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Advocates seek ‘transformative,’ bike-centric changes to county transportation policy

Advocates seek ‘transformative,’ bike-centric changes to county transportation policy

Bicyclist along N. Ohio Street (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott) Some pedestrian and bicycle advocates are urging Arlington leaders to swing for the fences when…

Tuesday, Jan 14

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Bicyclist along N. Ohio Street (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott) Some pedestrian and bicycle advocates are urging Arlington leaders to swing for the fences when crafting the county’s new Transportation Master Plan.

“We need to be transformative,” said Cynthia Palmer, chair of the county’s Bicycle Advisory Committee, which met on Jan. 6 and discussed priorities members believe should be in the transportation plan.

In both that meeting and a Jan. 8 meeting of the Pedestrian Advisory Committee, there was a press to de-emphasize vehicular transit in favor of other options.

“Whatever we do should be to encourage mode-shifting — make it harder for people to stay in their cars and make it easier to choose something else,” said Aaron Schwartz, a member of the bicycle body.

Others sought an even more aggressive approach.

Randy Swart, a veteran advocate in the bicycle community and former president of the Arlington County Civic Federation, urged a push to scrap the county’s entire transportation policy. In its place, Swart wants to implement a “Safe System” approach , which prioritizes above all else the elimination of crashes that result in death and serious injuries.

“We can’t have the system we really need by fixing intersections and lowering speed limits. It’s just not going to get us there,” Swart said. “We have to redesign our system — shaking everything up and doing everything over.”“It’s going to be a long and painful experience,” Swart said of such a transformation, but in his mind it represents “the only way to get us where […]

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