Fairfax is preparing to update its bicycle and pedestrian master plan.

The Town Council agreed to form an advisory committee and directed staff to prepare a request for proposals to update the plan at its meeting on May 21.

“I think this is a good way to actually engage the community to solicit input and to educate the public about the issues and the possible solutions, and a consultant is a tool the community can use to get what it needs,” Mayor Lisel Blash said.

The current plan was prepared in 2016. An update would guide bicycle and pedestrian projects for the next decade.

The plan would analyze the existing bike and pedestrian infrastructure; identify and prioritize areas for upgrades or expansions; and suggest policies to improve overall safety. It also would account for emerging technology, like electric bikes, and incorporate new data, according to Bryn McKillop, a town planner.

State law mandates municipalities have an active transportation plan, which is also a requirement for transportation grants, Planning Director Jeffrey Beiswenger said. An updated plan would increase the town’s chances of receiving grants.

“I think we need to get cracking on this,” Councilmember Barbara Coler said. “This is a good thing to increase the walkability of our town as well as the bike-ability.”

In July 2024, the Town Council approved a request for $82,917 to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for a master plan update, which was recently granted. The town has until June 30, 2027 to use the grant.

The funding only covers the consultant costs for a simple plan, and doesn’t cover staff time or leave room for public input. Instead, a hybrid, consultant-staff format, and the creation of an advisory committee to help review the plan and engage the public, was proposed. A town staff member would be a liaison between the committee and the consultant to keep costs low.

“The public involvement piece is a big driver of costs and if you take that off the consultant’s plate, they can focus on the technical aspects, which they can do and we can’t, and then we can focus on the public involvement piece that we can probably do better because we’re closer to the community and we’ve access to the BPAC,” Beiswenger said of the advisory committee.

McKillop said the town has already received 11 applications for the committee, which will have five or seven members.

Vice Mayor Stephanie Hellman said the committee should be representative of “all types of pedestrians” and suggested a youth member.

Councilmember Frank Egger said it would be a waste of funds and thought the community and staff could work together to start on the plan. Egger, along with Councilmember Michael Ghiringhelli, felt the town’s streets should be fixed first.

Ghiringhelli said the town did not need a consultant to figure out “how people are walking and riding their bikes into town.” He thought the plan could be completed entirely by town staff, and the grant could pay for their time working on it.

Town Manager Heather Abrams strongly recommended against Ghiringhelli’s proposal, and said the final product would be substandard for grants. She cited the need for experts as town staff are general planners.

“There are certain technical aspects, like modeling the bike lane width and length and car throughput, those very technical aspects, that’s what we’re proposing that we use that grant money for, to really be a flywheel on our capacity,” Abrams said. “It is just normal that you don’t have all the technical experts, especially a small staff like we have, because we can’t employ them full time.”

The ad hoc committee will dissolve after the plan is adopted. Interviews for committee members are scheduled for the June 4 Town Council meeting.