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TextSupervisors Approve Pedestrian Task Force Report
Fairfax County Office of Public
Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
703-324-3187, TTY 711, FAX 703-324-2010
Jan. 23, 2006
Pedestrian Task Force Final Report
Approved by Board of Supervisors
The final report of the Fairfax County Pedestrian Task Force was accepted today by the Board of Supervisors during its meeting. The report is the result of more than a year of work by the task force to fulfill its mission to develop a plan for implementing safe and effective pedestrian facilities and a coordinated and collaborative education/outreach program. The Pedestrian Task Force consisted of residents, appointed commission members and multi-disciplined staff.
“This document will not just sit on a shelf; it will be implemented,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly told the task force members. “Improving pedestrian safety is an essential part of the county’s Four-Year Transportation Plan.” The board has designated close to $11 million in federal, state and county funding under the direction of the Fairfax County Department of Transportation to construct pedestrian improvements.
The report, which was presented by task force member Bruce Wright, chairman of the Fairfax County Non-motorized Transportation Committee, targeted a list of priority safety education and capital improvement recommendations.
The purpose of the education recommendations is to encourage pedestrians and motorists to respect each other and to act in a safe manner. The Pedestrian Task Force recommended expanding and improving upon existing education efforts, in part by utilizing other available public-sector employees to provide continuing and varied pedestrian education. “We want to leverage existing county staff interactions with residents as part of other ongoing county business, such as the schools, public health and additional existing staff-resident contacts,” said Wright.
A 10-year pedestrian capital improvement plan developed by the task force was divided into four major funding categories:
- Major activity centers/transit access/intersection retrofits.
- Neighborhood connectivity/arterial walkways/road diets.
- Bus stops and access.
- Replacement/upgrading/special ADA retrofit/bridges.
In asking the Board of Supervisors to endorse the funding and education recommendations, the task force said its work is intended to foster an improved environment for pedestrians in the future and lay the foundation for realistic future improvement programs to benefit all the residents of Fairfax County. “It is hoped,” the task force concluded, “that in the near future Fairfax County can continue to:
- Reduce the number of pedestrian/vehicle collisions and their associated deaths and injuries.
- Provide residents a safe, accessible and practical alternative to using a car for local trips.
- Allow children living within walking distance of their school to have a safe walking route to school.”
The Fairfax County Pedestrian Task Force Final Report is available at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot/pedestrian/pedforce.htm. For further information, contact Chris Wells or Mimi Murray in the Fairfax County Department of Transportation at 703-324-1100, TTY 711.
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