Last month’s newsletter lamented the tragic start to the school year in Fairfax County, and I wanted to spend a few moments following up. Last week, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors proclaimed October as Pedestrian Safety Month. It’s an appreciated gesture and follows the establishment of a new joint task force to address pedestrian and traffic safety in school zones.
Our friends at Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets (NOVA FfSS) took part in the ceremony and have continued to lead the charge. Their recently-released Near Miss Report sheds light on the gob-smacking prevalence of dangerous incidents and locations—check out WTOP’s recent coverage. And local high school students themselves are stepping up and earning praise with a new crowdsourced safe routes app, SafeWalkr (Washington Post coverage here, paywall).
Alas, the County’s own work remains mixed; while the Board recently committed another tranche of funding towards its goal of investing $100M in active transportation improvements by 2027, project delivery remains painfully slow. We’ve still seen little progress standing up a robust Safe Streets for All program. Lots of cursory safety advice on the County’s and FCPD’s pedestrian safety pages, too.
But we’re going to keep the pressure on, with your help. One crucial upcoming opportunity to stand in solidarity will be World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on Sunday, November 15th. NOVA FfSS will host a morning gathering at Woodson High School, and the annual Ride For Your Life will kick off in DC that afternoon.
Another way to help? Engage in the public input processes highlighted below and in each edition of this newsletter! Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax are all considering safety improvements at intersections and high-crash corridors and we need you in the chorus demanding changes to business-as-usual at each and every opportunity. I’ll leave you to it.
Good news 📰
- Build it and they will come—Fairfax sees record Capital Bikeshare ridership following big summer expansion.
- New trail alert: the new multiuse trail in Random Hills Park opened in early October, connecting the park and nearby neighborhoods to the I-66 Parallel Trail. A great example of how the latter spine route—criticized as a ‘trail to nowhere’ when it opened—is beginning to spur growth of the region’s active transportation network.
- Additional new trail news: Alexandria will host a virtual informational community meeting ahead of construction starting on the expanded N Beauregard Street Multiuse Trail on Thursday, October 22nd.
- Be sure to check out the new protected bike lanes in front of Alexandria City High School. Some neighbors are predictably cranky and already agitating for removal; our best countermeasure is to use the heck out of the lanes and be joyfully visible! Or if you’re a parent/connected to ACHS, a quick email of support to school administrators and City Council.
- In not-good news, check out the final report for VDOT’s myopically car-focused South Van Dorn Street STARS study in Fairfax County. As you might guess, it’s a whole lot of nothing for both bicyclists and pedestrians! Seems the project has stalled out and we hope it stays that way.
- Speaking of projects we hope would just go away: VDOT is back with another proposal for alleviating congestion over the Wilson Bridge…and it’s still express lanes. While the updated plan does (for now) maintain space for future rail, it doesn’t actually contemplate any additional interim or future transit service. So it’s still going to be a no for us dawg. Especially since Virginia faces a substantial and ever-growing roadway maintenance funding deficit.
Detour alert 🚨
- We’ve gotten some feedback about DDOT’s (lack of) communication regarding the closure of the sidepath on the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, and we’ve reached out to staff about putting up more signage and doing more outreach regarding detours. We’ll keep you updated. In the meantime, here’s two additional detour options to consider:
Take action 🎬
Fairfax
- Because proposed improvements to Braddock Road in Fairfax will impact local parks, VDOT has had to jump through a few extra environmental review hoops. While we don’t love the extra car lanes, we do really like the multiuse trail—comment period on the impact report closes TODAY (Monday, October 19th) and a brief email supporting the trail is always welcome.
- Check out Fairfax’s recommendations stemming from its Oakton Congestion and Safety Study and share your feedback by October 30th. FABB has some thoughts, and in general we need to make sure bicyclist and pedestrian safety is a top priority!
- Fairfax is also proposing improvements to sidewalks, bike paths, transit stops, and crossings along the Route 29 corridor—check out staff’s 10/14 presentation and then share your thoughts by November 9th.
Arlington
- Initial comments on the Carlin Springs corridor are due TOMORROW (Tuesday, October 20th)—take a minute to share your experiences. The County is conducting two simultaneous studies of the northern and southern sections; our friends at SusMo have suggested comments.
- Arlington is looking for feedback on preliminary concepts for 14 intersections along Langston Boulevard, by October 25th. Initial reaction is that the changes look too incremental so we need advocates like you to speak in favor of more robust fixes. You can learn more and/or provide feedback in-person at an open house on 10/21 or design studio office hours 10/20, 10/21, or 10/22—details here.
- Arlington’s Vision Zero team is also seeking input on 5 corridors in the County’s High-Injury Network that are slated for safety audits and recommendations in 2027. Share your thoughts on each stretch by November 1st.
Alexandria
- Meanwhile, Alexandria wants your feedback on refined design options for Seminary Road between George Mason and N Beauregard, by November 6th. Learn more about the project at a virtual community meeting on October 22nd.
- Alexandria is also looking for feedback on potential improvements at 7 high-crash intersections in the broader West End area, also by November 6th. These concepts were developed based on community input in 2025, and ALXnow has a decent overview of the proposed changes.
- Learn more about the projects above plus other ongoing initiatives at the West End Transportation Open House on Thursday, October 29th.
Things to do 🚲
- Swing by the annual WABA Awards this Wednesday, October 21st where we’ll be honoring a couple of prominent Virginians. Let us know you’re coming.
- Celebrate spooky season with Alexandria BPAC at their annual spook-tacular Halloween ride through the Del Ray and Rosemont neighborhoods with stops at some of the City’s best-decorated homes on Friday, October 30th. A casual, family-friendly 6-mile loop—costumes highly encouraged!
- Or enjoy a longer (but still costumed!) ride at the 11th Annual Tour de Mount Vernon, benefiting our friends at FABB on Saturday, October 31st. Start/endpoint is the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton—we’ll be tabling so stop by and say hi!
- Other family-friendly bike-y events include:
- Tysons Trek & Treat Challenge: Now through November 1st, explore 5 walkable and bikeable routes to earn points and the chance to win prizes each week. Sign up today!
- NOVA Loop Trail Puzzle Hunt: Now through November 30th, FCDOT invites Fairfax residents to explore the NOVA Loop and solve puzzle challenges for a chance to win weekly and grand prizes. Free and self-guided, details here.
- We’re continuing to fete the Mount Vernon Trail this fall—join the Friends of the MVT, trail users, volunteers, and NPS staff on Thursday, November 5th for a grand ‘trailabration’ in honor of the trail and the community that makes it special. Register here.
- And of course, WABA’s famed Cider Ride takes place Saturday, November 7th. Crisp autumn air, picture-perfect foliage, plus hot cider and donuts? What more could you want from a fall trail ride!
Lastly, a quick shoutout to everyone who stopped by our trailside coffee pop-up on October 6th. I continue to get so much out of my interactions with our amazing bicycling community, so thank you for continuing to show up. Looking forward to plenty more chances to be out and about this fall, too.
Until next time,
Kevin O’Brien
Virginia Organizer