The Route 50 Corridor Coalition Explores Traffic Calming 

Location:  Northern Virginia (DC metro area)

Issue: local vs. regional transportation needs

Tools Used: review and comment, workshops, public meeting, conflict resolution, grassroots capacity building

Result: Rural Route 50 Traffic Calming Plan

Process:

Route 50, also known as the John Mosby Highway, is a significant historic transportation corridor for Northern Virginia. Native Americans first created the path, and the trail became a more clearly defined road as travelers on horseback, in stage coaches, and in wagons journeyed from the river ports of Alexandria and Georgetown to Winchester in the valley for trade. The small agricultural settlements along the road provided lodging and provisions for travelers and commerce centers for local farmers. The road later served as an important travelway during the Civil War and was the site of significant battles and skirmishes. In 1922, it was taken over by the Commonwealth of Virginia and became U.S. Route 50, linking Washington, D.C. with St. Louis, Missouri, and the West.

 The towns and villages along Rural Route 50 are self-sustaining communities where people live and work and where agriculture is still the leading industry. The villages and farms survive because Route 50 passes through the towns as it always has, economically keeping the center alive, while protecting the surrounding farmland.

In 1994, plans for widening Route 50 and for constructing bypasses around the towns generated such apprehension that concerned citizens decided to organize into what became the Route 50 Corridor Coalition. The early members of the Coalition realized that conventional transportation solutions would invite suburbanization and destroy the character of the area. The Coalition set forth as its primary objectives to engage the concerned citizens in the area in a process of gathering information, to explore the broadest range of options possible, and to involve the public in the decision making process.

The Route 50 Corridor Coalition began by identifying the array of transportation-related issues that were important to citizens and business owners. They learned that while the volume of traffic moving through the towns was a consideration, it was the speed of the traffic that concerned most people. Many mentioned the aggressive behavior of the drivers and their lack of consideration for pedestrians.

The Route 50 expansion plan was in conflict with the County's Comprehensive Plan and would not promote the desired vision or consider the future needs of the community. In fact, many people questioned whether the Route 50 improvements were actually necessary because the area already had two major east-west corridors, Route 7 and Interstate 66, both of which had been recently expanded. More importantly, the plans were based on traffic projections that overstated actual vehicle trips per day in 1995.

The Citizens Look for An Alternative

Convinced it could find a more acceptable alternative than the widening and bypassing plan, the Coalition contracted with Ian M. Lockwood, an international traffic calming expert. Mr. Lockwood assisted with a public meeting and three workshops, where citizens identified the area’s most important features and defined their vision for the future of the Rural Route 50 Corridor: a scenic, unique, rural community in an historical, agricultural, quiet, and natural setting. The next step was to develop a traffic calming plan for the Corridor.

Rural Route 50 Traffic Calming Plan Principles

1. Travelers will be informed that they are arriving and leaving distinctive areas through the use of entrance features.  

2. The feeling of the road between the towns will be different from the rest of Route 50, and the feeling of the main streets will be different from that of the road, so that motorists are further encouraged to “drive differently” as they approach the various areas.  

3. The maximum posted speed limits between the villages will be 50 MPH and within the villages, 25 MPH.

4. Traffic calming measures will be used in the villages, not to impede traffic, but to help self-enforce the desired speeds and to accommodate pedestrians, cyclists, and other non-motorized users. 

 

Traffic calming had been identified as a third option for dealing with conflicts between pedestrian movement and auto traffic -- the first two being (1) street widening, or (2) bypassing the towns completely. Traffic calming would balance traffic and community functions by changing the design and the role of the street. To achieve a plan, the Coalition coordinated seven planning workshops, each covering a different section of the Corridor, where the public gathered to share their experiences, brainstorm ideas, and reach consensus on the future of the Corridor. The Coalition then hosted an open house at Middleburg Elementary School, where participants and the public could view and comment on the plan for the entire system.

In addition to the Route 50 Corridor Coalition and the large number of citizens who participated in its development, almost 3,000 others signed petitions supporting the traffic calming plan when it was submitted for consideration as an alternative to the bypass option. The traffic calming concept was ultimately endorsed by local police, fire and rescue squads, the Middleburg Town Council, the Loudoun and Fauquier Boards of Supervisors, Senator John Warner, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Scenic America, the Surface Transportation Policy Project and Taxpayers for Common Sense.

Contact::
Susan Van Wagoner
Route 50 Corridor Coalition