On Thursday, May 5th of 2016, a person commuting on a bike was struck by a car while trying to cross Duke Street at West Taylor Run Parkway in Alexandria, Virginia. The condition of the victim remains very serious at the time of this writing.

What caused this near-fatality? The police are still investigating, but bad road design must share the blame. The crash site on Duke has more in common with a highway than with a street by a residential area.

Duke Street between West Taylor Run Parkway (left) and the Telegraph Road Interchange (right).

Duke has multiple lanes, high speed merges, an absence of bike facilities and infrequent crosswalks. It is extraordinarily dangerous for anyone not enshrouded in a ton of steel. Yet it separates a residential area to the north from a city-owned soccer field to the south. It is remarkable that a child has not been struck here, so far.

The current lane configuration on Duke Street at West Taylor Run Parkway. This is what kids from the neighborhood have to cross to reach a soccer field.

The width of Duke Street at West Taylor Run Parkway is seven lanes, including turn lanes. That does not include the two-lane service road running parallel to Duke. Just to the east is a grade-separated interchange that feeds traffic onto a limited access section of Telegraph Road. That, in turn, leads to a section of the Capital Beltway that was widened during the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project.

Telegraph Road (center) in Alexandria functions as a limited access connector between Duke Street (top) and the Capital Beltway/I-95/I-495 (bottom). For much of the early part of this century the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) worked on widening Telegraph as part of the rebuilding of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Potomac River a couple of miles to the east. No changes were made to Duke Street.

The crosswalk at West Taylor Run Parkway is the only one on Duke Street for a ¾ mile stretch. To the north lie residences; to the south is a soccer field and various commercial land uses. A push-to-walk button, popularly known as a “beg button,” is in place at this crosswalk.

This reconstruction of Duke Street would give more priority to those walking or biking by reducing the number of vehicle lanes to be crossed.

What might this section of Duke Street look like if it were made safer for those walking or on bikes? By default, those in cars would lose priority, but this would benefit surrounding neighborhoods tremendously. Cut-through traffic accessing the Beltway during the afternoon rush hour puts a serious strain on the neighborhoods to the north. If such traffic is thwarted, residents benefit in terms of both safety and property values, as nobody likes living next to a jammed, polluting road.

An aerial view of a reimagined Duke Street at West Taylor Run Parkway. Note how Duke Street is essentially converted from a highway to an urban boulevard.

This plan is entirely my own and I do not claim perfection, but it is a starting point for coming up with a desperately-needed fix. Note that one lane westbound is removed. This will require traffic exiting northbound Telegraph Road onto Duke Street via the loop ramp (see picture above) to come to a complete halt, rather than simply race into their own lane. That’s a good thing, as a crosswalk with frequently-damaged flashing beacons is located at the end of the ramp. Drivers have a hard time adjusting from 45 MPH down to a full stop when they aren’t expecting it. Requiring a full stop at all times makes matters more predictable.

There are supposed to be two flashing beacons at this crosswalk along westbound Duke at the ramp exiting northbound Telegraph. It keeps getting obliterated by motorists who, when surprised by unexpected stopping of vehicles in front of them, veer off the road. Anything in their way is hit, whether a sign or a person waiting to cross.

A fully-separated, bi-directional separated bikeway is located on the north side of Duke. Currently, there is no real provision for people on bikes, other than a few meaningless sharrows. A separated bikeway also extends across Duke at East Taylor Run Parkway. It heads towards a tunnel under the nearby railyard, though that tunnel’s access must also be re-engineered as it features a stair.

Note that the service road on the north side of Duke is severely truncated. Its purpose is to provide access to adjacent businesses. With Duke Street calmer, a complete parallel route would no longer be necessary. This also eliminates complex, and unworkable, intersections such as that where the service road currently meets West Taylor Run Parkway.

Note how the vertices of the intersections of ramps with Duke Street are tightened. This requires either a full stop or a dramatic slowing by motorists. Motorist behavior would become much more consistent, leading to fewer flashing beacons being smashed.

My plan bans most left turns onto Duke from streets southbound out of the neighborhood to the north. The one that remains would not be able to access southbound Telegraph directly. While this means that residents would have to go a bit further in order to access legal U-turn points, their neighborhood would see cut-through traffic eliminated via this added delay. This is an effective practice well-vetted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

At the crash site, itself, the right turn lane from westbound Duke to northbound West Taylor Run is eliminated. With the service road truncated, it is no longer required. As stated previously, one westbound through-lane on Duke is gone. That makes the crosswalk on Duke shorter. Additionally, the beginning of the ramp from eastbound Duke to southbound Telegraph Road begins further to the east. This discourages drivers entering the ramp from accelerating to high speed, as they have a tighter turn to negotiate as they head onto Telegraph.

