Fairfax County will soon start testing speed limits of 20 mph on select streets, more than two years after local governments in Virginia gained that authority.
Starting this fall, speed limits will be lowered from 25 to 20 mph on 10 roads in the Dranesville, Mason and Providence districts, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) announced yesterday.
“Pilot roads were identified by FCDOT in coordination with the Board of Supervisors (BOS) district offices by considering several factors, including pedestrian activity, presence of sidewalks, marked crosswalks and transit stops [and] the presence of schools and other community uses,” FCDOT said. “… FCDOT also sought resident feedback when selecting roads for the study.”
The roads included in the pilot study will be:
Dranesville District:
- Douglass Drive from Georgetown Pike to Baron Road
- Baron Road from Randolph Road to Ingleside Avenue (small segment)
- Ingleside Ave from Baron Road to Dolley Madison Boulevard (Route 123)
Mason District:
- Patrick Henry Drive from Leesburg Pike to Beachway Drive
- Peace Valley Lane on the west side of Justice High School
- Beachway Drive from Patrick Henry Drive to Nevius Street
- Nevius Street from Leesburg Pike to Beachway Drive
- Blair Road (segment), from Beachway Drive to Glen Carlyn Drive
Providence District:
- Flagpole Lane from White Granite Drive to Borge Street
- Bushman Drive from Borge Street to Blake Lane
The finalized list mostly aligns with one that FCDOT presented last December for community feedback. However, two streets proposed in the Hunter Mill District — segments of Glade Drive and Pinecrest Road in Reston — didn’t move forward.
According to FCDOT spokesperson Jennifer DeAngelis, Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn’s office opted not to have those Reston roads included in the pilot based on the public input provided late last year.
“The survey results did not show sufficient community support for reducing the speed limit to 20 on those roads, so the Hunter Mill BOS office decided not to proceed,” DeAngelis told FFXnow. “However, Hunter Mill may select different pilot roads to take to the community when we do the next round of roads for the Pilot Study.”
In addition, officials took into account the Fairfax County Vulnerability Index, which measures socioeconomic disparities based on income, education, housing, transportation and health care access, and other factors.
FCDOT didn’t specify a start date for the pilot study, but the new speed limits will be in effect as soon as signs are installed, which could be as soon as next week, DeAngelis says.
The Virginia General Assembly granted localities the authority to reduce speed limits on roads in business and residential districts with an existing cap of 25 mph in May 2024.
In June, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors gave county staff an official go-ahead to implement a pilot program that’s expected to eventually include streets from all nine magisterial districts.
“After the first three pilot zones are installed, FCDOT staff will work with the remaining Board offices to implement pilot study zones in additional districts,” the department said, noting that the pilot’s goal is to measure the impact of lower speed limits on the safety of local roads.
