Fairfax transportation policy update emphasizes active transportation, safety and technology while removing dated data

Fairfax County Department of Transportation staff presented a modernized draft of the transportation element that emphasizes multimodal travel, safety, active transportation, technology and community engagement while removing outdated numeric data from the policy plan.

Bob Pacora, co-lead for the transportation update, said staff restructured objectives and policies to reduce repetition, align content with land-use and environmental guidance, and make the document easier to read. "We focused on streamlining, modernizing, and reformatting the structure," Pacora said.

Key changes include elevating active transportation (pedestrians, bicycles and micromobility) and safety to stand-alone objectives, creating a technology and infrastructure objective to account for emerging mobility tools, and adding a community engagement objective to reflect input on capital projects, transit updates and active-transportation designs.

Staff removed static numeric references to vehicle volumes and demographic data that could date the plan, and noted that the Comprehensive Plan Policy Maps webpage contains updated, interactive maps for the Countywide Transportation Plan, Trails Plan and Bicycle Map. Pacora said a fourth map (roadway functional classifications) in Appendix 1 will be updated and linked to the online maps.

Responding to public comments and advisory input, staff said they received recurring requests for more sidewalks and bike lanes, reductions in traffic congestion, more bus service and improved safety for pedestrians and cyclists. The Transportation Advisory Commission suggested the plan emphasize a "context-sensitive approach balancing key priority factors" such as land use, economic development, equity and environmental considerations; Pacora said TAC comments were incorporated and that the land-use concept for future development helps orient context-sensitive policy choices.

Supervisors raised questions about congestion mitigation metrics and asked staff for baseline modal-share data to compare current and projected travel patterns. Pacora said staff can provide background numbers in the staff report. Several supervisors also observed that encouraging electric vehicles while seeking to reduce single-occupant vehicle trips creates policy tension and asked staff to consider integrated strategies.

Staff said the active-transportation and trails plan will be a separate comprehensive-plan amendment and that the two efforts will be coordinated. The draft transportation text and links to related materials are on the project webpage, and staff is accepting comments through the public input email address.

Ending

Transportation staff will continue coordinating map updates, active-transportation planning and TAC input, and will provide additional data requested by the board for the staff report ahead of public hearings.