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In
order to maintain and improve traffic safety for the residents and
families who live in our community, as well as for commuters, guests and
members of the general public, the CMCA Board of Directors has
spearheaded an effort to decrease the volume (and speed) of traffic on
neighborhood streets, especially the non-neighborhood traffic on
Cabell's Mill Drive between Walney Road and Northbourne Drive. The CMCA
Board has worked with representatives of the Fairfax County Residential
Traffic Administration Program (R-TAP) to examine how best to
improve safety for all drivers and pedestrians who travel through our
community.
The
Fairfax County Department of Transportation (DOT) sponsors the
Residential Traffic Assistance Program (R-TAP). R-TAP assists Fairfax
residential communities in controlling neighborhood traffic by utilizing
a variety of traffic control methods. These methods include restricted
access, through truck bans, and the levying of increased fines for
speeding, as well as a number of other traffic calming measures.
After
reviewing the available options, the Board decided that investigating
traffic calming measures would best serve the community. In order to
qualify for traffic calming measures, the average speed must be 30 mph
or greater or the 85th percentile speed must be greater than or equal to
35 mph (the 85th percentile speed is the speed that 85 percent of the
traffic is traveling at or below). In addition, the volume of vehicles
must be between 600 and 4000 vehicles per day. More information on
traffic calming measures and R-TAP in general can be found on the
Fairfax County website at
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot/rtap.htm.
In
December 2005, The CMCA Board submitted the Cabell's Mill Community’s
Residential Traffic Survey petitions to the office of Sully District
Supervisor Michael Frey. The petitions request that Fairfax County
authorities consider remedial measures to reduce the speed of traffic on
Cabell's Mill Drive, between Walney Road and Northbourne Drive. A
representative from the Supervisor Frey’s office, accepted the petitions
from Brian Cherico, Vice President of the CMCA, on behalf of the Board
of Directors. Since that time, the Office of the Sully District
Supervisor reviewed and verified the accuracy of the petitions, and pursuant to the requirements of the R-TAP program,
submitted them to the attention of the Fairfax County Department of
Transportation for its review and analysis.
The
CMCA Board initiated a door-to-door campaign in 2005 to invite Cabell's
Mill residents to support the continuation of the county’s efforts to
examine and evaluate traffic safety in the targeted area of Cabell's
Mill. As a result, more than 150 Cabell's Mill residents signed the
required traffic petitions from the affected area.
The
petitions signed by residents did not approve a specific traffic safety
plan of action, but called for the CMCA Task force to investigate viable
alternatives to improving traffic flow in the neighborhood. A
neighborhood Traffic Calming Taskforce was formed to develop specific
safety recommendations, upon acceptance of the verified petitions by
county authorities.
In
2007, representatives of the R-TAP program, in cooperation with the
neighborhood Traffic Calming Taskforce and CMCA Board, proposed a modest
plan to improve the flow and safety of traffic through Cabell's Mill.
R-TAP program officials recommended the plan after conducting a thorough
topographical survey of the affected streets, intersections and
residences. The plan called for the written consent and approval of
those residents of Cabell's Mill who would be most affected by the
implementation of the traffic calming measures called for in the
proposed plan. A CMCA Board member contacted the affected residents to
explain the traffic calming proposal and to determine their support for
the recommendation. After consulting with these residents, certain
aspects of the proposed plan were modified and their approvals were
submitted to the Office of the Sully District Supervisor to continue
further action required under the R-TAP program.
A community meeting took place in 2008
to describe the recommended traffic calming proposal, and to vote on
its approval or rejection. A vote took place and passed for
addition of 2 speed humps on Cabells Mill Drive. Speed Humps were
installed in August 2008. Please see
Summer 2008 Newsletter.
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