Watch out, Herndon drivers: December will bring an expansion of the 25-mph speed limit zone on Herndon Parkway.
Starting Monday (Dec. 1), the speed limit will drop from 35 to 25 mph on the parkway between Campbell Way and Summerfield Drive, extending an existing 25-mph section that starts at Van Buren Street.
“The new 25 mph speed limit will closer align vehicle speeds with activity in the commercial and residential corridors of Herndon Parkway at south Elden Street,” said Mike Shindledecker, transportation engineer for the Town of Herndon.
When the new speed limit takes effect, the Herndon Police Department will position officers in the affected area to conduct a month-long enforcement campaign.
“The focus will be to educate and inform drivers of the changes,” HPD spokesperson Lisa Herndon told FFXnow.
Starting Dec. 1, the speed limit on Herndon Parkway between Campbell Dr. and Summerfield Dr. will drop from 35 mph to 25 mph. This change improves safety for pedestrians and motorists and supports future crosswalk access to Chandon Park. pic.twitter.com/RqtvPyOkkA
— HerndonVA (@TownOfHerndon) November 19, 2025
The Herndon Town Council unanimously approved the reduced speed limit at its Sept. 23 meeting after town staff determined slower vehicle speeds are necessary to allow a crosswalk at the Herndon Parkway and Palmer Drive intersection near Chandon Park.
In response to safety and accessibility concerns raised by residents, the town conducted a traffic study this summer of Herndon Parkway at the Palmer Drive and Acadia Road/Cypress Tree Place intersections.
In addition to confirming that pedestrians regularly cross at Palmer Drive, including to visit the park and a nearby trail, despite the lack of an official crossing, the study found that drivers often exceed the speed limit and “appear to accelerate” after exiting the 25-mph section that ends at Campbell Way.
There have been five crashes at that intersection over the past five years. While none of those involved pedestrians, pedestrians were seriously injured in two separate crashes that occurred in 2017.
“Based on systemic factors, this location is anticipated to be at higher risk of pedestrian crashes in the future without improvements,” Shindledecker said in a July 2025 memo detailing the study’s findings.
The study similarly recorded drivers exceeding the 35-mph speed limit at the Acadia/Cypress Tree intersection — an issue that a resident worried will be exacerbated by the mixed-use development currently under construction by Fairfield Residential at 555 Herndon Parkway.
According to the Town of Herndon, that intersection doesn’t seem to draw as much pedestrian activity, with five crashes over the past five years that only resulted in property damage. However, there have been 19 crashes clustered around the nearby driveways out of the Herndon Parkway Center and H-Mart shopping center over the time, including one in December 2023 that injured three pedestrians.
Staff ultimately recommended reducing the speed limit in order to safely and effectively install a crosswalk on Herndon Parkway at Palmer Drive with a pedestrian refuge in the median and a rapid flashing rectangular or pedestrian hybrid beacon that can be activated with a push-button.
Reducing the speed limit from Campbell Way to Summerfield Drive is also expected to “improve conditions” at the Acadia/Cypress Tree intersection by giving drivers “additional time for side street turns to assess and complete maneuvers,” town staff said.
“Considering traffic counts, vehicle speed data, and observations of pedestrian activity and behavior, staff recommended a reduction in speed limit from 35 mph to 25 mph,” Shindledecker said in a statement to FFXnow. “The speed limit change aligns with the Town’s draft goals of the ongoing Roadway Safety Action Plan to eliminate all fatalities and serious injuries on Town roads.”
According to Shindledecker, staff are in the process of designing the Palmer Drive crosswalk and identifying options for funding its construction, which they hope to begin in the next fiscal year that starts July 1, 2026.
“This will provide a safe, designated location for people to access Chandon Park from surrounding areas,” he said.
