How do you like walking around Fairfax City? A new study could redesign the city’s streets to improve the pedestrian experience with a particular emphasis on safety.
The City of Fairfax was awarded a federal grant to develop a citywide safety action plan, a circulation study for Old Town Fairfax, and a citywide pedestrian master plan — all under the umbrella of an initiative called Move Fairfax City.
The projects cost a total of $545,300, with most of that coming from a $400,000 federal Safe Streets for All grant and another $150,000 in local transportation funding.
At a work session on July 1, the Fairfax City Council met with staff to look at what’s ahead for the project, which is getting started several years after most surrounding localities already went through their Vision Zero planning. Some have already notably struggled to meet those goals.
According to a staff presentation, the safety action plan includes:
- Goal is to reduce and eliminate serious injuries and fatalities (“Vision Zero”).
- Plan evaluates roadway safety to improve safety for all modes and all ages and abilities.
- Safe Systems Approach (core component of the SS4A program) emphasizes improved safety through proactive and redundant protections.
- Key outcome: Prioritized recommendations for safety improvement projects
Staff said in the meeting that the study will include not just a review of high-crash areas around Fairfax, but also an examination of factors that led to those crashes and transportation guidance aimed at preventing those circumstances from recurring.
The pedestrian master plan study will produce recommendations for improvements based on analyses of sidewalks and street crossings to find gaps in infrastructure and identify “high stress” roads for pedestrians. The Old Town circulation study, meanwhile, will evaluate street design alternatives that could help manage traffic and support travel outside of motor vehicles.
While staff were vague about what specific steps could come forward as a result of the plan, some council members had ideas of their own that they wanted explored as part of the Move Fairfax City initiative.
“I think this is a unique opportunity to think outside the box on all facets,” said Councilmember Anthony Amos, “and I think it’s going to start from this type of study.”
Amos announced in a July 2 newsletter that the study will now include consideration of a pedestrian plaza pilot program shutting down the intersection of University Drive and Main Street on recurring weekends through the year.
According to Amos, the city previously considered closing the intersection in front of De Clieu Coffee back in 2017, but the idea soon “faded away.” Elected to the city council last November, Amos had advocated for the area to be turned into a walkable plaza consistent with the “pedestrian precinct” envisioned by the city’s Old Town Fairfax small area plan.
Adopted in 2020, the plan calls for the historic downtown area bounded by North, East, South and West streets to be redesigned to be more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly, limiting vehicle traffic on the internal streets to local trips and deliveries.
“Pedestrian-oriented streets can be traffic-calmed public realms with wide sidewalks, street trees, and amenities such as benches and lighting,” the plan says. “These streets within the precinct could be completely closed off to vehicular traffic on weekends or for events.”
As part of the Old Town Fairfax circulation study, Amos asked the city’s Economic Development staff to “concurrently examine the potential costs and needs for implementation” of periodic closures of the University and Main Street intersection.
“I am proud to announce this economic initiative in an effort to diversify our revenue, support our small businesses, and strengthen pedestrian infrastructure in a vital piece of our city,” Amos said.
Councilmember Stacy Hall raised the question of restricting right turns on red lights.
“When we met with the City of Falls Church… they were talking about doing a no-right-turn-on-red,” Hall asked staff. “Will any consideration be thought of when it comes to these types of plans and see if that might be something recommended in certain areas?”
It’s unclear whether localities in Virginia have the authority to institute a blanket ban similar to the one introduced in D.C. earlier this year, but state law does allow signs and other “traffic control devices” to bar right turns on red at specific intersections.
“I’m shocked that people out there who think the pedestrian [with a] a walk signal needs to dodge them when they’re turning,” Councilmember Billy Bates said. “To some extent, people like that who aren’t safety-conscious might not really care what the rule is anyway, but it’s worth additional consideration.”
The first phase of public engagement focused on collecting input on experiences and discussing priorities for the Move Fairfax City studies will kick off this fall. A second phase of meetings on the resulting draft recommendations is scheduled for spring 2026.
