Tensions are brewing in the Town of Vienna should pursue adding sidewalks.
Most, and possibly all, of the neighbors on Alma Street SE have voiced opposition to a new sidewalk there, signing a petition to try to prevent the project that’s being evaluated for the western side of the street.
Meanwhile, others argue that a lack of sidewalks creates safety and accessibility issues, where vehicles and pedestrians share the road and visual obstructions can heighten the potential for danger.
Town leaders have been racing to advance a slate of sidewalk projects — primarily in residential neighborhoods — and use money in a $7 million trust left by former Councilmember Maud Robinson after her death in 2019.
The money dedicated to the Robinson Trust Sidewalk Initiative, which seeks to fill gaps in the town’s network, expires in fall 2024.
How should the town proceed? Should Vienna use its right-of-way to build sidewalks as a public good, even if they cut into a resident’s lawn or driveway, or should the town only build projects when it has the support of adjacent properties?
Photo via Google Maps
Recent Stories
Northern Virginia Magazine has ranked TJ as the region’s top public high school (courtesy Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology) Six of the 10 best high schools in…
Planning officials in the Shenandoah Valley and central Virginia fear proposals to change Virginia’s transportation funding system could significantly reduce state funding for smaller transportation projects for cyclists and pedestrians….
This biweekly column is sponsored by The Mather in Tysons, Virginia, a forward-thinking Life Plan Community for those 62 and better. When The Mather, a Life Plan Community for those 62…
A pumpkin display from Tysons Corner Center’s 2022 Fall Festival (staff photo by Angela Woolsey) Tysons Corner Center is jumping into the abundant pile of local fall festivals. The mall…
