Penrose and Arlington Heights residents say a heavily trafficked road through their neighborhoods needs more speeding enforcement and traffic calming measures.
From Washington Blvd to Glebe Road, 2nd Street S. has seen several crashes over the last decade, including a 2012 crash at S. Wayne Street that sent three to the hospital to a fatal pedestrian crash near S. Old Glebe Road in 2022.
The segment has clocked about a dozen fatal or severe-injury crashes in the last decade, per county crash data. This includes pedestrian-involved crashes at S. Courthouse Road, near S. Fillmore Street and Thomas Jefferson Middle School, as well as one in which an impatient driver struck a pregnant driver, sending her to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
“Speeding and unsavory practices have long been a concern on 2nd Street S. and neighboring roads,” says Arlington Heights Civic Association Co-President Brian Sigritz, noting it endangers students walking to and from Thomas Jefferson and Alice West Fleet Elementary School.
Acknowledging some recent improvements such as additional signage and lower speed limits, he said “more traffic calming measures and intersection improvements would be helpful,” especially given traffic challenges during pick-up and drop-off hours.
A new map of areas that see significant crash rates does not include intersections with 2nd Street S. The segment through Arlington Heights — from S. Oakland Street to S. Fillmore Street — is classified as a “High Injury Network,” however, and has a safety audit scheduled for next year, Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Katie O’Brien said.
Engineers also studied 2nd Street S. between Washington Blvd and S. Fillmore Street, through Penrose, in response to requests from residents.
“The result of the investigation shows that, from an engineering perspective, there is not a speeding issue on this segment of 2nd Street S, nor were there other safety or crash-related issues,” she said. “We have limited resources to implement safety interventions across our county-controlled streets, and as part of our Vision Zero Action Plan, prioritize the locations with the highest risk of severe and fatal crashes.”
Despite this news, Penrose Neighborhood Association President Alex Sakes intends to push for measures such as flashing lights at crosswalks and speed humps and better enforcement.
“These drivers clearly aren’t respecting existing speed limits, stop signs, and the like,” he said, observing many might be trying to outmaneuver road construction on Columbia Pike. “My residents deserve to not feel unsafe along any stretch of the neighborhood, especially those with small children.”
Last year, the county provided an additional crossing for children going to school at S. Garfield Street with new crosswalks, enhanced signage and additional painted markings, and it extended the curbs and narrowed the road at S. Wayne Street. Three intersections — S. Irving Street, Old Glebe Road and S. Uhle Street — have become all-way stops as part of various projects.
Separately, Sigritz says he hopes the county moves forward with traffic calming on 1st Road S. nearby, where “speeding, wrong-way driving and other illegal and unsafe practices” have been a concern for several years.
Next month, residents will have the chance to share their perceptions of traffic safety in Arlington via a feedback form, notes O’Brien.
“This is a great opportunity for people to share their experiences, feedback, and specific concerns to the County’s safety program,” she said.
As for enforcement, Sakes says he and several Penrose residents have submitted complaints to the Arlington County Police Department’s online transportation complaint reporting tool.
One source of relief could be the county’s forthcoming speed cameras, part of a shift to automated enforcement, which will move around the county as needed. Progress on the cameras recently took a step forward.
“The procurement process for photo speed enforcement has been finalized and Verra Mobility was selected as the vendor,” ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage told ARLnow earlier this month. “The involved County agencies continue to work with the vendor on the implementation of the program and additional details will be shared with the community as the program nears operation.”