East Falls Church Traffic Calming Plan

The Arlington East Falls Church Civic Association – our neighbors to the west and south – initiated a traffic calming effort several years ago. They focused on the area bounded by Lee Highway, Interstate-66, Williamsburg Boulevard, and Sycamore Street. The northeast chunk of that area falls into Williamsburg Civic Association. The Arlington County Board directed the County Manager to create a working group to recommend traffic calming measures. The working group members were selected from various locations in the study are and represent a variety of viewpoints.

County staff took a series of traffic counts and speed measures in early 2000. These measures showed significant traffic volumes on a number of streets. Speed was also excessive on several streets, notably on Little Falls, 26th on the stretch by Tuckahoe School, and on portions of Underwood. The survey, which spanned periods when Bishop O'Connell High School was in and out of session, showed that the speeding problem is equally serious in both situations.

Based on the traffic problems identified, the working group set three goals:

• Improving pedestrian safety
• Reducing speeding
• Reducing cut-though traffic.

The working group gave serious consideration to an extensive package of turn limitations designed to discourage rush hour cut-through traffic, but ultimately rejected all of them as undesirably restrictive. The working group opted instead for traffic calming measures which are not restrictive to motorists, that is, measures that would not restrict drivers from using particular public streets.

The measures included in the draft plan include:

• Curb extensions (nubs)
• Gateway treatments
• Textured and raised crosswalks
• Speed humps
• Traffic circles
• Signage
• Medians

A map showing the proposed measures is available by clicking here (121K). Also available is a table listing the identified problems, recommended traffic calming measures, and Arlington County Department of Public Works' comments for each location in the study area.

Last fall, the County conducted a postcard survey of all 480 residents in the project area. The results of that survey revealed strong neighborhood support: 68% of the households favored the plan; 14% opposed the plan; and 18% did not respond to the survey.

The project has been approved by both the Transportation Commission and the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Committee and has been endorsed by the County Manager. County Manager's Memo Endorsing Plan The County Board approved it on 26 January 2002. County Press Release on Traffic Calming

Some measures (such as new signs) will be implemented over the next few months. Those measures that involve construction should be completed over the next three years. Still other measures in the plan are yet to be funded, including the installation of a landscaped median on Williamsburg Boulevard from Westmoreland to the Williamsburg Traffic Circle.

This is good news for Williamsburg because it means we will be able to focus our attention on other pressing traffic issues in our neighborhood. In addition, the plan – by endorsing the need to narrow Williamsburg Boulevard (from Westmoreland to the Williamsburg Traffic Circle) through landscaped medians – gives added impetus to the Williamsburg Boulevard Project, our spring 2002 NC proposal. We hope to work with the Arlington-East Falls Church Civic Association on this project.

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