FCDOT outlines options for Gallows Road
Community members had lots of questions and concerns about a proposed overhaul of Gallows Road at a well-attended meeting on Nov. 21 at Woodburn Elementary School.
Fairfax County Department of Transportation officials explained the options under consideration for improving safety and traffic flow along the corridor.
The entire project – between Annandale and Tysons – would take more than 20 years to implement, said transportation planner Tim Kutz.
Three alternatives
Three options are being considered for the segment between the beltway and Columbia Pike, which also encompasses Annandale Road between Hummer Road and Little River Turnpike:
(1) A vehicle-focused option includes intersection improvements and the widening of some sidewalks where space is available.
(2) A transit-focused alternative, which proposes a BRT (bus rapid transit) line, would result in increased ridership. There would be some pedestrian improvements but no dedicated facility for cyclists.
(3) Under the active transportation alternative, there would be a “road diet” with narrower traffic lanes to accommodate wider sidewalks with buffers to encourage more pedestrians and a dedicated cycle track. There would be two traffic lanes in either direction and a turn lane in the middle.
Kutz said a road diet would make Gallows safer because it would reduce pedestrians’ exposure to traffic at intersections. Narrower lanes would also encourage drivers to slow down.
Several people at the meeting said they opposed option 3 because it would encourage people to drive on side streets to avoid traffic on Gallows Road.
Some residents, however, expressed concerns about more side-swipe crashes. Others said bike lanes aren’t needed because few people bicycle along Gallows Road.
Safety concerns
Several people urged FCDOT to make urgently needed pedestrian safety improvements now – such as a traffic light by Woodburn Elementary School and Aston Street and signs indicating drivers’ speeds – rather than wait until the study is completed.
Kutz said all the options call for a signal at Aston Street. That intersection has a flashing light, but drivers don’t always stop.
When the project implementation timeline is developed, it could include short-term improvements, he said.
FCDOT will host a virtual Q&A session on Dec. 5 at 12 p.m. Join the meeting on Microsoft Teams here.
A survey will be posted online soon on the project website. It will be open until Dec. 28.
Once the agency develops a preferred concept, it will seek more feedback in March or April, then submit a proposed Comprehensive Plan amendment to the Planning Commission, Kutz said. After the plan amendment is approved, FCDOT will apply for funding.
Improvements are needed, Kutz said, because Gallows Road “is not a very comfortable place to walk.” There are very narrow sidewalks, gaps with no sidewalks, and sidewalks very close to traffic. And if nothing is done, the number of crashes is expected to increase.
FCDOT measured how stressful Gallows Road is for pedestrians and bicyclists. For pedestrians, that analysis considers the width of the sidewalk, the speed limit, and whether there is a buffer between the sidewalk and road.
Comfort for cyclists depends on whether they are riding with mixed traffic, whether there is a bike lane separated from the road, and the speed limit.
“It’s not surprising that the whole southern segment of Gallows Road is very stressful,” Kutz said.
Pros and cons
Each of the three options has tradeoffs.
Option 3 would be significantly more comfortable for bicyclists and pedestrians, but it would lead to more traffic delays.
Option 1, the vehicle-focused alternative, won’t substantially improve safety for pedestrians or cyclists, who will have to continue to ride in mixed traffic, Kutz said.
Option 2 would be the most effective in improving traffic safety, as more people would be expected to take transit as an alternative to driving. However, there would be more congestion because of reduced vehicle capacity.
That plan envisions BRT stops at Inova, the Holmes Run Recreation Association/Brightview, and Little River Turnpike. The Gallows Road BRT would connect to the proposed Route 7 BRT in Tysons.
Option 2 would include pedestrian refuges at Aston Street and Hemlock Drive but no dedicated bike lanes.
Studies show safety solutions with the biggest impact are red light cameras, protected left turns, and high-visibility crosswalks, Kutz said.
The middle segment of the Gallows Road study proposes six options for a walkway over the beltway between Gallows and I-66.
29 responses to “FCDOT outlines options for Gallows Road”
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When you have to go to Kaiser either in Falls Church or Tysons nobody will use mass transit. I don’t care how many buses they run I am not taking one to go t9 either l9cation from Annandale. They need lights for pedestrian crossings and slower, uniform traffic speeds on the roads. Make some dedicated turn lanes.
Enough with the bike lanes!! Nobody uses them, especially when it’s 40 degrees outside during the day. And 2 lanes on Gallows, what a great way to help
prevent the ambulances getting to the hospital by creating way more traffic. This will also cause people to take other back and side roads to avoid traffic.
I use them. More people would use them if they had some. People avoid biking on gallows because there are no bike lanes.
In my case, no way. Gallows Road makes up about 50% of my commute. Even if the bike lanes were safer, why in the whole wide world would I want to take three times as long to get there, arrive at my job (which has no shower facility) sweaty and dirty, spend the whole day at an already-active job, and top it off with another trek AT LEAST that long, barring errands such as shopping?
