Arlington officials say they’re aware of deficiencies affecting pedestrians and bicyclists along stretches of N. Glebe Road between I-66 and Langston Blvd.
“The sidewalks belong to a different era — terrible and definitely not adequate,” County Board Chair Takis Karantonis said on Saturday.
Civic leader and one-time political candidate Nicole Merlene Toulouse brought up the issue during the public comment period of the monthly County Board meeting.
“It is incredibly unsafe and unwelcoming for pedestrians,” Toulouse said, referring to the stretch of sidewalk. “It’s terrifying.”
Karantonis acknowledged that walkways in that area date from a time when “pedestrians didn’t matter and cyclists didn’t exist.”
The sidewalks are only about three feet wide, about half of modern-day recommendations. The roadway is under control of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
When improvements might come, and what shape they may take, remains an open question. While the sidewalks and medians are out of date, they may not be sufficiently deteriorated to reach the top of the to-do list of various government agencies.
“They are borderline, technically safe, but not really safe,” Karantonis said.
In 2021, a county project brought improvements to the intersections of N. Glebe and 18th Street N. as well as the nearby intersection of 18th Street N. and N. Wakefield Street.
Those upgrades, including a new stretch of sidewalk on 18th Street N. and upgrades to existing sidewalks, were designed to improve safety around Glebe Elementary School.
Toulouse suggested options including having the county take over maintenance of medians — some of which are overgrown with weeds — and the potential of removing traffic lanes to allow for wider sidewalks and new bicycle lanes.
A VDOT STARS (Strategically Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions) study assessed potential safety, multimodal and operational improvements along 2.4 miles of Glebe Road from Columbia Pike north to I-66.
Potential improvements along that stretch of roadway and its 33 intersections were compiled into a 115-page report last December.
Coming increases in density along the Langston Blvd corridor may prod state and county transportation officials to look at the stretch from I-66 to that corridor.
Child safety seat checks will return
In response to another concern that Toulouse raised during the public-comment period, county leaders said they will eventually resume free safety checks of child safety seats.
The checks, conducted by the Arlington County Police Department Auxiliary Unit, recently ended when the longtime volunteer who conducted them was unable to continue.
County Manager Mark Schwartz said the program will come back at some point.
“We have no intention of walking away from that program,” he said. “We absolutely want to do it.”
The safety check is far more than cursory in nature. According to the county’s website, those requesting the checks should set aside 20 to 30 minutes for their completion.
Schwartz said parents should stay tuned.
“We’ll announce when we are able to reinstitute [the program],” he said.
The Arlington County Fire Department also used to conduct safety checks, but it abandoned the effort in 2019.
