When it comes to staying safe behind the wheel, slow your roll and sober up. That’s one takeaway from Arlington’s latest Vision Zero report. But the county program also seeks to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries via system-wide infrastructure improvements.
Arlington saw a total of 2,076 crashes in 2023, six of which were fatal. The number represents an uptick from the prior year when there were 2,052 total crashes, four of them fatal.
“2023 was a was a bad year. We saw a lot of alcohol and a lot of speeding. So that’s what we’ve been really focused on this year, particularly the speeding aspect. We have a little bit more control over that in terms of engineering and enforcement,” says Vision Zero Program Manager Christine Baker. “Alcohol is trickier, because obviously that’s really based on a person’s choice.”
Five of the six fatal crashes in 2023 involved alcohol.
Baker says Vision Zero will be working on targeted messaging, especially around the holidays, and is also raising awareness about the county’s WRAP (Washington Regional Alcohol Program) SoberRide, which offers free Lyft rides to reduce drunk driving.
“2024 has been—knock on wood—a little bit better, but the year is still going,” she cautions. “We’re about to enter fall, which is the worst time of the year for crashes.”
October’s lower temps will bring more walkers and bikers outdoors. School traffic is back, and the sun is beginning to set earlier. It’s a combination that can lead to more collisions, she explains.
Here are the Arlington intersections with the highest number of crashes in 2023—and what Vision Zero is doing in the way of safety improvements at each location:
#1
Richmond Highway & 23rd Street South
Crashes in 2023: 18 (mostly pedestrian crashes and rear-end crashes)
Fixes: Intersection safety assessment in progress to identify potential improvements.
#2
South Hayes Street & Army Navy Drive
Crashes in 2023: 17 (mostly angle/”t-bone” crashes involving turning vehicles)
Fixes: Ongoing Army Navy Complete Streets Project including improvements to the traffic signal.
#3
Langston Boulevard & Spout Run Parkway
Crashes in 2023: 12 (mostly angle crashes involving turning vehicles)
Fixes: Installed a red light safety camera in fall 2024 to address red-light-running crashes.
#4
Arlington Boulevard & Fillmore Street
Crashes in 2023: 12
Fixes: An intersection safety assessment is underway to identify interim signal strategies while awaiting a improvements slated for 2030 following a VDOT targeted study of Route 50.
#5
South Irving Street & Arlington Boulevard
Crashes in 2023: 11 (angle crashes involving turning vehicles and rear-end crashes)
Fixes: VDOT study improvements slated for 2030 include new left turn lanes and raised medians. Additional intersection safety assessments are ongoing.
More Vision Zero Changes Around Town
Vision Zero started in May 2021. Under the program, the county collects and analyzes data on areas that have high concentrations of crashes. It then makes changes designed to improve safety for cars, pedestrians and bicyclists. The program also focuses on equity and systemic imbalances that exist between neighborhoods.
This systematic approach to improving traffic safety was started in Sweden in the 1990s, where it was so successful that the model has since been adopted by communities around the world. Locally, Alexandria, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County are all Vision Zero communities and all collaborate—with Arlington and each other—to make regionwide safety improvements.
In Arlington, program highlights this year include 18 completed “Quick Build” projects—small, quick-fix improvements such as new markings, bollards or flashing lights to address safety concerns as they come up, or to make intersections safer while they await permanent fixes.
One recent Quick Build project was at the intersection of North Park Drive and North George Mason Drive in the Buckingham neighborhood, which saw an uptick in crashes in 2023. Bollards and a new traffic pattern (shown below) aim to make the intersection safer while the area awaits a new traffic light—an upgrade anticipated for late 2024.
Drivers may also have noticed new speed feedback signs along Four Mile Run Drive—an area where Vision Zero audits found numerous speeders.
New curbs and a crosswalk at the intersection North Clarendon Boulevard and North Cleveland Street in Clarendon (below) make this busy pedestrian area safer.
“We physically go out and walk the corridors—or we bike, if there’s a bike lane—and we see, what are people experiencing when they’re on this road? And what can we do to help address that?” says program manager Baker.
The county also recently expanded its PhotoRED program to encourage red light compliance, and launched a PhotoSpeed program that uses cameras to capture information about vehicle volume and improper driving behavior in school zones. Both measures support the Vision Zero program.
This year, drivers can expect to see improvements in Rosslyn. Busy North Lynn Street is getting new protected bike lanes aimed at keeping cyclists closer to the curb and preventing drivers from double-parking in the bike lanes.
Improvements to Army Navy Drive in Pentagon City and along Columbia Pike are ongoing, with upgraded intersections, pedestrian crossings and bus stops in the works.
In National Landing, where Amazon HQ2 office towers, restaurants and shops have upped car and pedestrian traffic, Vision Zero plans new bike lanes, sidewalks and lighting.
Additionally, several ongoing pilot projects are testing different approaches to reach safety goals. Among them: tactical speed humps in school zones (Gunston Middle School, Cardinal Elementary and Hoffman Boston Elementary), hardened centerlines (small, raised bumps at intersections to reduce turn speed), and a temporary bus platform at the intersection of South Glebe and Old Glebe roads.