Time for Walkability on Washington Boulevard
Level of Effort: 10 minutes, at home in your PJs
Deadline: Sun 11/12 11:59pm

Washington Boulevard has seen a lot of change over the last few years.  Several automotive-focused & car dependent buildings have redeveloped into mixed-use and multifamily residential buildings, altering the character of this stretch of street.  Arlington is exploring potential tactical improvements as part of the repaving process and we think it's past time for the design of this street to better match its changing character.  Let Arlington know how Washington Boulevard works, or doesn't work, for you!  Potential improvements that can come with repaving could include: buffered or protected bike lanes, shortened crossing distances for people walking, providing better sight lines and more controlled vehicle movements through curb bump-outs & pedestrian islands, and right-sizing motor vehicle lanes.

Consider the following, either as a long-form response in the provided textbox at the end of the first section of the feedback form or as individual pins on the map in the following portion of the form.

  • Crossing Washington Blvd on a bike at Lincoln Street is very challenging due to the offset intersection.  This is an important north-south Greenway / Bike Boulevard that allows easy & low-stress biking from Cherrydale to Columbia Heights via Monroe / Lincoln / Irving Streets. Crossing Washington Blvd is the weak point of this Bike Boulevard.
  • Crossing Washington Blvd at Founder's Way is confusing & scary because there are cars coming from driveways on both sides of the crosswalk and it's not clear which ones might be turning across the crosswalk.
  • Cars often swerve from lane to lane to avoid left-turning vehicles
  • Rapid Flashing Beacon at Nelson street is inaccessible to people on bikes heading northbound, trying to cross Washington Blvd.
  • Lack of bike facilities leads to sidewalk riding creating bike/ped conflict.
  • Some sidewalks are still very close to fast-moving traffic with no buffer.
  • Some sidewalk sections are blocked by utility poles and do not meet ADA requirements!
  • Consider a Road Diet to buffer sidewalks from fast-moving traffic

Feel free to vote up our map pins, or add your own - we'll swing through every few days and boost other pins with good ideas!