Permits proposed for areas that restrict cut-through traffic
Fairfax County is considering adding a permit component to the “residential cut-through traffic mitigation program.”
At its Jan. 14 meeting, the Board of Supervisors agreed to hold a public hearing on the permit proposal. The hearing is scheduled for Feb. 18 at 4 p.m.
The measure would add a section to the county code to establish a permit program for residents who live in neighborhoods where cut-through traffic is prohibited during certain times of the day. The permits, or stickers, would allow residents to make turns in and out of those areas when such turns are otherwise prohibited.
The cut-through traffic mitigation program currently applies to three neighborhoods, including two in Mason District: the Sleepy Hollow Road/Carolyn Drive/Nicholson Street community and the Columbia Pike/Downing Street/Oxford Street community. The third is in Great Falls.
Drivers on Sleepy Hollow Road, for example, are prohibited from making turns onto Carolyn Drive and Nicholson Street during specified times. Drivers on Columbia Pike are similarly prohibited from turning onto Downing Street or Oxford Street.
The county proposes an annual fee of $24 for a permit. Non-residents and residents who decline to purchase a permit would be required to enter the neighborhood using an alternate, unrestricted entrance which might be less convenient.
Permits would only be available for residents of addresses in the designated permit zone. There would be no limit on the number of permits available per address. However, all residents’ vehicles for which a permit is sought must be registered at the permit address.
The ordinance calls for the Fairfax County Police Department to enforce the permit requirement.
The three affected neighborhoods have different community characteristics, which means the proposed ordinance would affect the program’s impact on equity.
The Sleepy Hollow cut-through area is in a census tract with low vulnerability, a description of the permit proposal states. The Columbia Pike/Downing Street/Oxford Street community is in a high-vulnerability census tract.
The permit program “could enhance equity by allowing communities who may otherwise suffer from cut-through traffic to remove that traffic without being penalized by the restriction itself,” the county states. “However, this could create issues in adjacent communities if that cut-through traffic shifts to other roadways.”
Another equity consideration would be the cost of permits. Residents who can’t afford the permit fee would have less access to their neighborhood than those who purchase a permit.
Because the permit program would be new and because it would have both benefits and drawbacks, staff has not determined a definitive positive or negative equity impact.
15 responses to “Permits proposed for areas that restrict cut-through traffic”
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Why should you have to pay $24 to turn into your own community. The permits should be free.
So more money to the county for a program that I guarantee will be enforced for 2 months then … good luck. It seems like if anything the permit should be free and fines for violators pay the administrative costs. That would at least encourage enforcement
I live in the sleepy hollow neighborhood, and the cut through restrictions are pointless. Nobody follows them currently, and there’s no problem with traffic in the neighborhood. Adding a fee to allow people to enter their own neighborhood is unconscionable, especially since there are no other practical entry points. This is a solution in search of a problem. Please just get rid of the cut through restrictions, or give residents permits for free if you must keep them in place.
I would like to find out about restricting a cut-through on my street which connects off of sleepy hollow.
We all pay for the roads, why are some of them favored over others? I know the residents would prefer to live in a gated community – but in that case THEY would pay for the privilege. I’ve lived here for 60 years, and seen the rise of speed bumps and restrictions – for no reason other than the convenience of those few residents on that stretch of road. I used to live on Sleepy Hollow Road, and even lost a cat on it – so I moved.
The Town of Vienna has many side streets with restricted hours in the morning, lunch time, and evening. This law goes way back. Those who voted it in are long gone. Many houses have been torn down since then , and businesses are in place. Try to get through to Vienna in rush hour! It also restricts roads getting to the Navy Credit Union.
So the rich rule the roads. So service workers would know need a permit? FFC and Arlington have made the major roads impossibly difficult to transverse. With calming bumps (oxymoron) , skinny lanes, bicycle lanes (which very few use) it’s impossible to across the counties. There are NO major roads north to south or east to west. What we have a converted cow paths. And to use the cops to enforce exclusivity is a waste of resources.
Is this change just another money maker for the county? What justifies a street being included in the cut-thru mitigation program? If there are no police now on those streets to catch non-residents on those streets during the restricted hours, how is a permit going to do it, unless the residents are outside during the restricted hours taking pictures of cars. Who came up with this idea? Can anyone answers any of these questions? Thank you
The idea that they are suggesting having residents pay to access their own neighborhood when there is no precedent for the county to charge for its issued permits (it does not charge for RPD permits) is insane.
Also, the police rarely enforce the turn restrictions anyways… I mean, they do OCCASIONALLY, but its super rare.
A lot of dumb in this proposal.
Funny, I live off Sleepy Hollow and there is zero enforcement of anything, especially traffic enforcement. People blow stop signs and speed up and down my road 20 mph over the speed limit all day, every day. No one EVER gets pulled over. Will police start selectively enforcing the absence of a sticker? This would be laughable were it not so pathetic.
So sick and tired of the “traffic calming” bs. Speed bumps, multi-way stop signs, and restricted access are terrible ways to control traffic. The county “planning” commissions ALWAYS under require infrastructure (road) improvements from developers and then turn around and allow unfettered development including the unrelenting conversion of office buildings into rental apartment. Public roads, which are paid for by the “public” should have unrestricted access with traffic controls kept to an absolute minimum. If speeding is a problem, change law so that speeding in a residential area is a $1,000 fine and 6 months license suspension. I guarantee the speeding will stop. If you don’t like the number of cars on your street then don’t live in property on flow streets…
This is someone’s pet passion project. It will get passed despite the stupidity of it … and yes police will do as little as possible to enforce it beyond 2-6 mo. Hiring private security may be the better option for those folks in SH. That or build the mote they’ve always wanted. —- in the meantime the rest of us just want some basic code enforcement on illegal boarding houses and used car lots operating in our once residential peaceful neighborhoods
@GrumpyGus Maybe ICE will take care of the boarding houses and used car lots.
Unless a police officer is low on their quota of tickets, this will not be enforced, ever. Even then if you fight it, this is petty crime below the Commonwealth Attorney’s threshold for prosecution, so fight the ticket and resist the likely pressure to plead guilty. Eventually it will be dropped. A better law is banning Ways and other apps from creating cut-through routes. Make the app companies fiscally responsible and they will block the cut-through routes reducing the traffic. Then with your neighbors sit outside with a bunch of cheap blow up balls and constantly push them into the street-that too will stop/slow down traffic and cut-through.
This is stupid and it won’t be enforced by police since they’ve never really enforced the restrictions anyway. The county has been kicking this idea around for a long time, I recall seeing news about this a few times over the past few years. It seems that only one Supervisor wants permits and he represents Dranesville District, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s approved. Perhaps we should either show up at the public hearing or email the Board to tell all of the Supervisors that no one wants this and it’s useless since we know the police won’t enforce it.