pedestrian

Countywide

Kiss-and-ride congestion a growing safety concern at Fairfax County schools, report finds

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Cars line up in a parking lot around a grassy circular island with a yellow curb, under a blue sky with clouds and power lines above.
Vehicle traffic at Oakton High School during dismissal (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The “kiss and ride” pick-up and drop-off sections at many Fairfax County Public Schools are overextended to the point of becoming the school system’s “most significant operational concern districtwide,” a new staff report found.

The results of a Safe Routes to Schools assessment conducted over the past year and a half were presented to the Fairfax County School Board yesterday (Sept. 8) as part of a discussion of pedestrian and traffic safety around schools, just one week after a student was hit by a car while walking to South Lakes High School in Reston.

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Pedestrian improvements, Metro wayfinding signs unveiled in Tysons

By Angela Woolsey
Modern glass office towers in a business district with a tall wayfinding sign in the foreground (tysons).
New wayfinding sign at the McLean Metro station near Capital One Center (courtesy Tysons Community Alliance)

Pedestrians in Tysons still have to contend with heavy traffic on routes 123 and 7, but a few changes recently implemented by the Tysons Community Alliance (TCA) will hopefully make parts of the urban center easier to navigate.

Last week, the community improvement organization announced that it has completed a redesign of the Westwood Center Drive and Cornerside Blvd intersection near the Tysons West shopping center, adding a crosswalk, sidewalk, painted road median and other improvements.

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Pedestrian improvements added near Silverbrook Elementary in time for new school year

By Angela Woolsey
Raised median with yellow bollards and crosswalk guiding pedestrians across a road.
The new pedestrian refuge island on Silverbrook Road at the Crosspointe Drive intersection (courtesy FCDOT)

Pedestrians can breathe a little easier after some new protections were installed at a key South County intersection earlier this month.

Work wrapped up on Aug. 4 on a pedestrian refuge island, additional crosswalks and curb ramp upgrades around Silverbrook Road and Crosspointe Drive, according to the Fairfax County Department of Transportation.

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JUST IN: Child on bicycle struck in Reston hit-and-run

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Fairfax County police car close-up (file photo)

A 10-year-old boy riding a bicycle near Reston Parkway and Baron Cameron Avenue in Reston was hit by a driver who fled the scene this morning (Aug. 7), according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

The crash occurred around 8:49 a.m., police told FFXnow. The child was subsequently taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

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Fairfax County expands I-66 trail access, as work continues on gaps

By Acacia James
Gravel path leading to a crosswalk with a person walking in the distance, surrounded by green trees and a portable toilet on the right.
Construction is underway on a connection to the 66 Parallel Trail near Random Hills Road (courtesy of the Fairfax County Department of Transportation)

Fairfax County has installed new wayfinding signs on the 66 Parallel Trail to make it easier for cyclists and pedestrians to navigate, but county officials say more improvement is coming on key gaps to improve overall trail connectivity.

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation recently installed directional signs at locations throughout Centreville, Fair Lakes, Fair Oaks and Oakton.

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New pedestrian walkway segment on Sunrise Valley Drive could open this month

By Angela Woolsey
A construction barrier blocks newly paved sidewalk in front of the Exxon gas station on Sunrise Valley Drive in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County is finally making progress on filling in sidewalk gaps along Sunrise Valley Drive in Reston, though the project has created some temporary obstacles for pedestrians.

Construction on the Sunrise Valley Drive Walkway began on April 30 and is now on track to finish by the end of next week (July 13-19) for one segment near Soapstone Drive, according to the Fairfax County Department of Transportation.

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Safety initiative would add stop signs at Fairfax County W&OD Trail crossings

By Angela Woolsey
A cyclist crosses Cedar Lane on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail in Dunn Loring (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

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.

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Range of factors driving Richmond Highway pedestrian safety ‘crisis,’ analysis finds

By Angela Woolsey
Richmond Highway in Mount Vernon (Staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

More than 60 pedestrians and cyclists have been killed or seriously injured in crashes on Richmond Highway over the past decade — and conditions appear to be worsening instead of improving, a new analysis says.

Skimpy lighting and crossings, along with alcohol intoxication, appear to be driving factors behind the frequent serious crashes that occur in the approximately 14-mile corridor from the Alexandria border down to the Occoquan River south of Lorton, according to Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets (NoVA FSS).

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Key Reston Midline buildings in limbo, slowing improvements to area’s walkability

By Angela Woolsey
Reston Station Blvd passing the office building at 1861 Wiehle Avenue in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Once expected to be demolished in 2025, the vacant office buildings at 1831 and 1861 Wiehle Avenue in Reston are still standing almost half a year later, with not even a construction fence to signal their future demise.

Plans to redevelop the two parcels with a senior living facility and apartment buildings, including one anchored by The Fresh Market, have ground to a halt after developer Comstock Companies reportedly relinquished control of the properties.

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Lane removal, pedestrian refuges proposed to make Herndon High School road safer

By Angela Woolsey
Bennett Street outside Herndon High School (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Town of Herndon is considering a number of changes to Bennett Street intended to make walking and cycling around the local high school safer.

Mike Shindledecker, the town’s transportation engineer, unveiled a preferred concept at a community meeting in the Herndon High School cafeteria on Wednesday (May 13) that would narrow the four-lane road to one travel lane in each direction.

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