The Fairfax County Police Department has assigned an officer to guide the enforcement of traffic laws and safety in its McLean District.
Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman shared in his Dranesville Dispatch newsletter yesterday that Police Officer First Class Brian Hungarter has been named the lead traffic enforcement officer for the station, which covers a 44-square-mile area from McLean, Great Falls and Tysons down to Merrifield and Pimmit Hills.
Hungarter has a 16-year career in law enforcement, half of it with the FCPD, according to Bierman.
“The FCPD shared that Officer Hungarter will focus on enforcing traffic laws to enhance pedestrian safety, managing traffic flow during peak hours, and responding swiftly to incidents,” Bierman said, adding that he looks forward to working with Hungarter “to help Dranesville residents with this persistent issue.”
Community members in the McLean Police District can contact Hungarter with any traffic concerns by emailing FCPDMcLeanSET@fairfaxcounty.gov.
The FCPD revived a countywide “Road Shark” campaign earlier this year that aims to crack down on aggressive and unsafe driving by increasing officer visibility and patrols. The initiative has resulted in more than 20,000 citations and warnings over its first three waves, police reported, with a fourth wave scheduled to begin on Aug. 5.
While there haven’t been any fatal crashes in the McLean district so far this year, a teen was charged with manslaughter in March for a crash on Shreve Road in Idylwood that killed one person and seriously injured four others on Nov. 20.
The county also recently kicked off a study to identify potential projects that could reduce vehicle speeds, calm traffic and improve the pedestrian and bicyclist experience on roads in downtown McLean.
Traffic congestion has also been an issue in the McLean area, particularly with construction on I-495 and the George Washington Memorial Parkway pushing drivers into local and neighborhood streets.
“Since before I took office in January, residents have been coming to me with various traffic-related concerns,” Bierman said in his newsletter. “Whether it’s too much speeding in one neighborhood or motorists ‘blocking the box’ at another intersection causing backups, I know and understand that we need some help on the roads.”
At Bierman’s request, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors directed staff in January to further develop a sticker program that would enable residents to bypass restrictions designed to prevent cut-through traffic. In February, staff proposed three areas where the program could be introduced, including on Thomas Avenue in Great Falls, though a board vote isn’t expected until this fall.
In his January board matter, Bierman reported hearing from Dranesville District constituents who have endured traffic for over 40 minutes just to get home from within their own neighborhoods or who have missed appointments because they were stuck in traffic.
“The cut-through restriction program can help ameliorate these problems, but also limits how local residents are permitted to move through their own neighborhoods,” he said. “A Residential Cut-Through Sticker Program providing exemptions would thus help ensure that cut-through restrictions do not themselves create additional problems for local residents.”
