Summer time, the perfect time for a walk whether it is leisure, fitness or running an errand. As I enjoy the walks in and around my neighborhood, I marvel at the number of places I can walk to: the village center where I find the grocery store, cleaners, restaurants and other stores. The post office, bank or town center are also not too far away. I am not unique in that many residents in Herndon, Reston, Vienna and other places in Fairfax County can abandon their cars and have similar opportunities. The good news is that many communities were designed to connect people and places while providing a pleasure filled experience at the same time.  Before I get too far into dreamland, all is not perfect for pedestrians, cyclists or for the disabled and seniors when we think of how we are connected in and around our communities.

The Feb. 16 front page of the Washington Post featured the headline “Imperiled Pedestrians.” The oldest form of transit, walking, has become hazardous to personal health and safety. At that time, 48 pedestrians had died in Fairfax County traffic accidents. Today the number has increased to 54. According to police records from 2002 to 2005, a total of 1,206 accidents within the county have involved injured pedestrians with 93 in the Reston police patrol area, 211 in the Mclean police patrol area, 111 in the Fair Oaks patrol area and 68 in the Sully police patrol area. All four stations cover a portion of Hunter Mill District.
In 2002, in an effort to create a safe and more livable place, Fairfax County established a comprehensive Pedestrian Program with staffing to manage pedestrian safety and design issues. Signs, crosswalks and other facilities received greater attention to help connect people to commercial, retail, residential and recreational areas. Fairfax County joined the metropolitan region in a Bus Stop and Safety Study in 2004 that revealed for transit users the worse and best locations of accessible transit stops. The study noted the absence of bus shelters or pads, sidewalks and streetlights, all essential to safe, efficient and enjoyable transit service. Hunter Mill District has seen some improvements thanks to funding from developer contributions. Sidewalks, bus shelters, pads, and benches in and around Sunset Hills Road and Sunrise Valley Drive reflect some of the improvements from this funding source. Thanks to you, the taxpayers, additional improvements can be seen on North Shore and South Lakes Drives in Reston; Clarks Crossing Trail and Chain Bridge Road in Vienna.

But for each of these improvements there are many other areas in need that are without funding. The results of the NoVi Trail feasibility study should be available to the community in fall of 2006. NoVi Trail is a project initiated by citizens desiring to connect the Beulah Road area to some of the best amenities in Hunter Mill District and Fairfax County: Meadowlark Gardens, Lahey Lost Valley Park, Clarks Crossing Park and the W&OD Trail. If feasible and if funding is identified for construction, cyclists and pedestrians will enjoy over 7,000 linear feet of walkway along Beulah Road, improving the quality of life to that area.
There are many efforts to improve access and safety for pedestrians. A Pedestrian Task Force established in 2005 released its report in January 2006 prioritizing funding needs for pedestrian projects over the next 10 years. Funding for the project lists was deferred in the FY2007 Budget with directions that funding for district sidewalk and trail projects would be funded in the 2006 Bond Referendum. Funding, if approved, will help meet these needed priorities. In addition, the FY2007 Adopted Budget funds a bicycle coordinator position and Virginia Department of Transportation has a new policy for on-road bike lanes.

The Fairfax County Trail Plan denotes planned locations for trails and the Public Facilities Manual defines the requirement for sidewalks in all residential and commercial development. Improvement is made when we implement these planned facilities with each new development and fund the gaps left from decades-old developed areas.  The secret to more livable communities is about how we design and build them. Thanks to the design of many communities in Hunter Mill District, many facilities connecting people to the things they enjoy and need were put in place at the time of development, eliminating the need to use taxpayer funding to retrofit.

As we complete plans for the Dulles MetroRail Project, we have the opportunity to compliment and improve on what we have done to contribute to livable communities. Transit Oriented Development around the Tysons Corner and the Dulles Corridor station areas can be vibrant areas connecting people and places. These developments must be inclusive and accessible for all.
Do you want to help make your neighborhood more livable? Contact the Hunter Mill District office through the feedback form at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/huntermill/ with locations that need sidewalk or trail improvements.

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