The process to rewrite Arlington's Transportation Plan has reached Phase 3; we've moved out of the more esoteric visioning and goals, and into concrete plans for modal networks, curb-space priorities, and policies.  If you've been checked out, now's the time to check in! Don't worry - we've got suggested feedback to get you started!

Doctor's Run is an important park.  It's a community gathering space, picnic area, volleyball venue, playground, and it's also an important transportation connection for those walking, biking, and scooting.  The existing trail through Doctor's Run Park is part of the 12th St S Bicycle Boulevard, providing a safe place for people to bike & scoot parallel to Columbia Pike, and an important route for students at Randolph Elementary.  As the Barcroft Apartments grow and evolve under their new ownership, this connection will only become more important. Speak up for the importance of the trail and path connections through the Park (and make sure the updated playground is great while you're at it). The existing trail is too steep, too windy, too narrow, has several steep drop-offs, and does not connect to 12th Rd S, which is the planned route for the bicycle boulevard extension through Barcroft. The renovation completely fails to connect the updated amenities to the existing trail making access very circuitous for families with strollers or kids on bikes!

Doctor's Run is an important park.  It's a community gathering space, picnic area, volleyball venue, playground, and it's also an important transportation connection for those walking, biking, and scooting.  The existing trail through Doctor's Run Park is part of the 12th St S Bicycle Boulevard, providing a safe place for people to bike & scoot parallel to Columbia Pike, and an important route for students at Randolph Elementary.  As the Barcroft Apartments grow and evolve under their new ownership, this connection will only become more important. Stop by a fun family event on Saturday at the Park & speak up for the importance of the trail and path connections through the Park (and make sure the updated playground is great while you're there). The existing trail is too steep, too windy, too narrow, has several steep drop-offs, and does not connect to 12th Rd S, which is the planned route for the bicycle boulevard extension through Barcroft.

Arlington's Public Space Master Plan guides how our open spaces are acquired, managed, and maintained. With the current plan over 6 years old at this point, the county is doing a refresh focus on a few key areas, including how to prioritize land acquisition. We think it's worth highlighting how little progress has been made on the trail-related action items in the existing plan over the last six years. We also think the County should prioritize acquisition of land needed for bike/ped connections - this would accomplish two goals with one acquisition - a small piece of the parcel would be needed for a wider sidewalk or a trail connection, and the remainder could add new neighborhood park space.

For a variety of reasons, good and bad, Columbia Pike is being completely rebuilt without any dedicated bike facilities.  Instead, parallel routes are supposed to exist for bikes just north and just south of the Pike, the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards.  These routes have never been safe, comfortable, and connected, but the County was supposed to be unveiling a plan to change all of that. Sadly, the proposed concept plans unveiled at the September Open House are woefully insufficient.

For a variety of reasons, good and bad, Columbia Pike is being completely rebuilt without any dedicated bike facilities.  Instead, parallel routes are supposed to exist for bikes just north and just south of the Pike, the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards.  These routes have never been safe, comfortable, and connected, but the County was supposed to be unveiling a plan to change all of that. Sadly, the proposed concept plans unveiled at the September Open House are woefully insufficient.

For a variety of reasons, good and bad, Columbia Pike is being completely rebuilt without any dedicated bike facilities.  Instead, parallel routes are supposed to exist for bikes just north and just south of the Pike, the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards.  These routes have never been safe, comfortable, and connected, but the County was supposed to be unveiling a plan to change all of that. Sadly, the proposed concept plans unveiled at the September Open House are woefully insufficient.

For a variety of reasons, good and bad, Columbia Pike is being completely rebuilt without any dedicated bike facilities.  Instead, parallel routes are supposed to exist for bikes just north and just south of the Pike, the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards.  These routes have never been safe, comfortable, and connected, but the County was supposed to be unveiling a plan to change all of that. Sadly, the proposed concept plans unveiled at the September Open House are woefully insufficient.

