W&OD
Let’s build more trails!
Something incredible happened this year: the unveiling of a wider, better, more welcoming section of our region’s beloved Washington & Old Dominion Trail.
The new dual trail gives people room to bike, jog, push strollers, walk their dogs, and take a breath of fresh air. It raises the bar on what a safe and accessible trail should be.
Now: imagine that the W&OD connects to 836 more miles of biking and walking trails that allow you to bike the entire region without ever riding on a street with motor vehicle traffic. Together, we can make this a reality.

This year, WABA launched a report proving that the Capital Trails Network will pay for itself again and again: improving trail access, reducing carbon emissions and car trips, and creating green jobs. We’re shouting from the rooftops that trails are the best transportation investment we can make— and our elected officials are listening! We’ve won support from four jurisdictions and counting to complete the 881-mile Capital Trails Network by 2030.
In 2022 we’re going to keep up this momentum and build even more political will to get these trails built. Here’s to a new year of gorgeous trail rides and walks!
Bicycling made 2020 a little better.
I hope bicycling has made this year a little bit better for you. For me, a sunny afternoon on a busy trail was a welcome moment of levity, freedom, and connection to this wonderful community.
During the pandemic, this community brought the joy of bicycling to more people than ever before— and made our region a better place to bike in a time when we really needed it.

The thing is: the new bike lanes, new trails, and policies that make your ride better?
They add up to so much more than a great afternoon.
They’re the backbone of a safer, more sustainable transportation system that we can rely on through a climate crisis and a pandemic.
There’s no way around it: 2020 was hard. But your support for WABA made a big difference to our region and community.
Together, we:
- Won car free spaces on Beach Drive and other park roads in Maryland and DC—not just on weekends but every day, reserving more space for people to play;
- Expanded DC’s protected bike lane network by 45%, with even more construction planned for 2021;
- Cleared a wonky bureaucratic hurdle that opens up federal funding for hundreds of miles of new trails in the region;
- Celebrated major progress on car-free bridges: the Long Bridge is one year closer to reality and the arches are up on the Frederick Douglass Bridge—and both will connect to new trails;
- Celebrated ground breaking on a wider and safer Washington & Old Dominion Trail in Arlington, our first major trail to create wide separate spaces for people biking and people walking; and
- Pushed a robust set of policy changes through the DC Council that will result in safer intersections, slower speed limits, faster changes to dangerous roads, and prioritized investment in communities with fewer transportation options.
We did all this, together, despite all the uncertainty 2020 brought. I’m proud to be part of the Washington area bicycling community.
WABA Rides in Fairfax County



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