This isn’t Mayberry, and it never will be. The farms are long gone, and the place for most people to ride their bikes are on the trails. Get yourself a fuel-efficient vehicle, use mass transportation, or ride-share. If you need a workout, do it on your own time, or skip it entirely–it’s not my problem. By all means, absolutely put in features like flashing lights at crosswalks to make pedestrians safer, but don’t tell me that making already-crowded roads even more so is going to benefit anyone. It just isn’t.
It quite literally can if we give the BRT its own lanes, the amount of people it will hold could easily offset way more people that the vehicle lanes took. It’s the same in several places across the country which have BRT with their own lanes, it will cut down on congestion and widening is boondoggle of a waste of funding the only way you decrease congestion is to allow for multi modal options.
I fear that the BoS has already decided in their minds that Option 3 is the one that they will choose because they seem to hope that we all will ride bikes everywhere. Of course, that ignores the fact that almost no one rides bikes in our area (compared to the vehicular traffic). I am all for safer pedestrian improvements. The main problem as I see it is that the BoS on the one hand is trying to put more people in every area, and on the other hand is trying to make traffic worse for the existing drivers. Of course, they see no problems with conflicting goals.
Amen !
In all the years I have lived here, I have never seen a bike in Gallows Rd. Pedestrians are few and far between. The BOS should be considering solutions that meet the needs of the community and how they use the roads. Not what the BOS hopes people will do. This area is not a place that is walkable.
You see few bikes on Gallows because the road is terribly dangerous. I’m a biker and have traversed that roadway with the jitters to connect to the western county trailways; unfortunately Gallows is the only way to connect with those routes from Mason. I think the County should widen the existing sidewalk to about 10′ and I would use it for biking. But the horrible homeowners have overgrowth and their trash bins blocking the ridiculously narrow sidewalk that is there and is basically unusable for bikes and dangerous for pedestrians. Widening the sidewalk would be more expensive and I am certain that the County would prefer striping a bike lane in rather than adding more concrete. Either way you would see more bikers if it wasn’t so treacherous.
Seriously. Where will you walk, 7-11? A garage sale? A park full of homeless people? What, exactly, are people supposed to walk to and from on that section of Gallows road? Are they supposed to walk all the way to Tyson’s in 2045 when we have flying cars?
Only in America would we ridicule the idea of walking because of the appearance of no utility.
Look around. Look at obesity rates. There doesn’t need to be an associated economic activity for walking to be valuable. Where will you walk. Anywhere. Down the sidewalk because it’s there.
The bike lanes are ridiculously narrow. One false move from a New cyclist, and he will be right in the middle of traffic. Learn from Europe!🎈
The BoS is still trying to implement “the latest thing” from a few years ago. This road diet trash is old news. How’s that covid memorial aging?
Option 4: don’t do anything. I vote option 4.
Every day on Gallows I see dozens of pedestrians struggle with deteriorated sidewalks not to mention segments wholly without sidewalks. I also see 1-3 cyclists on Gallows every day. As e-bikes become cheaper and more common, you will surely see more of them too.
More Bike Lanes! Everyone stating no one bikes on gallows is missing the most basic point. No one bikes because it’s ridiculously dangerous. If there bike lanes, people would use them. I would use them. Gallows is so dangerous for bikers I avoid it. Complain if you want but we need them. That said, I hate the idea of reducing Gallows to one lane. That’s crazy. It already backs up so bad during rush hour that reducing the number of lanes is a non-starter.
We don’t need bike lanes – we need wider roads and sidewalks…NO ONE – uses the bike lanes already in place in Mason or Alexandria – stop drinking the progressive cool-aid –
Mark, please make up your mind.
Gallows Road is a mess and would almost certainly benefit from a road diet.
During non-peak times cars drive way too fast. By Inova, I can find myself keeping pace with traffic and hitting 55 at times. This is a 35mph road.
During peak times the traffic is largely gated by access to 495, 50, 29 and left turn stack ups. Having 4 lanes vs 2 doesn’t really add capacity.
Making lefts onto or off Gallows in the largely residential southern segment is dangerous any time, and in the dark requires nerves of steel and faith in god.
The left-turn lane afforded by the active transport designs would be a huge improvement and eliminate stack up behind those waiting to turn left.
Buss rapid transit might make sense in 50 years when the entirety of gallows is medium density condos and less car oriented. But for now the left turn lane and cycle access would be an enhancement at least to the residential portions of Gallows.
I would love it if my favorite Fairfax County Supervisor would make it at least a weekly habit to cycle to and from to his workplace, simply to demonstrate that not only is it possible, but it is common for people to use bicycles during their daily commutes.
Yes, Supervisor Andres Jimenez. He has already done so much to improve the quality of life of the people of Mason District; it would be terrific if he also became a regular fixture on his bike using Mason Districts small but growing miles of dedicated bicycle lanes.
I’m referring to real genuine cycling by Jimenez, not deceitful photo ops that are counter productive because of their hypocrisy.