Arlington is updating its Comprehensive Plan, its long-range plan for livability and what the community wants to look like in the future. This is a big-picture document, and your opportunity to shape how Arlington grows and develops over the next generation. Join us to call on the County Board to create a Vibrant, Diverse, Sustainable, and Inclusive Arlington where housing is abundant and nobody has to depend on a car!

Arlington's Public Space Master Plan guides how our open spaces are acquired, managed, and maintained. With the current plan over 6 years old at this point, the county is doing a refresh focus on a few key areas, including how to prioritize land acquisition. We think it's worth highlighting how little progress has been made on the trail-related action items in the existing plan over the last six years. We also think the County should prioritize acquisition of land needed for bike/ped connections - this would accomplish two goals with one acquisition - a small piece of the parcel would be needed for a wider sidewalk or a trail connection, and the remainder could add new neighborhood park space.

For a variety of reasons, good and bad, Columbia Pike is being completely rebuilt without any dedicated bike facilities.  Instead, parallel routes are supposed to exist for bikes just north and just south of the Pike, the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards.  These routes have never been safe, comfortable, and connected, but the County was supposed to be unveiling a plan to change all of that. Sadly, the proposed concept plans unveiled at the September Open House are woefully insufficient.

For a variety of reasons, good and bad, Columbia Pike is being completely rebuilt without any dedicated bike facilities.  Instead, parallel routes are supposed to exist for bikes just north and just south of the Pike, the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards.  These routes have never been safe, comfortable, and connected, but the County was supposed to be unveiling a plan to change all of that. Sadly, the proposed concept plans unveiled at the September Open House are woefully insufficient.

For a variety of reasons, good and bad, Columbia Pike is being completely rebuilt without any dedicated bike facilities.  Instead, parallel routes are supposed to exist for bikes just north and just south of the Pike, the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards.  These routes have never been safe, comfortable, and connected, but the County was supposed to be unveiling a plan to change all of that. Sadly, the proposed concept plans unveiled at the September Open House are woefully insufficient.

In its most recent high-injury network analysis, Arlington identified several high-crash sites with a commonality - right-turning cars crossing bike lanes on downhills, where people riding are likely to be going fast. In response, Arlington launched a pilot project to test tactical interventions to address these crash-causing conflicts.  At several of these sites, Arlington used tactical materials to slow turning cars, guide cars to wider turning angles, and increase visibility of those biking near these conflict points. Let Arlington know these improvements are effective and appreciated!

This year, Arlington implemented a cheap tactical safety intervention to prevent illegal left turns into and out of Highland Street to and from Arlington Boulevard. This cheap and easy intervention has improved safety for people driving as well as for people walking and biking.  Drivers no longer have to content with people making unsafe kamikaze turns across a major road, and people walking and biking no longer have to fear people making kamikaze left turns across their crosswalk when crossing Highland Street. Let Arlington (and VDOT!) know that we need more of this sort of cheap, commonsense safety improvement.

For a variety of reasons, good and bad, Columbia Pike is being completely rebuilt without any dedicated bike facilities.  Instead, parallel routes are supposed to exist for bikes just north and just south of the Pike, the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards.  These routes have never been fully connected, but the County is finally looking at creating a long-term cohesive plan for these routes. Come to the upcoming Open House to see the concept designs and make sure they are complete, connected, and comfortable for all ages.

For a variety of reasons, good and bad, Columbia Pike is being completely rebuilt without any dedicated bike facilities.  Instead, parallel routes are supposed to exist for bikes just north and just south of the Pike, the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards.  These routes have never been fully connected, but the County is finally looking at creating a long-term cohesive plan for these routes. Come to the upcoming Open House to see the concept designs and make sure they are complete, connected, and comfortable for all ages.

