Take Action for a Better Arlington

One of the highest priorities that came out of Arlington's 2018 Bike Plan update was the need for more north-south connectivity, and George Mason Drive was identified as the best corridor for achieving that connectivity.  Out of that plan came the South George Mason Drive Multimodal Transportation Study, and out of that study came a fantastic project for building a trail along George Mason Drive from Arlington Boulevard to Columbia Pike.  This project is Phase 1 - future projects would continue the trail South along George Mason Drive to the County line!

Arlington wants your feedback on the concept plan, and there is organized opposition (because parking, of course), so it's critically important that the County hears your support!  In addition to supporting the project, we have a few substantive comments on making the trail design safer and minimizing conflicts, so check out our suggested feedback below and weigh in now!

The potential for the Arlington Boulevard Trail is immense - the vision is for a trail connecting from DC, across the Roosevelt Bridge, stretching the full width of Arlington, and continuing through Seven Corners to Fairfax City. One of the biggest trail gaps in Arlington right now, is from Glebe Road to George Mason Drive.  This project would build an 11' wide trail along the South side of Arlington Boulevard for almost that entire section (for some reason a short stretch of 8' wide sidewalk is currently planned to be retained, and a portion will be built by the Goodwill redevelopment project), as well as providing a proper connection to the existing trail from the pedestrian bridge to Fillmore Street.

Arlington is updating its plan for parks and other public spaces, and there are some real opportunities to improve the plan for trails! If you've ever wished that more Arlington trails were safely lit, or that more trail connections were being made in the County, this is a perfect opportunity to reach those decision makers.

So speak up today for prioritizing walking, biking and transit access to parks, improving trail connectivity, acquiring land needed to improve trail connections, and adding lighting to more trails!

Arlington is seeking input on their legislative agenda for next year.  In Virginia where state law largely governs the "rules of the road" and localities retain only the powers explicitly granted to them by the Commonwealth, these legislative agendas are important for defeating many barriers to sustainable mobility. 

We think it is important to support bike safety legislation that nearly passed last year (allowing bikes to yield rather than stop at stop signs where there is no conflicting traffic, allowing parents to ride next to their kids, and allowing bikes to follow pedestrian walk signals so they can benefit from leading pedestrian intervals) as well as supporting a move toward the comparative negligence standard rather than Virginia's contributory negligence standard that stacks the deck against vulnerable road users.