I bike year round and I use Gallows Rd almost everyday. It’s not safe and not fun but it’s the only way to get where I’m going. I’m for anything that makes it safer for cyclists and there would be more cyclists if it was safer.
I ride a unicycle to work dressed as a clown year-round. Currently there is not a drawbridge connecting Gallows Rd. to D.C.
There would be more people unicycling to work dressed as clowns if there was a dedicated clown unicycle drawbridge that connected Gallows Road to D.C.
I would definitely bike more with my family and kids on Gallows to Mosaic for example if it was safer!!! So saying no to bike lanes on Gallows because there is barely any bikers now, is not fair to say,.since the reason for this is that it is just not safe at the moment.
I am hoping for more safe bike lanes on Gallows and everywhere else, so we get moving – biking and not just driving.
Consider the sidewalk installed on Sleepy Hollow Road to ‘connect ‘ 7 Corners with Columbia Pike. Perhaps a few users in the immediate vicinity of their homes but as a ‘connector’ or even as a walkway to the school on SHR…what a waste.
BTW anyone know how many YEARS has construction been ongoing for the fire station at the top of SH road? and what about the two other DPEW porjects on SH?
I do not blame Fairfax or the BoS. This is a U.S. problem regarding ALL infrastructure projects. Endless Federal, state, local gov. involvment and reviews. To say nothing of ‘public participation’ in same.
Yes, total waste. No one ever uses it except a couple local walkers (including me).
It’s not very relaxing to take a walk when vehicles are screaming by at 50 mph, missing you by a couple feet. The same would be true of Gallows. This county needs to conserve $$ for the fundamentals and stop the virtue signalling vanity projects.
There is a world of difference between adding dedicated segregated bike lanes as long as 2 vehicular lanes remain and removing vehicular lanes that are currently used intensively. Gallows and Annandale Roads are the major means of access to commercial enclaves in the area. Making it difficult to get around by automobile will create a long list of problems: cut-through traffic on unsafe unimproved local roads, increased pollution from congestion, avoidance of area businesses at Route 50, Merrifield, and Tysons that are no longer conveniently accessible, and greater beltway back-ups that negatively impact the region.
The available roadway in the Southern Segment is limited. Priority must be given to facilitating travel by automobile– the transportation mode used by the vast majority of residents, now and in the future. Reducing lanes and restricting traffic flow because a relatively few would “prefer” more choices is not an intelligent approach to transportation planning. The alternative modes must substantially reduce the presense of automobiles to justify reducing vehicular traffic flow. Is an individual using the bike track giving up using a car? Or is the bike lane going to be used when the weather is nice, or on weekends, or only one or 2 trips a week or month? A BRT route on the Southern Segment would have to generate thousands of additional daily riders to justify confining vehicular traffic to one lane and that simply will not happen. Annandale is not a high density population or business center that will generate sufficient demand for BRT on the Southern Segment or exclusive use bicycle lanes. The majority will be made to suffer with no countervailing public benefit from a meaningful reduction in vehicle use.
Annandale is an older suburban neighborhood built around automobiles. The built environment is car oriented. Trying to overlay a different, supposedly modern, planning concept on Gallows Road without completely overhauling all the connecting transportation infrastructure is not going to provide significant benefits that justify the cosys. Taking away vehicle lanes to promote bikes and walking makes little sense when there are no sidewalks in the surrounding streets. “Walkability” now is on roads that will become unsafe to use because of increased cut-through traffic. An exclusive BRT lane that shares the roadway introduces all sorts of impediments to vehicular traffic flow. For example, all traffic must halt for a left turn. Pedestrians crossing the street must cross the bike lane, creating a different kind of safety hazard. European cities are seeing numerous injuries to pedestrians because bikers routinely ignore traffic signals and refuse to yield to pedestrians or cars.
$700,000 was allocated for this study project. Predictably some people would prefer more options. But giving means taking away. What is required is a vigorous cost/benefit analysis and a demand study. How many people living along the Southern Segment would actually use transit with a BRT lane if their total elapsed trip time was 45 minutes greater than using a car and cost $10? How many weekly trips would they take by car and by transit? How many daily trips would a person make by bicycle? How many in winter or on rainy days? How many people would give up owning a car and rely solely on transit or bike?
Instead of re-designing roads at huge expense to conform to some academic theory, many proven -effective, low cost safety improvements could be implemented today. Residents need to oppose the grandious public works projects that drive up property taxes and comment in support of a minimalist approach: a traffic signal at Woodburn School, flashing speed warning signs, pedestrian activated crossing beacons, high visibility crosswalk markings,and speeding enforcement.
The survery URL that was posted December 6 is:
https://publicinput.com/s25366
Susan – you should run for Supervisor against Jimenez. You would probably win.
PREACH, sister!!
cars would divert to side streets to avoid congestion because of a bike lane-? But they can’t move the bike line to those very same side streets? Or better yet plan the bike paths better so they actually connect and lead to something rather than dead ending in a fairfax city swamp or deadly (literally) deadly intersection. Vienna added their bike along Rt 66. Do the same for the beltway. Looking at you TransUrban