Saturday, April 11, 2015
Support needed to save Kingstowne bike lanes
The proposed Kingstowne Village Parkway road diet
and on-road bike lanes are in jeopardy unless we act now. Your help
is needed to show strong public support for the proposed bicycle improvements
before the public comment period closes on April 15, 2015.
Fairfax County Department of Transportation(FCDOT) and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) are proposing a
road diet on Kingstowne Village Parkway that would reduce the current four
travel lanes to two with one center turn lane and would provide on-road bike
facilities in both directions. The addition of bike lanes on Kingstowne Village
Parkway would help build out the County’s bike network as recommended in
Fairfax County’s Bicycle Master Plan and would provide needed connection to existing
bike lanes on Beulah Street.
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| Road Diet - Graphic by FCDOT |
At the second public meeting held April 8, there
was significant opposition for the proposed road diet. Opponents
voiced concerns that focused mostly on traffic volume and the effect a new
nearby development would have on local traffic. VDOT’s traffic study,
however, indicates Kingstowne Village Parkway has significant extra capacity
and is well below the 20,000 vehicles per day threshold for determining road
diet candidates.
Road diets and on-street bike lanes make streets
safer for all users - bicyclists, pedestrians, and drivers alike. In 2010,
FCDOT and VDOT completed a road diet on Lawyers Road in Fairfax County, a very
similar roadway to Kingstowne Village Parkway. A before and after
study by VDOT found that while average travel times remained generally the
same, there was a 67% reduction in motor vehicle crashes, and it reduced the
number of people driving more than 15 mph over the speed limit.
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| FCDOT Views - Graphic by FCDOT |
Road diets provide traffic calming and the
addition of bike lanes offer people who bicycle a safe place on the road,
and an alternative to side paths that are often shared with pedestrians.
Let’s not allow a few vocal opponents to undermine efforts to make
Kingstowne Village Parkway safer and more accessible for all users.
Please email Fairfax County Supervisor Jeff
McKay (leedist@fairfaxcounty.gov),
and copy Adam Lind of FCDOT (adam.lind@fairfaxcounty.gov),
to let them know you support the road diet and bicycle lanes for
Kingstowne Village Parkway. Time is short so please provide your feedback
before the public comment period closes on April 15.
Labels: bicycle master plan, kingstowne village parkway, road diet
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