A newly adopted vision statement affirms Arlington County’s commitment to supporting modes of transportation other than cars, but falls short of some advocates’ ambitions.
County Board members, who adopted the statement and associated goals at a Saturday meeting, defended the new language as aspirational while also being realistic about the current state of transit in Arlington.
However, some advocates argued that the change fails to go far enough in supporting a shift away from private vehicles.
The vision statement and goals are another step toward the eventual modernization of the transportation portion of the county government’s Comprehensive Plan. The effort, set to conclude in 2026, will replace the current Master Transportation Plan, adopted in 2007.
The new vision statement says:
“People of all ages, backgrounds and abilities can move safely, comfortably and seamlessly in Arlington. Everyone can rely on a variety of high-quality, sustainable transportation options to get them where they want to go, when they need to be there, with desirable choices beyond using a car. Arlington focuses on making travel an enjoyable experience for people, connecting them with nature, friends, family, and opportunities.”
As written, the language is designed to encourage alternatives to private vehicles while not leaving the impression cars and trucks are unwelcome in Arlington. Board member Maureen Coffey said the goal is to appeal to the public to support incremental but sustained changes.
“We want to ‘carrot’ them into that rather than ‘stick’ them,” she said.
This approach is intended to be “a little less alienating” to the public, Coffey said.
“I want to have good choices that have people take transit because they want to take transit, not because they have to — adding something to their lives where they could see it being legitimate, see it being viable to not rely on a car,” Coffey said.
Chris Slatt, who chairs the working group of the Arlington Transportation Future initiative, said some involved in the effort view the vision statement as not going far enough.
“A lot of people are saying this vision isn’t ambitious, looking far too much like the vision we currently have,” he told Board members.
Slatt unsuccessfully asked Board members to restore a phrase that had been taken out along the way, which called for a transportation system the public could use “without having to depend on a car.”
Adam Theo, a member of the Transportation Commission but speaking on his own behalf, said what had started life as a “clear, bold and ambitious” statement became “watered down” as it moved through the public-review process.
“We must get it right to start off with,” Theo said before the vote. He called the vision statement “a moral compass” for the county.
Joan McIntyre, representing the Climate Change, Energy and Environment Commission, agreed the vision statement should be forceful in “accelerating the county shift away from car-centric [transportation] design.” However, she said that, currently, “we don’t have that infrastructure in place to do that.”
Coffey agreed with that sentiment.
“We have options [but] I wouldn’t call them real options,” she said of existing transportation options.
Coffey compared trying to travel between Clarendon and Crystal City. Using transit sometimes takes 45 minutes, far longer than using a private vehicle, she said.
“I would not call that a real choice,” Coffey said.
Goals embedded in the proposal, as adopted by Board members on July 19, call for transportation in Arlington to embody the following values.
- Equitable and inclusive: Create a welcoming, affordable, and accessible transportation system for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, while working to eliminate historical disparities in transportation policy and investment.
- Livable: Create a transportation system that provides enjoyable spaces and improves quality of life, affordability, economic vitality, physical and mental wellbeing, and sense of community.
- Reliable: Provide an interconnected transportation network that is dependable, convenient, and well maintained, enabling all people and goods to seamlessly reach their destinations in the county and region.
- Safe: Prioritize a safe and comfortable travel experience for all people and eliminate transportation-related deaths and serious injuries.
- Sustainable: Develop a transportation system that moves more people with less traffic; supports a cleaner and greener environment; and advances climate protection, resilience and adaptation.
- Transparent and accountable: Clearly prioritize and communicate competing demands within the transportation network and responsibly manage public resources to deliver and maintain an exceptional transportation system.
With the vision statement and goals in place, a new round of community engagement will take place in the fall. Action on a final plan is expected sometime next year.
Opioid-settlement fund to support additional epidemiologist
In other news, Arlington County will use about $400,000 in outside funding to support a new, three-year epidemiologist staff position to address opioid issues.
County Board members agreed to use funds from the commonwealth’s Opioid Settlement Direct Distribution Fund to support the position at $134,921 per fiscal year. The additional staff member will provide for continued maintenance and growth of the Arlington Addiction Recovery Initiative.
The extra staff position “will add to the continuing growth” of opioid education and prevention efforts, Board Chair Takis Karantonis said on Saturday where the funding was allocated.
Responding to questions from Board member Julius “JD” Spain Sr., County Manager Mark Schwartz said the funding would be enough to support the position without using taxpayer dollars.
The individual hired would not be guaranteed future employment beyond the three-year period, Schwartz said.
“We’ll seek a limited-term employee [and] assess when we get to the end of the second year and third year what the next steps should be,” he said.
The General Assembly in 2021 established the Opioid Abatement Authority, which has oversight of payments from opioid manufacturers and others that have made legal settlements with the commonwealth.
About one-third of all settlement funding flows directly to localities, with the first coming to Arlington in fiscal year 2022, while 55% is distributed via the authority and the remaining 15% goes to the state government.
