pedestrian | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published December 13, 2011 at 8:30AM

Rehabbed Bridge to Be More Ped-Friendly — Arlington County is preparing to rehabilitate the Carlin Springs Road bridge over George Mason Drive, and the bridge’s chosen design will make it much more pedestrian-friendly. Currently, the bridge only has a pair of 5 foot sidewalks. The new bridge will have 8 foot sidewalks and 5 foot bike lanes on either side, but with narrower lanes for cars and no center divider. [Greater Greater Washington]

Arlington HQ’d Firm Gets New Name — The security contractor formerly known as Blackwater — now headquartered in Arlington — has a new name. The company’s name was changed to ‘Xe’ about three years ago, amid controversy over Blackwater’s role in civilian deaths in Iraq. On Monday the name was changed again, to ‘Academi.’ [Washington Post]

Events

Meeting to Address Improvements on Columbia Pike

By Katie Pyzyk

Published October 25, 2011 at 2:55PM

The focus will be on the progress of the Columbia Pike Multimodal Street Improvements Project and what should be done next to reach its goals. The county started the project to analyze transportation along the 3.5 mile Columbia Pike corridor, and suggest improvements for pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles.

Residents are encouraged to attend the meeting and offer feedback on the recommended design. It’s tonight from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Walter Reed Community Center (2909 S. 16th St.).

News

County to Install Wayfinding Signs Along R-B Corridor

By ARLnow.com

Published September 30, 2011 at 2:30PM

The signs will be placed “along bicycle and pedestrian routes throughout the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.” The first phase of the multi-phase project will include the installation of about 50 signs.

“These wayfinding, or directional, signs will help cyclists and pedestrians more easily navigate Arlington’s 100 miles of multi-use trails, on-street bike lines and designated bike routes, and its commercial districts,” the county said on the project’s web page.

News

Neighborhood Conservation Projects Await Approval

By ARLnow.com

Published September 12, 2011 at 3:00PM

The total cost of the projects — which are expected to improve the appearance and safety of the streetscape — is estimated at $2.8 million. Of the five projects, all but one are in North Arlington.

The Neighborhood Conservation program allows neighborhoods to compete with one another to receive funding for public improvements requested by residents. The five projects expected to receive funding over the weekend include:

News

Safety Improvements Planned for Glebe Road

By ARLnow.com

Published August 16, 2011 at 10:23AM

The intersections — Glebe and Carlin Springs Road, Glebe and Wilson Boulevard, and Glebe and Fairfax Drive — involve long crosswalks across numerous lanes of fast-moving traffic, as well as the occasional slip lane. The improvements are intended to make crossing the intersections safer by reducing crosswalk distances and “conflict points.”

At Glebe and Fairfax, crews will “regularize intersection geometry” — i.e. convert “suburban” slip lanes into “urban” 90-degree turns controlled by the stop light. Crews will also widen the mid-intersection pedestrian refuge.

News

Morning Poll: Pro-Car or Pro-Pedestrian?

By ARLnow.com

Published June 28, 2011 at 9:30AM

The issue is presented as a set of two mutually-exclusive options: either continue to support transportation policies that make it easy to own and drive a car, at the expense of bike and pedestrian safety; or support policies that make it easier and safer to walk and bike, at the expense of drivers.

Yesterday on the Arlington’s Commuter Page Blog, county Commuter Services Transportation Bureau Chief Chris Hamilton lauded Europe’s pro-pedestrian and anti-car policies, which have “reduced traffic and the number of cars in cities… re-conquering space for pedestrians.”

News

Pedestrian Improvements Underway on Shirlington Road

By ARLnow.com

Published June 21, 2011 at 10:35AM

The sidewalk in front of the Weenie Beenie, between Four Mile Run Drive and 27th Street S., is being expanded from 5.5 feet to 12 feet. In addition, the traffic signal at Shirlington Road and Four Mile Run Drive is being upgraded, LED street lights are being added and other aspects of the streetscape are being improved.

The improvements are intended to make bike and foot travel safer in an area of high pedestrian and vehicle traffic. The sidewalk serves pedestrians heading between Nauck and Shirlington, as well as cyclists and joggers heading between the W&OD Trail and the two sections of the Four Mile Run Trail.

News

Safety Changes Coming Soon to Walter Reed Drive

By ARLnow.com

Published May 11, 2011 at 9:31AM

Changes are coming to the steep stretch of Walter Reed Drive where a bicyclist was killed over the weekend.

Arlington County plans to begin work this summer to add a number of safety improvements to Walter Reed between S. Pollard Street and Four Mile Run Drive. The changes, which were in the works before the accident, include:

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 3, 2011 at 8:39AM

Did Arlington “Fare Well” in General Assembly? — Despite the failure of Arlington’s two top legislative priorities, the Washington Post thinks the county did okay. In related news, County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman told the paper that the county will probably not replace the $1 million in tourism funding lost by the expiration of Arlington’s hotel tax surcharge. [Washington Post]

AP Scores Rise in Arlington — Arlington students are taking Advanced Placement exams in record numbers. Meanwhile, the average score on AP exams rose last year. [Sun Gazette]

Around Town

How Does The County Clear Snow From Trails?

By ARLnow.com

Published December 21, 2010 at 2:58PM | Updated December 23, 2010 at 8:42AM

Here’s one way that Arlington County is making sure that pedestrian routes like the W&OD Trail are clear for cyclists, runners and walkers during the winter.

This pickup-mounted snow plow was spotted near today’s fire on Four Mile Run Drive.

News

Metrobus Among the Vehicles Ticketed by Police in Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

Published November 9, 2010 at 2:10PM | Updated November 9, 2010 at 6:31PM

Arlington police officers positioned themselves at the busy intersection of Wilson Boulevard and North Lynn Street during the morning traffic rush and the lunch time pedestrian rush, in an effort to catch people violating basic traffic safety laws. During the course of the morning rush hour alone, they handed out 33 citations to drivers and gave 50 verbal warnings to pedestrians and cyclists.

The enforcement was part of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s eighth annual Street Smart safety campaign, which officially launched today with a lunchtime press conference in Rosslyn.

News

Police to Issue Tickets in Rosslyn for Pedestrian Safety

By ARLnow.com

Published November 9, 2010 at 7:45AM

The enforcement will be taking place in the area of North Lynn Street and Wilson Boulevard between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 and 1:00 p.m.

Citations for failure to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk carry a hefty fine of between $100 and $500 in Arlington.