Arlington County is working on plans to make safety and accessibility upgrades a trio of local streets. Some of the changes could include adding sidewalks where there are none, removing obstructions from existing sidewalks, and extending curbs known as a "bump-out" to make shorter pedestrian crossings. Residents can learn more about this batch
Arlington County Board vice-chair Christian Dorsey says he will not seek reelection next year. He released the following statement to ARLnow this morning. Now that the County Board has concluded its meetings for 2022, I am ready to turn my attention
Arlington residents may see improved sidewalks and pedestrian crossings in a few neighborhoods in the near future. The County Board approved funding for four
This week, locals can share their thoughts on a county project to make a segment of 28th Street S. near Gunston Park more walkable. The proposed "Neighborhood
Modern Mobility is a biweekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the author’s.
The 20′ Clear Width rule of the VA Fire Code has removed on-street parking that had existed safely for decades, prevented the installation of protected bike lanes and made new sidewalk installations politically infeasible and you’ve probably never heard of it. This rule can save lives by speeding fire response or cost lives by preventing safer street designs. Is Arlington finding the right balance?
What is the 20′ Clear Width Rule?
The 20′ Clear Width rule is codified in section 503.2.1 of the VA Statewide Fire Prevention Code: “Fire apparatus access roads shall have an unobstructed width of not less than 20 feet.”