Fw: Update: Columbia Pike Bicycle Boulevards and the July 19 or 22 County Board Meeting

[Cynthia Palmer]

Hi BAC (and PAC friends),

Please see below.

Some BAC members may wish to speak to the County Board about the proposed 20 mph speed limit for MTP-designated Bike Boulevards (following traffic and engineering investigations).

There will be an opportunity to participate in the July 19 or 22 County Board meeting. The date has not been determined...

At this same County Board meeting (whenever it happens), there will be an opportunity to voice our reactions to the decisions by the Planning Commission and Transportation Commission regarding ATF goals (Arlington's Transportation Future). The Commissions recommended changes to the NEW Master Transportation Plan to the effect that Arlington no longer seeks to move more people with less traffic -- a giant step backwards from a road safety and active transportation perspective. The Planning Commission also removed the phrase, "without having to depend on a car."

Some of us found these changes to be highly disappointing. All are welcome to speak at the County Board meeting in July. 

Anyhow, see below for the update from Arlington County.

Warmly,

Cynthia

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Elwyn Gonzalez <egonz...@arlingtonva.us>

To: Cynthia Palmer <cmp...@yahoo.com>

Sent: Friday, June 20, 2025 at 11:19:04 AM EDT

Subject: Fw: Update: Columbia Pike Bicycle Boulevards

Good morning Cynthia!

Passing along an update on the Columbia Pk bike boulevards projects that Brian is leading. Feel free to share with the BAC community:

 

Hello BAC,

 

On June 14^th the County Board approved the request to advertise a change to the County ordinance that would enable staff to reduce the speed limit, from 25mph to 20 mph, on streets designated as bicycle boulevards by the Master Transportation Plan, following a traffic and engineering investigation. This is one of several tools we are using to address the safety and comfort concerns we heard from the community last fall.

 

The change to the ordinance will be voted on during the regular, July 19^th, or recessed, July 22^nd, board meeting. Please be sure to check the County Board website as the July meeting approaches. I encourage anyone who wishes to speak on the matter to register when the July form becomes available.  

 

What’s Next

County crews will begin to install new stop bars and stop signs at several intersections this month! This will result in minor disruptions around the intersections like temporary travel lane and parking space closures. More information, including the list of locations, is available on the project webpage. I will continue to update the webpage as additional safety reviews are completed.

 

The project team continues to work on the concept designs for the bicycle boulevards and anticipate being able to share those with the community for feedback in the early fall. To stay up to date, please check out the project webpage and consider subscribing to the newsletter in the side bar.

 

Thank you,

 

Brian Shelton

Principal Planner, Active Transportation

Transportation Planning and Capital Projects Management

Arlington County Department of Environmental Services

Email: bshe...@arlingtonva.us

Mobile: (571) 447-3830

 

Please note that any email sent to/from Arlington County email addresses may be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).