Arlington Bikes And Walks
Let’s make our voices heard
Urge our elected representatives on the Arlington County Boardto reject drastic budget cuts that would gut local programsdesigned to make biking and walking safer and more convenient.
County Board Members:
Calendar – Watch for updates here
Chat up a warm and fuzzy, elected County Board MemberCheck out Open Door Mondays. They’re informal conversations with our elected County Board representatives and neighbors, held at community centers around town. A great opportunity to share what’s on your mind — and ask them to tell you what’s on theirs. Board Members want our input.
Points to consider : These bike/ped capital improvementscould be cut by the Arlington County Board. Do they affect you?Testimony delivered by Dennis Jaffe at Arlington County Board’s March 24th Public Budget HearingArlington’s strategic investment in a strong bike/ped program has provided people with convenient and safe options so they could choose to not drive.
These efforts reduce:
– Pollution
– Traffic congestion
– Costly wear and tear on our roads
Our county has received national awards for innovative planning, making it easier & safer to bike & walk.We’ve earned a national reputation as a very desirable place to live and run a business. Enacting the cuts would serve to dismantle the program. And force many off our car-free diet.Approving these cuts would result in Arlington turning away state and federal grants! The County Manager confirmed, “These [current] improvements are eligible under several grant programs, allowing the County to use a modest amount of funding to leverage external funding for these neighborhood safety activities.” That’s fiscally imprudent. “If the Decal funding is no longer used for Transportation Capital, these projects and associated grants will have to be cancelled, or other matching funds would have to be identified.
If cuts are approved, “13 residential arterial safety projects would be delayed or cancelled, touching every part of Arlington County,” the County Manager stated, but they haven’t been identified.
The cuts fundamentally contradict the the Arlington Master Transportation Plan’s Pedestrian Section.More talking points soon getting posted here in this space.More BackgroundArlington pedestrian advisory committee chair Dennis Jaffe faulted County Manager Barbara Donnellan for developing the cuts in a vacuum, without learning how drastically the cuts would damage the program. No input was sought from anyone on Arlington’s transportation staff with substantial knowledge of the bike/ped program. That’s like a sports team owner cutting a team member without seeking input from the manager and head coaches. Crazy, right?Got questions about any of this? Email us today.