once you have provided an accurate location, click the Continue button.

3. Add Details and a Photo

My VDOT Service Request Details Page

On the Details page enter any other information VDOT maintenance crews should know about the issue, such as details about the debris, or if it is blocking or impeding use of the road/sidewalk/trail. Enter a description, and be sure to mention if the debris needs clearing from a sidewalk or trail (shared-use path). Under the “Do you have an image or file to share?” section click the Choose File button to add the photo that you took of the debris, then click the Continue button.

4. Enter Contact Information

On the last page, enter your name and email address, and check the boxes if you want to be notified about status updates or create an account (both optional). You can receive status updates via email or text messages (if you provide a mobile phone number).

My VDOT Service Request Contact Page

You can also check the status of your submitted service requests by returning to the MyVDOT website and logging on if you created an account, or by entering a service request number.

MyVDOT Service Request Status

NOTE: Residents can also submit service requests to VDOT for trail and sidewalk repairs, and road issues like pot holes and sign repair. The first webpage has options for other types of requests under “How can we help you?”

Pedestrian Access Issues Come to the Forefront at Prince William County Snowzilla Response Meeting

February 7, 2016 / Rob Delach

People who walk, bike, and take the bus to work in Prince William County have been significantly impacted long after the recent storm, due to huge piles of snow blocking crosswalks, sidewalks, bike trails, and bus stops. Many crosswalks and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant access ramps are still blocked almost 2 weeks after the event.

Packed PRTC bus shelter 4 days after the storm passed, 27 Jan 2016.

Active Prince William members attended the County’s “Snowzilla Plowing, Plans And Problems” Community Meeting, convened by Occoquan District Supervisor Ruth Anderson, on Saturday, Feb 6, 2016, to point out the lack of pedestrian access on the our sidewalks, crosswalks, and trails. VDOT NOVA, Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC), Prince William County Fire and Police, and others including Deputy County Executive Susan Roltsch and VA Delegate Richard Anderson were in attendance to answer questions about the snow storm response.

The video below is the WJLA Channel 8 News story about the meeting, focusing on the pedestrian access issues. Rob Delach and Rick Holt, of ActivePW were in attendance.

Those most impacted by the blocked sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike paths are predominantly low income and disadvantaged populations in our County. VDOT owns, maintains and is responsible for snow removal on most of the roads in Prince William County, but it is their policy not to clear snow from sidewalks or bus stops along its roadways. To compound this problem, Prince William County residents are not required to clear sidewalks adjacent to their properties, unless they live in the towns of Occoquan, Quantico, or Dumfries, or the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. The end result is that few sidewalks in Prince William County are fully passable, almost 2 weeks after the storm.

Snow pile blocking PW Parkway bike path on 6 February 2016. Photo courtesy of Rick Holt.

Snow pile blocking PW Parkway bike path on 6 February 2016. Courtesy of Rick Holt.

VDOT and PWC do not have funding to clear the sidewalks themselves, so it seems that low or no cost options need to be considered, here are two.

Low or No Cost Snow Removal Pedestrian Access Solutions for PWC.

Establish a County Ordinance that requires businesses and residents clear sidewalks that are adjacent to their property. This will help most with residential streets to improve sidewalks for children to get to bus stops and walk to school more quickly after a storm. Gaps will still exist along major roadways. Local ordinances are in place in the towns within Prince William County as well as Manassas and Manassas Park. In fact, 83% of local jurisdictions across the US have ordinances requiring sidewalk snow removal by residents.
Promote a volunteer network of residents to clear snow for those who are not able to do so themselves, and to clear key access points such as crosswalks and access ramps at intersections.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Law requires local Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to provide snow removal on pedestrian facilities constructed with Federal funds, saying that “reasonable snow removal efforts” must be taken for pedestrian facilities on federal funded roadways. VDOT has patently ignored this stipulation. But the problem is far worse than VDOT just not following the federal law, they actively plow huge snowbanks onto the pedestrian crossings and sidewalks, forcing pedestrians to walk in the only place they can, in the roadway. Due to the size of the snow piles, they effectively render those facilities useless for weeks after a large snow storm. For the recent event, now almost 2 weeks after the storm, most crosswalks and ramps are still under several feet of snow.

Sidewalk Snow Removal in Prince William County, its Unincorporated Towns, and Greater Manassas

January 24, 2016 / Rob Delach

Many of us have experienced the frustration of trying to go for a walk, run, or bike ride after a major snow storm, and finding that sidewalks and trails are inaccessible due to lack of snow removal. Property owner responsibility for snow removal on sidewalks varies within Prince William County, its unincorporated towns, and in the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. Here we provide a summary of what the law requires in the various jurisdictions.

The various cities and townships within Prince William County area all require property occupants or owners to clear snow from sidewalks that are adjacent to their property¹. Details vary on how long property owners have to accomplish this after the snowfall ends. The real news here is that Prince William County as a whole does NOT require sidewalk snow removal, which is in keeping with the policy (or lack thereof) of its larger neighbor to the North, Fairfax County. Similarly, they are not alone in their lack of response to the inability of pedestrians and cyclists to safely navigate our neighborhoods and along our streets after a snow storm. The Virginia Dept of Transportation (VDOT) owns most of the public road rights-of-way in Northern Virginia outside of incorporated cities, but they refuse to provide snow removal for any sidewalks². If you’ve ever wondered why County schools are often closed for days on end after a substantial snowstorm, it is often due to lack of sidewalk access for students who walk, rather than any issue with buses navigating the roads.

The following is s summary of the local requirements to remove snow from sidewalks in the Prince William and Greater Manassas Area:
[table id=1 responsive=flip /]

Prince William County

There is no legal requirement in Prince William County for property/business owners or residents to remove snow from sidewalks.

“We ask that people clear snow from their sidewalks so that there is a safe place for people to walk. Otherwise, children and other pedestrians end up walking in the street, which is not a safe alternative.” – link

City of Manassas

The city clears snow on sidewalks adjacent to city properties within 12 hours after snowfall.
Property owners are responsible for clearing sidewalks adjacent to their properties.
Manassas Snow Removal Policy

City of Manassas Park

Occupants or homeowners of any property abutting a sidewalk, are responsible to clear their sidewalk within the first eight (8) hours of daylight following a snow/ice storm.

City reminds residents to Clear Sidewalks and Help Keep Children Safe
Town Code – Removal of snow and ice from sidewalks

Town of Dumfries

Property owners are required to clear sidewalks adjacent to their property within 12 hours after the snow has ceased to fall.
Town Code – Removal of snow from sidewalks

Town of Occoquan

The occupant of any property that has a sidewalk abutting their property needs to remove snow and ice from it within 12 hours after it has ceased falling, or if it snows overnight, it should be removed by 5 pm on the next day.
Occoquan Snow Removal Policies

Town of Quantico

Owners or Tenants shall remove snow/ice from sidewalks in front of any business or property within the town within 24 hours of cessation of snowfall.
Quantico Code – clearing of sidewalks by business owners

Town of Haymarket

¹ – As of the writing of this post, we have not been able to find any information online about their sidewalk snow removal policies and have not received a response from the town.

The town takes pride in its historical town center along Washington St., and the Haymarket Architectural Review Board Guidelines promote “a town center with a historical feel in which residents and visitors can walk, shop, eat, conduct business and relax.”