Comment Letter: Supporting & Refining the Braddock Road Multimodal Improvements

On June 16th, WABA sent comments to VDOT supporting proposed improvements to Braddock Road and urging further safety-focused measures at intersections.

You can view this document in PDF form here.

June 16, 2025

Re: Braddock Road Multimodal Improvements

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing on behalf of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) and our over 4,000 members throughout Northern Virginia and the Capital region to express strong support for the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Braddock Road Multimodal Improvements in Fairfax County while also highlighting one key area for refinement.

For more than fifty years, WABA has worked to transform the Capital region by improving conditions for people who bike. Our work to advocate for dedicated bike infrastructure including trails, pass laws that promote safe roadway behavior, and provide education programming for all road-users has resulted in a drastically different cultural and political approach to bicycling. Biking can and should be an equitable, safe, low-cost, time-saving, and sustainable way to navigate our region for all residents and visitors. Thanks to local, state, and federal investments, our region is embracing a more active, multimodal transportation future and serving as a model for communities across the nation.

Key to realizing that future is creating a low-stress and comprehensive bike route network that connects people to all manner of destinations safely and conveniently. Projects like the Braddock Road Multimodal Improvements are doing just that by providing enhanced, low-stress shared-use paths on both sides of a key corridor. Replacing the current disjointed and inconsistent sidewalk/trail with a proper and continuous pathway will unlock new active transportation opportunities for the adjacent neighborhoods and make more accessible the improved transit stops being added as part of the project.

While the new shared-use paths are absolutely a highlight, we do have some concerns about the numerous crossings and intersections. Specifically, we note that the curb radii throughout the corridor appear overly generous for vehicles, thus encouraging faster turns and endangering users of the shared-use paths. As safety is a primary goal of the project, we strongly encourage VDOT to review all driveway and intersection radii to ensure that the road geometry supports appropriate turning speeds. Given that many intersections feature dedicated turn lanes (thus no conflicts with thru-traffic), we can afford to engineer slower turns.

Where operational requirements preclude smaller turning radius, we would encourage VDOT to consider painted curb extensions to visually narrow the turn while still allowing larger vehicles access as has been successfully implemented in Arlington County and elsewhere. Lastly, to further deconflict turning vehicles and bicyclists/pedestrians, we also strongly encourage VDOT to consider additional treatments such as leading pedestrian intervals (LPIs) and right turn restrictions. These are proven measures that help ensure that all travelers along the corridor can safely transit regardless of mode.

To conclude, we believe this is a good project that will make Braddock Road meaningfully safer and more accessible corridor for people traveling on foot and by bike. But VDOT can take this project from good to great with the additional safety-focused refinements at intersections/driveways outlined above. We appreciate the opportunity to comment and look forward to continued partnership as the project progresses.

Sincerely,

Kevin O’Brien, Virginia Organizer

Washington Area Bicyclist Association

More about Active Fairfax Transportation Plan

Active Fairfax launched in 2020 to consolidate the county's various policies and plans guiding the development of trails and bikeways. WABA has worked with Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling and grassroots advocates across the county to ensure that the plan lays the groundwork for a robust bike network across the county.

The resulting draft map and Active Transportation Toolkit lay out a vision for where and what a comprehensive all-ages-and-abilities active transportation network could and should look like. What it does not do is fund or otherwise begin to build out this ambitious network – we’re certain to face a budget battle in the future, but hopefully one we’re well-equipped to win by having the right plan in place.

More about Complete Streets

Complete Streets are streets designed to accommodate all users, and that prioritize historically underinvested modes of transportation like transit, walking, and biking. An incomplete street might lack adequate sidewalks, low-stress bike infrastructure, or safe and comfortable access to transit.

Effective Complete Streets policies change the way a jurisdiction plans and builds transportation infrastructure—sidewalks, low stress bike infrastructure, and transit should be included in any new or rebuilt street by default, rather than as an add-on when there's space or demand.

While most regional jurisdictions have a Complete Streets policy of some sort, they lack teeth and permit transportation departments to continue to build streets that put cars first and squeeze other modes into the margins.

More about Advocacy

WABA fights for a region where biking, walking and transit are the best ways to get around.

We educate policymakers and organize grassroots advocates for to speak up for safer places to bike and walk; and for laws and policies that protect people who are walking and biking, reduce dangerous driving, and facilitate changes to the built environment.