Local and state transportation planners hope to provide some additional protection to users of the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail with a new safety initiative.
If approved by the Virginia Department of Transportation, the initiative will add high-visibility stop signs at nine trail intersections in Fairfax County, according to NOVA Parks, which owns the 45-mile-long regional park and is supporting the proposal.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation confirmed that it has partnered with NOVA Parks on a plan to install signage reminding drivers to stop for cyclists and pedestrians at the trail crossings, as required by law.
“We anticipate [the] signs will read ‘stop for pedestrians and bicyclists in the crosswalk’ popular trails and help reduce near misses and crashes where the trail crosses streets,” FCDOT spokesperson Jennifer DeAngelis said.
The crossings currently being considered for stop signs are:
- Buckthorne Lane, Michael Faraday Drive, Sunrise Valley Drive and Sunset Hills Road in Reston
- Hunter Mill Road in the Wolf Trap area near Reston
- Cedar Lane and Sandburg Street in Dunn Loring
- Shreve Road and Virginia Lane in Idylwood
Outside of the W&OD Trail, FCDOT is also looking at the possibility of adding signs for the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail where it crosses Outlet Road in Lorton, DeAngelis says.
“The trail crossings are highly utilized by Fairfax County residents and visitors,” she told FFXnow when asked how the locations were chosen.
Because the signs still need to be approved by VDOT, there’s no firm timeline yet on when they will be installed, but DeAngelis says FCDOT is “excited to partner with NOVA Parks” on the effort to make the W&OD Trail safer for users.
“FCDOT will be working with VDOT to get the necessary approvals and looks forward to getting these signs up and out in the wild,” she said.
The forthcoming initiative was brought up at the NOVA Parks Board of Directors’ March 19 meeting as part of a broader discussion of the W&OD Trail’s safety, according to the official meeting minutes.
That presentation also led the board to approve expanded hours for the western end of the trail in Herndon and Loudoun County last month.
Separate from FCDOT’s initiative, the Town of Herndon announced in March that it would install its first Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon at a W&OD Trail crossing on Crestview Drive near Old Heights Road. When activated, the beacon flashes lights reminding drivers to stop and wait for pedestrians, cyclists and other travelers to cross.
