In a letter to Richard Best, Arlington County Department of Public Works, Arlington Heights Traffic Committee (AHTC) pinpointed 11 locations with traffic problems identified in our 1999 Traffic Survey and asked the County's help to institute traffic calming measures.
October 12, 1999
Richard Best
Public Works Planner
Department of Public Works
2100 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 717
Arlington, VA 22201
Dear Mr. Best,
Thank you so much for meeting with the Arlington Heights Traffic Committee (AHTC) on September 28. The meeting was productive, informative, and encouraging.
As you suggested, we have listed our primary
traffic concerns within Arlington Heights, including specific
streets and the observed problem(s) associated with each
street. We have used the Arlington Heights Neighborhood
Traffic Survey conducted earlier this year, as well as recent
problems brought to our attention by our civic association
president, as a basis for this letter.
1. STREET: 2nd Street, between Glebe and Fillmore
PROBLEMS:
- Safety: Thomas Jefferson Middle School located on 2nd St
- Cut-through (primarily to avoid Glebe and Columbia Pike intersection)
- Speeding
- High volume of traffic, noise
- Rush-hour back-up (several blocks) at intersection with Fillmore
PROBLEMS:
- Safety: Patrick Henry Elementary located at 7th and Highland
- Cut-through: Highland is a main north-south artery through the neighborhood. With only one stop sign between 2nd and Columbia Pike, the wide, straight street is a speedy neighborhood thoroughfare in both directions.
- High volume of traffic, noise
- Speeding
PROBLEMS:
- Safety: Patrick Henry Elementary located at 7th and Highland
- Cut-through (primarily to avoid Glebe and Columbia Pike intersection)
- High volume of traffic, noise
- Speeding
- Heavy truck traffic (18-wheelers not uncommon)
4. STREETS: Fenwick, Garfield, Highland, Hudson, between
Route 50 and 2nd
PROBLEMS:
- Safety: Pets killed on Highland
- Cut-through and speeding in both directions
PROBLEMS:
- Cut-through
- Speeding
PROBLEMS:
- Safety: Patrick Henry Elementary located nearby
- Speeding
PROBLEM:
- Cut-through and speeding in both directions to avoid light at 2nd and Fillmore (despite posted rush-hour turn restrictions)
PROBLEM:
- Lack of left turn from southbound Glebe to eastbound Columbia Pike creates speeding cut-through traffic through much of Arlington Heights. This is causing serious safety issues with schools located on 2nd (TJ Middle) and at 7th & Highland (Patrick Henry Elementary), popular streets used to avoid the intersection.
- We know left turns at this intersection are planned for June, 2000, but ask the County to consider measures to encourage use of the new left turns and discourage the already well-established cut-through routes.
PROBLEM:
- Motorists traveling eastbound on Route 50 exit at Fenwick and take the service road to Fillmore to avoid the light at Route 50 and Fillmore.
PROBLEM:
- These busy intersections make it difficult for pedestrians, particularly students at TJ Middle School, to cross these streets.
PROBLEM:
- Heading northbound on Glebe, the sign for eastbound Rte 50 is located just BEFORE 1st Rd, causing some motorists to mistake 1st Rd for the entrance to Rt 50.
We realize this is a long list. However, it reflects the direct observations and experiences of the residents of Arlington Heights and shows that traffic-calming in our neighborhood is sorely needed.
We understand that the next step in the process is traffic data collection by the County. You have asked us to suggest particular times of the day when we feel data collection would be most useful. It appears that cut-through traffic peaks during the morning and evening rush hours (6:30am - 9:30am and 4:00pm - 6:00pm) when county-wide traffic volume is higher than normal.
Speeding occurs during all hours of the day, but the highest speeds seem to be more prevalent during off hours (middle of the day, post-evening rush-hours through dawn) when traffic volume is lighter than normal.
There are serious safety issues associated with the two schools in our neighborhood. The AHTC is committed to teaming with the schools in finding solutions that are best for all concerned.
We look forward to continued work with you and, eventually, the NCAC, in developing appropriate, effective, and much needed traffic-calming measures in Arlington Heights. If you have any questions, please don¹t hesitate to contact me at (202) 357-2653 or (703) 486-2439.
/s/
Bryan Sieling, Chair
Arlington Heights Traffic Committee
- Cintia Johnson, Principal, Patrick Henry Elementary School
- Sharon Monde, Principal, Thomas Jefferson Middle School
- Jay Wind, President, Arlington Heights Civic Association