Rosslyn's Skywalk Network is a failed relic from the 70s.  When planners thought everyone would drive everywhere and pedestrians were elevated to bridges to get them out of the way of the speeding cars.  Over the many decades since we've seen the many problems with telling pedestrians to "go around" - splitting the pedestrian population across multiple areas resulting in fewer eyes on the street, expecting pedestrians to walk 10 to 15 times farther than they would if they just crossed in the crosswalk at-grade, separating pedestrians from street-level retail, and exorbitant long-term maintenance costs that result in sad and decaying bridge structures. Some well-meaning street safety advocates are trying to get a pedestrian bridge rebuilt as part of the One Rosslyn development approval.  We think pedestrian bridges can be useful in certain situations, but not this one.  We think the only way to ensure that everyone can safely cross Langson Blvd in Rosslyn is to fundamentally change the design of Langston Boulevard and make dramatic improvements to the at-grade crossings.

In March you spoke up and demanded a more aspirational Vision and Goals for the future of Arlington's Transportation System.  Staff heard and responded with some much-improved language, making it clear that continuing the status quo would not be enough.  The Vision included making it possible for Arlingtonians to get around Arlington "without having to depend on a car" and that we wanted to "move more people with less traffic". This improved draft Vision is already under attack, with the Transportation Commission recommending that the "move more people with less traffic" language be changed to "move more people through multiple options" which says almost nothing of substance.  Even worse, the Planning Commission recommended removing the phrase "without having to depend on a car" from the Vision Statement! We have heard CLEARLY through this process that Arlingtonians want to be able to get around without a car.  That they want INDEPENDENCE, not CAR DEPENDENCE.  Tell the County Board to reject these recommendations and share our vision for a future where getting around by car is a CHOICE, not a REQUIREMENT.

In March you spoke up and demanded a more aspirational Vision and Goals for the future of Arlington's Transportation System.  Staff heard and responded with some much-improved language, making it clear that continuing the status quo would not be enough.  The Vision included making it possible for Arlingtonians to get around Arlington "without having to depend on a car" and that we wanted to "move more people with less traffic". This improved draft Vision is already under attack, with the Transportation Commission recommending that the "move more people with less traffic" language be changed to "move more people through multiple options" which says almost nothing of substance.  Even worse, the Planning Commission recommended removing the phrase "without having to depend on a car" from the Vision Statement! We have heard CLEARLY through this process that Arlingtonians want to be able to get around without a car.  That they want INDEPENDENCE, not CAR DEPENDENCE.  Tell the County Board to reject these recommendations and share our vision for a future where getting around by car is a CHOICE, not a REQUIREMENT.

Rosslyn's Skywalk Network is a failed relic from the 70s.  When planners thought everyone would drive everywhere and pedestrians were elevated to bridges to get them out of the way of the speeding cars.  Over the many decades since we've seen the many problems with telling pedestrians to "go around" - splitting the pedestrian population across multiple areas resulting in fewer eyes on the street, expecting pedestrians to walk 10 to 15 times farther than they would if they just crossed in the crosswalk at-grade, separating pedestrians from street-level retail, and exorbitant long-term maintenance costs that result in sad and decaying bridge structures. Some well-meaning street safety advocates are trying to get a pedestrian bridge rebuilt as part of the One Rosslyn development approval.  We think pedestrian bridges can be useful in certain situations, but not this one.  We think the only way to ensure that everyone can safely cross Langson Blvd in Rosslyn is to fundamentally change the design of Langston Boulevard and make dramatic improvements to the at-grade crossings.

In March you spoke up and demanded a more aspirational Vision and Goals for the future of Arlington's Transportation System.  Staff heard and responded with some much-improved language, making it clear that continuing the status quo would not be enough.  The Vision included making it possible for Arlingtonians to get around Arlington "without having to depend on a car" and that we wanted to "move more people with less traffic". This improved draft Vision is already under attack, with the Transportation Commission recommending that the "move more people with less traffic" language be changed to "move more people through multiple options" which says almost nothing of substance.  Even worse, the Planning Commission recommended removing the phrase "without having to depend on a car" from the Vision Statement! We have heard CLEARLY through this process that Arlingtonians want to be able to get around without a car.  That they want INDEPENDENCE, not CAR DEPENDENCE.  Tell the County Board to reject these recommendations and share our vision for a future where getting around by car is a CHOICE, not a REQUIREMENT.