WCA Letter Requesting Traffic Calming on Arterial Streets

10 October 2001

Richard Best
Staff Coordinator,
Transportation Commission
Arlington County Department of Public Works
2100 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 717
Arlington, VA 22201

Dear Mr. Best:

I am the President of Williamsburg Civic Association. I am writing to request that the Transportation Commission address the issue of pedestrian safety on arterial streets.

Pedestrian safety is one of the major concerns of our Civic Association. Many respondents to our neighborhood survey identified this as a priority issue. For that reason, we devoted 24 of the 54 recommendations in our Neighborhood Conservation plan to that issue. The problems have gotten even worse in the last several years, as more and more commuters from outlying suburbs have abandoned the increasingly-congested Interstate 66 and pour onto our residential streets.

The Neighborhood Traffic Calming program is addressing some of the problems on streets categorized as neighborhood streets.

However, many of the most dangerous streets for pedestrians in our community are the three arterial streets: Little Falls Road, Williamsburg Boulevard, and Sycamore. Right now, these streets are not eligible for Neighborhood Traffic Calming. We have a Neighborhood Conservation project which addresses speeding on several blocks of Little Falls Road near the traffic circle. However, funding for this program is very limited.

For this reason, we are asking the Transportation Commission to remedy the pedestrian hazards posed by our arterial streets:

• Williamsburg Boulevard from North Trinidad to North Kensington
• Sycamore Street from 26th Street North to the traffic circle
• Little Falls Road from North Nottingham to North Kensington

The ideal solution, from our standpoint, is a series of raised, landscaped medians that serve to both narrow the roadway and provide pedestrians with a safe haven. Both Williamsburg and Little Falls are ideal candidates for this solution, since the current bicycle lane plan includes converting one travel lane in each direction to a narrower bike lane, leaving room for installation of a wide median.

We would also ask that you examine nubs, curb extensions, tightening up of curb radius, and other forms of lane narrowing.

Sincerely,

Ellen Jones
6052 Little Falls Road
Arlington, VA 22207
703-536-7626 (before 8:00 PM)
Email: ellenjones6@starpower.net

Arterial Transportation Management (ATM) Study

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