Wright is the chairman of the Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling, a group of cycling enthusiasts that trek through the 395-square-mile county on bike — most of the time.
With all the snow and numbing temperatures, do you still ride your bike everywhere?
Yeah, for the most part. It’s a bit more difficult since they clear the snow off the road but not the bike paths. I guess I can understand it this time around since it was such a massive storm. Somewhere around 40 percent of trips are less than three miles. That doesn’t take very long on bike.
How bike-friendly is Fairfax County?
The main barrier is that we don’t have a very good street grid. It forces bikers out on the major roads with all the cars, and that’s never good. We now have a bicycle map that shows good bike roads. That’s a good start. It’s a chicken and egg issue: Without bike facilities, you aren’t going to have [cyclists].
How did the passion for cycling start?
It started back in 1979 with a three-mile commute to work. Just doing that was about several thousand miles each year. I think originally I wanted to have a lower impact on the environment and a lifestyle that costs less. It’s a huge part of my mental health.
Speaking of mental health, how are your biking colleagues coping with the aftermath of Snowmageddon?
There’s a lot of cyclists that are depressed right now. Their mental health is directly related to the amount of time they spend on the [bike trails]. There are people that are miserable when that is taken away from them.
Where is your favorite place to bike?
I like the Washington and Old Dominion Trail. It is 45 miles all the way into Shirlington. Mainly though, I bike while doing the everyday stuff, errands, the farmers market, that kind of thing.
— Brian Hughes
