Question for Arlington Homeowners--Speed Bumps (Burke: neighborhood, transportation, residential)

[Carlingtonian]

First of all: I'm not soliciting views on speed bumps in general. This is a specific question about the policies/practices of Arlington County.

The street we moved to doesn't have a lot of through traffic, but the few drivers who do cut through often go super fast--and we have a ton of small children and no sidewalks.

I've asked our neighbors what they think of getting speed bumps on our street. They seem to be unanimously in favor.

However, I fear that inviting the County to do this may somehow open the door to projects the County would like to impose on the neighborhood, that the residents do NOT want--like sidewalks. (There isn't enough traffic to need them if the traffic would just slow down, and some of us have small front yards. Again, I'm not asking for general pro/con thoughts on sidewalks in general.)

Is there anyone here from Arlington who knows for a fact if this is a possibility? Has anyone gone through the process of getting speed bumps put in?

And yes, I heard about the pscyho in Burke who murdered his neighbor. I don't think that's going to happen here. And frankly, I'd rather take that tiny risk than the larger risk of my kid or someone else's getting run over--which is a lot more likely.

Thanks for any facts/tales of firsthand experience.

[bmwguydc]

I don't think that the county would necessarily recommend sidewalks, but groups such as Walk Arlington have been pressuring for at least one sidewalk on residential streets in the county.

I would check into the Environmental Services Department for the traffic calming methods used in Arlington. They have a guidebook on their site that explains Arlington's methodology.

Neighborhood Traffic Calming : Transportation : Arlington, Virginia

The other program that may be of use is the Neighborhood Conservation program, whereby Arlington allows self-direction of public improvements by residents in various areas, after meeting the requirements of the program.

Neighborhood Conservation : Neighborhood Services : Arlington, Virginia

[Carlingtonian]

BMWGuy, thanks for the info.