Although I left it in, the far-right lane on Duke accessing this ramp could be eliminated and further calm eastbound Duke traffic. Its role is purely for stacking capacity. That can no longer take precedence over the safety of vulnerable street users, now that the city has adopted Vision Zero and Complete Streets.

In light of this crash, will the city take quick action to make Duke Street safe via a plan such as mine? On paper, the answer should be yes, due to policy positions staked out by Alexandria’s City Council. The new Pedestrian/Bicycle chapter of the city’s Transportation Master Plan embraces Vision Zero. The city council adopted a Complete Streets resolution in 2011. These positions led to Alexandria being named a Silver level bike-friendly city by the League of American Bicyclists.

But work will not soon begin on fixing the street around the crash site. At least one councilmember is on record stating that she wants to slow down the process of building bike facilities on Duke while discussions continue on proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) for Duke Street, otherwise known as the Corridor B Transitway.

Note how people who bike are relegated to an off-Duke facility that is to be “examined.”

Corridor B will run in mixed traffic for much of its length. That mixed flow generally comes to a halt just west of the crash’s location, so the “R” in “BRT” is questionable. Mixed flow BRT projects are subject to the same congestion delays as normal bus services. That eliminates much of the benefit such systems use to attract ridership. However, where Duke is at least six lanes wide, the BRT will get dedicated right of way. That includes Duke Street between the Telegraph Road interchange and West Taylor Run Parkway. But don’t go planning any trips on it, as no timeline for construction, or even funding, exists.

The question boils down to this: should major changes to make Duke Street safe for all users be put off for years in anticipation of a mixed-flow BRT scheme. Or should the city go ahead and implement its Vision Zero and Complete Streets policies as soon as possible by reconstructing dangerous portions of Duke Street, such as the crash site, even if it means foregoing BRT?

Mayors and members of Council have received requests to reactivate or replace this broken red light camera and expand coverage to both sides of Duke Street. No actions or even studies have been forthcoming.

The Alexandria city government is already well aware of the risk posed by motorist behavior at this intersection. Red light cameras were installed here over 10 years ago, but they are not functioning. Even if they were reactivated, the high-speed road design is still a risk to the public.

The need to do something is critical. As with all fixes designed to make streets safer, the question is whether there is sufficient political will push aside an obstructing priority. If the obstructing priority is an unfunded BRT plan that indefinitely delays the protection human life, so be it.

In 1932, the southern section of the George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) opened to traffic. Conceived as a means to ease tourist access to George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon, it morphed throughout the latter part of the 20^th century into a motorist commuter route for far-flung suburbanites heading to the District of Columbia. Both the road and the adjacent Mount Vernon Trail are maintained by the National Park Service (NPS), whose mission is to “preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources” of the United States. You will not find anywhere in its mission statement that it is to provide fast, convenient commuter routes for the suburbs of Washington, DC.

This is the George Washington Memorial Parkway today: four high-speed lanes, no traffic lights, controlled access, and a narrow multiuser trail parallel to the roadway. All of this is next to the Potomac River.

Average daily traffic (ADT) volumes on the GWMP within the last few years have been approximately 16,000 vehicles, a number that isn’t huge but certainly lessens the road’s original scenic purpose. Birdsong is impossible to hear with the din of SUVs in the background.

Note how close the four lanes of traffic are to the trail on the right. Also, note that no crosswalks are present at this busy intersection. Nor are there any signals to stop traffic for people crossing on foot or by bike.

That ADT number is also well within the 20,000 ADT set as the maximum for the practical implementation of a road diet as decreed by the US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). That FHWA maximum is, itself, arbitrarily low based on real-world observations. For example, no significant increase in regional congestion was caused by the 2015 closure of two lanes on the far more heavily used Memorial Bridge just to the north.

Parallel to the four-lane GWMP is the Mount Vernon Trail, a winding, narrow multiuser trail. In recent years, this trail has become a major commuter route for people who bike to and from DC. Upwards of 2000 bikes per day hit the trail, despite the trail’s narrowness.

People who walk and bike must share this trail, as signs along the road prohibit bicycles from the road. Interestingly, the federal code governing the road’s usage doesn’t reference bicycles explicitly. Nor does the code prohibit changes to the amount of space on the roadway given over to motorists.

Bikes are not allowed on the lightly-traveled parkway. Instead, they are forced onto the adjacent Mount Vernon Trail.

Recently, the National Park Service released its National Capital Region Draft Paved Trail Study for comment. The study is an update of the 1990 plan written in an era when bicycling in the US was less of an everyday transportation mode and more of a recreational activity. The plan tends to view the trails in isolation. There’s no mention of what mode will get priority when there is conflict, such as when people on bikes or on foot must cross the road for access to trails. It also does not address the feasibility of road diets that would balance out mode space on routes like the southern section of the GWMP.

