Tag: safety
Police target aggressive drivers
The Fairfax County Police Department rolled out its 2023 Road Shark campaign on March 13 targeting aggressive driving. Road Shark is a high-visibility coordinated enforcement and education effort aimed at reducing crashes, changing driving behavior, and, ultimately, saving lives. The police department will station officers in high-visibility areas all over the county. They will look … Continued
Church parking lot will handle overflow during construction at Justice High School
While Fairfax County Public School officials assured the Justice High School community that there will be enough parking spaces during construction and beyond, members of the community do not agree. Members of the Justice High School staff expressed strong concerns about the lack of parking during the construction of a new addition and beyond. Construction … Continued
Sleepy Hollow Road gets a speed camera
Fairfax County plans to install speed cameras at eight school zones – including Sleepy Hollow Road at Sleepy Hollow Elementary School – by Feb. 10 The goals of the photo monitoring program are to encourage drivers to slow down and protect pedestrians. Studies have shown that speed camera enforcement reduces crashes and traffic-related injuries and … Continued
2022 has been deadly for pedestrians
In a year when pedestrian fatalities spiked, let’s remember the victims. In 2022, 23 pedestrians were killed by drivers in Fairfax County, a big jump from the 13 pedestrian deaths in 2021. Nine of this year’s fatalities occurred in the Annandale/Mason District area, where heavy traffic, speeding, and insufficient crosswalks and sidewalks created deadly conditions. … Continued
Petition seeks traffic light where teen was killed crossing Columbia Pike
Following the horrific crash on Columbia Pike Nov. 16 that killed Justice High School student Lesly Diaz Bonilla, local residents are stepping up their advocacy for safer streets. The Project-Based Initiative for Bailey’s Crossroads and Culmore is publicizing a petition on behalf of the Barcroft View Apartments and the greater Culmore community urging the … Continued
Transportation officials talk safety
Improving safety on the region’s busiest roadways requires retrofitting an infrastructure built decades ago, cooperation among jurisdictions, and changing drivers’ mindsets. Those were the key points from a discussion among regional transportation leaders at a recent webinar hosted by the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. Annual traffic fatalities in Virginia … Continued
Halloween 2022: Eight things to know
Here are some tips for a fun and safe Halloween: (1) The traditional time for trick-or-treating is after the sun sets on Oct. 31. Some apartment complexes or HOAs may set a different day, however. (2) Visit Fairfax posted a list of some of the best-decorated Halloween houses, although none of them are in Mason … Continued
Supervisors to consider speed cameras
Fairfax County is considering a pilot program to install mobile speed cameras at school zones and construction sites. The pilot program would start in the first quarter of 2023 and last six months. It would assess the effectiveness of speed cameras to prevent pedestrian injuries and deaths. Capt. Alan Hanson, commander of the Fairfax County … Continued
County launches ‘Take a Moment’ pedestrian safety campaign
In the face of an alarming increase in pedestrian and bicycle-related crashes, Fairfax County urges drivers to “take a moment” to slow down and be extra careful at intersections. Board of Supervisors Chair Jeffrey McKay, Police Chief Kevin Davis, and other county leaders unveiled the Take a Moment campaign at a press conference Sept. … Continued
Annandale neighbors promote safety at community event
Annandale residents of all ages learned about crime prevention and community resources at Neighborhood Safety Day Sept. 10 at Ossian Hall Park. The event was organized by the Safety Working Group, a component of Opportunity Neighborhoods-Annandale.ON-Annandale, a Fairfax County program run by FACETS, helps residents of high-need neighborhoods plan programs and activities based on their … Continued
VDOT pursues safety improvements for Route 7 in Culmore
Several projects are underway or planned to improve pedestrian safety along a section of Leesburg Pike in the Culmore area of Bailey’s Crossroads. More than 120 community members showed up at a meeting Aug. 4 to hear officials from the Virginia and Fairfax County transportation department describe their plans at Bailey’s Elementary School. Before the … Continued
Fireworks safety tips for the 4th of July
Planning to shoot off your own fireworks on the Fourth of July? Here are some tips to keep you, your children, pets, and neighbors safe. • Keep all bystanders at least 25 feet away from fireworks. • Light one fireworks device at a time, then go back to a safe distance immediately. • Never have … Continued
Culmore residents: Route 7 is unsafe
Residents of the Culmore community in Bailey’s Crossroads take their life into their hands when they try to cross or walk along Leesburg Pike (Route 7). The Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG) and CASA, an immigrant advocacy organization, have been pushing state and local transportation officials to make improvements on Route 7 to improve safety … Continued
Poe students learn bike safety
Now that school’s out for the summer, some local kids will be safer riding bikes around their neighborhoods. All sixth-graders at Poe Middle School in Annandale learned how to ride a bicycle for the first time, or if they are more advanced riders, learned about bike safety, as part of their physical education class. Poe … Continued
Transportation officials consider solutions for pedestrian safety on Route 7
State and local officials are considering quick fixes to improve pedestrian safety on Leesburg Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads but actual long-term solutions are years away. At a virtual meeting of Fairfax Families for Safe Streets (FX-FSS) June 6, John Lynch, VDOT’s Northern Virginia district engineer, said his office is looking at several short-term solutions, such … Continued