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Vienna will install its first four Capital Bikeshare stations this fall, but one planned location is raising concerns because of traffic congestion and a history of crashes.

The Town Council voted unanimously July 7 to direct $231,000 in state grant funding toward purchasing and installing the stations. They are expected to begin operating in early 2026, with an option to add a fifth location later.

Transportation engineer Andrew Jinks said the expansion will give residents and visitors a more sustainable and convenient way to travel around town.

Three stations will be placed near the Washington & Old Dominion Trail: at Navy Federal Credit Union’s headquarters at 801 Follin Lane SE, the Vienna Community Center at 120 Cherry Street SE, and the trail crossing at Ayr Hill Avenue.

The fourth is planned near Maple Avenue and Nutley Street, beside the future Wolf Trap Hotel redevelopment at 444 Maple Avenue.

Public Works Director Brad Baer said the sites were selected partly using recommendations from a feasibility study Vienna conducted with Fairfax City and George Mason University. Completed in July 2019, the study evaluated potential locations based on access to public transportation, businesses, developments, the W&OD Trail and other attractions.

A station previously approved for the Town Hall parking lot did not make the final list. The site of a possible fifth station has not been determined.

Maple and Nutley site draws scrutiny

Councilmember Sandra Allen supported adding bikeshare service near the W&OD Trail but questioned the safety of placing a station at Maple and Nutley, which she described as a tight and congested area.

Allen said a recent bicycle ride through Vienna demonstrated how difficult it can be to navigate local sidewalks and roads amid fast-moving traffic.

Police Chief Jim Morris told the council that 10 vehicle crashes occurred at the intersection last year. He said that total was not unusual for Maple Avenue, where other sections of Vienna’s primary commercial corridor may have similar crash rates.

Space for a bikeshare station was included as a condition of the town’s approval of the 444 Maple project. Plans call for a four-story building with 151 apartments and 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

The project was approved in 2018. The former hotel and Tequila Grande restaurant were demolished in 2022, but construction has not begun.

Town officials hope the station will eventually create a last-mile link between the development and the Vienna Metro station. Baer noted that sidewalks extend from Maple and Nutley to the Metro and said a shared-use path for the area is included in the town’s capital improvement plan.

Vienna permits bicycles on sidewalks. Cyclists using roads, whether on conventional or electric bicycles, must comply with state traffic laws, including requirements to yield to pedestrians and signal when appropriate.

County will cover ongoing costs

The first four stations will bring 21 standard bicycles and four electric bicycles to Vienna. Capital Bikeshare’s regional network has approximately 800 stations and 8,000 bicycles, including about 1,000 bikes in Fairfax County.

A Virginia Department of Transportation Transportation Alternatives grant awarded in 2021 will pay for the stations’ purchase and installation. Fairfax County will oversee them and cover operating and maintenance expenses through an existing multi-jurisdictional contract with Lyft, which manages Capital Bikeshare.

Councilmember Chuck Anderson called the arrangement a good deal because Vienna will not receive revenue from the stations but also will not bear their ongoing costs. He said the service could benefit Maple Avenue businesses by allowing people to ride into Vienna from Tysons, leave a bicycle at a station and spend time in town.

A fifth station would add five standard bicycles and two electric models. Residents have suggested Cedar Park Shopping Center as one possibility, Councilmember Jessica Ramakis said. The center is a few blocks from a W&OD Trail crossing and is near Thoreau Middle School and the Vienna Park apartments.

Vienna’s bicycle advisory committee has also raised Cedar Park and local parks as possible sites. Baer said available space and public right-of-way will be considered along with proximity to nearby amenities.

The expansion comes as Capital Bikeshare prepares to raise prices Aug. 1 to address increasing operational and management costs. The system reported a record 725,346 trips in October and set a single-day high of 35,569 trips during this year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival.