By Aaron Schuetz

Arlington at 15 MPH

By Aaron Schuetz

I am a biker. My health and the planet’s health are two reasons I choose to cycle. And it isn’t just for my physical health. Psychologically, it is a great way to start my day by commuting to work. If the day goes poorly, I hop on my bike and not only get to work out the stress on the ride home, but I get an endorphin hit, fresh air in my lungs, and time to reflect and de-stress before I’m home.  

I want to share with you why it’s so awesome to be on a bike in this area—for commuting and recreation — and why you should do it, too! When we drive, we’re sealed inside a box with limited visibility, focused on quickly reaching our destination. When we walk, we’ve got full visibility, we experience the weather, and we can enjoy the beautiful houses, trees, and gardens of our neighborhoods but we cover less ground. Cycling is the sweet spot between these two. Instead of exploring a few new blocks while out walking, you can explore entire neighborhoods. You decide when to roll slowly, and when to push yourself on a climb. Those with electric assist get even more choices in how much they want to sweat.

During the pandemic, I rode 2/3 of all streets in Arlington, and 1/3 of all streets in DC. I found some ridiculous hills, very odd homes, amazing views, surprising history, and a great diversity of neighborhoods. Biking has helped me appreciate how wonderful it is to live in the DC area.

Though I love solo explorations, in the past year I’ve begun riding with some neighbors. This is not only fun but also motivating! It pushes us all to do more and explore more. We love riding in the hills of North Arlington and heading across the river for popular routes like MacArthur Blvd out to Great Falls, Rock Creek Park, Beach Drive, Sligo Creek and Anacostia Trail. We have biked the ever-popular Custis, Mt. Vernon, W&OD, C&O, and Capital Crescent trails. Beautiful tree-covered trails, iconic views, and robust exercise keep us pedaling through all four seasons.

Looking for support or inspiration? Arlington has some great resources.

Bike Arlington (bikearlington.com has some nice route suggestions and tools, including a “Bicycle Comfort Map” that helps you find routes appropriate for you and your family to get around Arlington.

The Washington Area Bicycle Association (waba.org) is a great education and advocacy group, and organizer of big rides. Many bike shops in the area organize group rides for various levels.

Capital Bikeshare is a great way to start. We have 3 stations in Lyon Park, and their e-bikes are really easy to use.

Our new bike shop, Vélocity Bike Co-op, on Pershing Drive can help get your bike back in shape, or help you find a new one.

I recently joined the county’s Bicycle Advisory Committee to encourage the county to make cycling safer and more accessible for residents, and because I would like to see more bike infrastructure in Arlington County. If you have suggestions or improvements you would like to see made, please reach out to me and I will submit them for discussion at a meeting. And if you want encouragement, ideas, or are interested in joining me for a weekend ride, email me at ajschuetz@yahoo.com. You can also follow me on Strava.

I hope to see more neighbors biking around the community on these beautiful fall days. And if you drive, thanks for sharing the road! Cycle on! 

By Elaine Simmons

As Arlington County increases its density of buildings and residents, more people can access our many benefits. However, growth also increases the possibility of the phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect: cities experience higher air temperatures than non-urban areas.

On average, cities tend to be 1–7°F warmer than non-urban areas around them during the daytime and 

as much as 5°F warmer at night. On a summer day, the sun can heat buildings, roofs, and cars to temperatures 50 degrees higher than the surrounding air. Urban air quality also suffers since more pollutants are pumped into the air in densely populated areas, and stagnant air conditions during heat waves can trap pollutants near the ground. 

Natural surfaces like trees and plants have cooling effects from shade and “evaporative cooling,” whereby evaporating water from vegetation absorbs heat (much like sweat cools the human body). Artificial surfaces such as roads and buildings that replace vegetation typically lack those cooling effects and instead absorb and re-emit more heat, which makes their surroundings warmer too. 

As the planet warms, urban heat islands will only intensify higher temperatures. To cope with higher temperatures, cars and buildings consume more energy for cooling—frequently via fossil fuels—which worsens air pollution and contributes to climate change. 

An important way to fight the urban heat island effect is to reintroduce vegetation. This includes planting trees, expanding parkland, and installing “green roofs” designed to support plants. Building cool roofs and  pavements—which have bright coatings that reflect more sunlight and, therefore, absorb less heat—also   can reduce the urban heat island effect. A model by the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub estimated that, if widely implemented, cool pavements could reduce the frequency of heatwaves by 41% across all US urban areas.

As residents, a key thing we can do is plant and properly care for tough native shade trees (like oaks, sycamores, hickories, tulip trees). Those of us with shady yards know that tree cover makes a HUGE difference in how hot it feels. A friend in McLean with lots of shade trees has measured a 10-degree difference in his yard compared to nearby exposed areas. Next time you venture out, notice how much better streets and sidewalks with tall tree overhang feel and look compared to those that are sun-beaten. To get a free tree, including installation, contact the Tree Canopy Fund established by Ecoaction Arlington. You may also register for a free tree on Arlington County’s Urban Forestry Dept web page. Or visit your local garden center.