Does it make sense that cars on the southern section (below Alexandria) of the GWMP are given four lanes of space while bikes and pedestrians are crammed onto the narrow, winding MVT? Both are major commuter routes, but whereas the MVT is overcrowded at 2000 ADT, the GWMP is half-empty at 16,000 ADT. In essence, the trail is under-built, while the road is over-built.

If the draft paved trail plan truly acknowledged the modern and future needs of this particular route, discussion of a road diet on the GWMP would be on the table. The road could easily be shrunk to one vehicle lane in each direction with adjacent buffered bike lanes. The MVT could be given over entirely to people who walk, eliminating potentially hazardous bike-pedestrian conflicts.

A road diet on the GWMP would leave two lanes for motorists, buffered bike lanes on the remaining space, and leave the Mount Vernon Trail exclusively for use by those on foot.

This is not without precedent. In 2001 the state of New York closed two out of four lanes on the Robert Moses Parkway in the Niagara Falls region. As with the GWMP, this highway was controlled access with an eye towards enhancing tourist traffic while providing access to scenic beauty. Instead, it proved to be such a failure in all regards that local advocates didn’t stop with a road diet. They pushed through a plan to remove it entirely for at least a two mile stretch. If the state of New York can pull this off, despite actually having a mandate to provide speedy transportation options, why can’t the National Park Service?

The Robert Moses Parkway in the Niagara River region was very similar to the George Washington Parkway, until a road diet was implemented. Now a two-mile portion will be removed to allow better river access.

NPS has an opportunity to shift its focus in the National Capital region away from an old-school, road-centric mindset to a more sustainable approach that also recognizes the changing commuter habits of younger generations. If you agree, send the National Park Service your comments via their comment page. You have until May 19^th to do so. After that, you may have to wait another quarter-century to get your input to them.

RELEASE: IMMEDIATE

CONTACT: Tamara Rollison 804-786-2715, Tamara.Rollison@vdot.virginia.gov

CO-93310

March 21, 2016

YOUR INPUT IS NEEDED ON VIRGINIA TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS THAT ARE SCORED AND RECOMMENDED FOR FUNDING

RICHMOND – The public is invited to share comments on transportation projects that have been scored and recommended for funding through Virginia’s new data-driven, prioritization process. This process was used to score nearly 300 transportation projects proposed by localities and regional planning bodies across the state. The scoring is a key part of a new law, referred to as House Bill 2, to invest limited tax dollars in the right transportation projects.

The Commonwealth Transportation Board will consider public comments as it develops the Six-Year Improvement Program (FY 2017-2022). The program allocates public funds to highway, road, bridge, rail, bicycle, pedestrian and public transportation projects. The CTB will select the final list of scored projects to be included in the six-year program following public meetings listed below. [continue reading…]

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today published new safety performance measures as part of its national safety program, calling for state and regional targets to help reduce highway deaths and injuries, including for the first time, those among people walking and bicycling. The new regulations call for improved data on roadway features and a consistent definition of serious injuries.

“The Department has been working hard with communities around the country to reduce the growing number of pedestrian and bicyclist injuries and fatalities,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Having a uniform national performance measure will help us all work together to save lives.”

The addition of bicycle-pedestrian performance measures is an acknowledgement that non-motorized safety is of particular concern and improving conditions and safety for bicycling and walking will help create an integrated, intermodal transportation system that provides travelers with real choices.

The safety performance measures come as part of new rules to implement the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) performance management requirements for safety and update the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP). Major provisions involve requirements for all states to evaluate and report more effectively on surface transportation safety across the country.

“Together, the rules will enhance a data-driven approach to making safety decisions, improve collaboration across a wide range of safety partners, and provide transparency for the American public,” said Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau. “Most importantly, the rules will help save lives as states set and report on safety targets.”

The regulations will require reporting on the number and rate of all traffic fatalities and serious injuries, as well as a combined non-motorized pedestrian and bicycle injury and fatality measure. States and regional targets and progress on all five measures will be available through a public reporting system and will be aggregated at the national level. State departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations will be required to use the information in their investment programming and will be accountable to achieving annual their targets. The final rule also simplifies the method of determining target achievement.

These rules implement not only the MAP-21 requirements, but also modifications called for by the more recent Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. With the recent increase in roadway deaths, the new approach to FHWA safety programs is timely. It also marks an important change in the management of the Federal-Aid highway program to become performance-driven.

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Read More

Finally, a Little Accountability for State DOTs on Bike and Pedestrian Safety (Streetsblog USA)