Columbia Pike is Arlington, Virginia's Main Street.  The neighborhoods around the Pike, often referred to as "the world in a Zip Code" are home to a diverse array of neighbors with a beautiful mosaic of cultures.  As the central artery that connects these neighborhoods to economic opportunity, it is critical that the Pike provide safe, comfortable, and reliable transportation options for all users. Despite a decade-long "multimodal" construction project, Columbia Pike has been rebuilt without safe and comfortable places to bike.

Bike Boulevards paralleling Columbia Pike were supposed to be those safe and comfortable places, serving our local community by connecting them to destinations on the Pike and allowing safe, comfortable, sustainable travel along the Pike.  The recently unveiled concept plans for the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards fall far short of these promises.

The proposed plans fail to connect these parallel routes directly to the Pike with any frequency, making it easier to avoid the Pike, but impossible to safely and comfortably reach destinations on the Pike; the connections to other nearby bike infrastructure (both existing and planned) fall short as well.  The plans make a number of major compromises in order to be achievable in the near-term, but the County has failed to outline any long-term plans to address those deficiencies and have the boulevards get better over time.  The plans do far too little to calm traffic to safe speeds or to limit traffic to safe and comfortable volumes, despite these being key ingredients in a successful Bike Boulevard, according to the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO). Finally, the plans drop the ball at several key intersections, leaving children biking to school to contend with turns at intersections that lack all-way stop signs.

With these improvements and a commitment to long-term improvements with capital projects, these boulevards could transform into safe corridors for our children biking to school, our neighbors commuting to work, and families enjoying leisurely rides. For more detailed feedback, see our comment letter to the County.

Support our goal to make the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards a model for community-focused, family-friendly bicycle infrastructure. Your signature can make a significant difference. Sign the petition to urge Arlington County to prioritize these critical improvements now. Let's ride towards a safer and more connected future for all Columbia Pike neighborhoods.