Lower speed limits could be coming to some Arlington roads with high numbers of bicyclists.
A proposal going before the Arlington County Board on Saturday, July 19 would reduce speed limits on some designated “bicycle boulevards” from 25 mph to 20 mph.
The change would apply to such roads located within business or residential districts, provided that an engineering and traffic investigation supports the speed reduction.
A county staff report emphasizes safety benefits for cyclists and pedestrians.
“As vehicular speed increases, vulnerable users have a higher risk of severe injuries or death because of a vehicular collision,” the report says. “Therefore, on a bicycle boulevard, a reduced maximum speed limit contributes to optimized bicycle travel.”
Current ordinances already allow designated bicycle boulevards to receive lower speed limits, but doing so requires individual ordinance changes and public hearings.
The proposed change would make that process automatic and allow for it to be “consistently implemented.”
The effort is part of ongoing efforts to reduce vehicle crashes in Arlington, including ones involving people on foot and on bicycles.
The Department of Environmental Services will be responsible for conducting traffic studies.
“Where the engineering study recommends a speed limit of 20 mph, and the recommendation is approved, new speed limit signs will be installed in the appropriate locations to convey the 20-mph speed limit to drivers,” staff said in a Board memo.
The estimated cost for the initiative would total about $1,000 per bicycle boulevard each year.
In 2024, police recorded 39 vehicular-bicycle crashes countywide, down from 52 in 2023. Since 2018, annual totals have ranged from a high of 69 in 2019 to a low of 33 in 2020, when vehicular traffic fell substantially during the pandemic.
