Gallows Road called the most dangerous for pedestrians
A report released Sept. 10 by Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets says Mason District had more “near misses,” where pedestrians and bicyclists were almost struck by vehicles, than any other Fairfax County magisterial district.
There were 27 near misses reported in Mason District between Jan. 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026.
The worst spot for near misses in Fairfax County is the crosswalk at Gallows Road by Woodburn Elementary School in Mason. There were nine incident reports at that location. “This indicates an extremely high risk to children,” NoVa Families for Safe Streets says.
“Near Miss Report Overview Across Fairfax, Arlington, & Alexandria” is based on reports from residents on locations where people have experienced a near miss or are considered dangerous for pedestrians or cyclists. The incidents are displayed on a “near miss dangerous locations dashboard.”
To report a near miss, text 88 to 844-421-3078.
Related story: Four fatal pedestrian crashes in a 48-hour period
Since the near-miss report was released, there have been several crashes in Fairfax County affecting pedestrians. Theresa Flynn, 53, was crossing Route 50 in Chantilly in a mobility wheelchair on Sept. 18 when she was fatally struck by a vehicle. On Sept. 17, a 12-year-old bicyclist suffered minor injuries after he was hit by a 16-year-old driver near Burke.
During the study period, 129 near-miss reports were submitted across Fairfax County:
- 94 of them were marked as recurring incidents.
- The top reported driver behaviors were failure to yield (64%), speeding (36%), and distracted driving (20%).
- Children were present in 54% of the incidents.
- The majority of reports involved roadways with speed limits of 25 mph or 35 mph, which shows that “lower speed limits alone don’t stop risky driving.”
- Most of the environmental or infrastructure factors cited were poor visibility and missing crosswalks or sidewalks.
Driver behavior in near-miss incidents in Mason District was most often due to failure to yield (78%), followed by speeding (48%), and failure to obey a traffic signal or sign (33%).
Excessive speeding was found to be significantly higher across Gallows Road, especially near Woodburn, than on other roads in the area, according to data from an insurance-based mobile app that tracks driver behavior.
In June, a 68-year-old man was fatally struck by a driver outside of a crosswalk on Gallows Road at Strawberry Lane in Merrifield.
The report includes several quotes: One person was on the crosswalk on the way to Woodburn Elementary with their son when “two lanes had stopped, but the far lane was coming at a high rate of speed towards the crosswalk. They had to come to a very quick stop, or they would have hit my son and I.”
The report recommends adding active enforcement, speed safety cameras, stop sign cameras, or crosswalk flashing signs at the Woodburn crosswalk.
Related story: Design approved for Route 7 sidewalk
Another hazardous road in Mason District cited in the report is Leesburg Pike.
There were 43 crashes – including 23 with severe injuries or fatalities – on Leesburg Pike between January 2021 and July 2024, NoVA Families for Safe Streets reports.
A pedestrian was killed on Leesburg Pike at Munson Hill Road after being struck by a vehicle in June. Three pedestrians were injured in a crash on Leesburg Pike by Crossroads Center Way in July.
The report calls for improving safety on Leesburg Pike by restricting or eliminating right-on-red turns at crosswalks.
Related story: Supervisors approve Comp Plan amendment for new housing on Gallows Road
number one!! let’s go!!
The Gallows Rd crossing at Woodbury Elementary should have a stop light. Kid are crossing every school day. Very dangerous even for an adult
The western part of Fairfax County gets all the money they’ll ever need for their roadways while the eastern part of the county gets nothing. We suffer from having an out-of-date infrastructure that was built for a different era. No sidewalks, no left turn lanes, no traffic circles, nothing. It’s obvious that our Mason District County Supervisor does nothing for those of us living in his district. As was true for Penny Gross.
I just drove through there today. If you are coming from the beltway heading towards Annandale, the lights are partially blocked by tree limbs on the right. On the left, the sign is blocked partially by two telephone poles. Drivers can’t easily see the lights until they are right upon them. So part of the problem appears to be VDOT. But these side lights don’t seem to work well anyway. The BoS has never wanted to put a traffic light there, but they should at least put an overhead pedestrian light there. The side lights (as they are set up) don’t seem to work well. They are going to have to put in a light eventually with the new development going in there with over 30 houses. Please put in a light now and don’t do some drastic and stupid solution that won’t work.
I agree. It drives me nuts that the pedestrian light is YELLOW. This is not the place for caution – it’s not optional.
It’s a four-lane road. If a truck or van is stopped for a pedestrian, a driver approaching in a clear lane can’t see what’s going on.
Gallows Rd is a failure of planning and zoning. Too many cars, no alternate routes, no space for biking, no shoulder, and let’s have a talk about the condition of the sidewalks. If you’ve tried to walk or bike from inside to outside the beltway on Gallows you’ve had to change sides of the street, dodge cars, garbage cans, trees, and trash. It’s a suburban street that is used like a city street and sometimes high speed highway. Clock the average driver speed and I’ll bet it’s over 45 MPH. Let’s keep studying the problem and doing nothing while people — kids and adults — are harmed. And oh yes, let’s add more bike stations around town because that’s a good idea when there’s no infrastructure…not.
The crosswalk at Woodburn Elementary needs a true stoplight. I remember a previous principal who had children bused from across the street after a student was struck and killed. The memorial tree has unfortunately been removed to create more parking.
If only we had a Mason district Supervisor who ran on public safety to help make these changes and improvements. He’s too busy driving his Porsche 104 mph to meetings to help constituents.
Options for increasing the roadway to add bike lanes and wide sidewalks are not feasible. Fairfax County has spent a lot of time and money studying how to change the roadway when the obvious low cost solution is synchronized traffic lights at the streets at Woodburn School. Flashing warning lights during school hours placed at the points where the sightline is obstructed could also be a low cost immediately available improvement. VDOT and the county need to be more concerned with safety and less devoted to “active transportation” priorizing everything except vehicles used by the vast majority of residents.