Arlington’s Pedestrian Advisory Committee is pressing county and state leaders to do more to keep public walkways clear after winter storms.
Committee members have agreed to send a letter with a list of suggestions to County Manager Mark Schwartz, hoping to potentially improve conditions this winter or in future years.
“We look forward to partnering with county staff to improve things for the most vulnerable,” PAC chairman Eric Goodman said at the organization’s Jan. 14 meeting.
Following up on a committee discussion held in December, suggestions include:
- Better training for county and private snowplow personnel to minimize the impacts on crosswalks, curb ramps, sidewalks, median islands and trail entrances, which often are plowed under during snow-recovery operations
- Having smaller, more nimble plows follow larger ones to remove snow initially pushed onto curb ramps and median islands, an idea borrowed from Hoboken, N.J.
- Establishing priority routes where more intense efforts will be made to clear snow from curb ramps and medians
- Establishment of a community-partnership program to have businesses or organizations “adopt” individual bus stops for clearing, an idea taken from Traverse City, Mich.
- Working with the Virginia Department of Transportation to prioritize clearing sidewalks on bridge overpasses
In recent years, “sidewalks on overpass bridges and adjacent to parks were covered in fallen and plowed snow that got compressed by foot traffic and turned to ice,” the two-page letter to Schwartz notes.
The sidewalk issue on bridges can be particularly challenging for pedestrians. One example: The lone sidewalk on the Langston Blvd bridge over I-66 in East Falls Church frequently is blocked after storms by snow that piles up and turns to ice, forcing pedestrians into travel lanes to get across.
VDOT has exclusive jurisdiction over sidewalks on its bridges, and getting the agency’s attention may be a challenge, said David Patton, a county planner who serves as liaison to PAC.
“They basically write off sidewalks,” he said. “They don’t do squat.”
Whether any of the suggestions will be considered prior to the arrival of spring is an open question, but PAC members said they hope the letter moves the conversation forward.
“I’m glad we’re thinking about this,” committee member John Armstrong said.
Unlike county government commissions, which are responsible to the County Board, advisory commissions like PAC, the Bicycle Advisory Committee and the Transit Advisory Committee report to Schwartz.
At the Jan. 14 meeting, PAC members set a tentative meeting calendar for 2026 that will include at least one and maybe more field trips to assess conditions in the community.
