Fairfax County reveals trends in mobility, transportation with new data dashboard

The Dulles Toll Road by the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County has launched a new data dashboard to offer insights into its mobility and transportation realm.

The dashboard — which was developed as part of the county’s strategic plan — dives into four indicators: efficient and varied transportation options; infrastructure conditions, sustainability and environmental impact; traveler safety; and increased accessibility, affordability and equity.

So far, data shows that working from home is decreasing after spiking at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the dashboard, 27.9% of residents worked from home in last year, down slightly from 37.2% in 2021.

Of the people who commuted last year, roughly 9 in 10 residents drove to work — with 80% driving alone.

The dashboard also highlights a spike in traffic-related deaths. In 2022, there were 60 fatal crashes, up 43% from 2019.

Although crashes of all types decreased by 17% from 2019 to 2022, the total number of crashes increased by 31% between 2020 and 2022.

Data from the dashboard is intended to illustrate how the county is doing on efforts to move away from reliance on single-occupancy vehicles, improve walkability and reduce traffic-related incidents.

“The dashboard is designed to inform residents and stakeholders, monitor progress overtime, identify any demographic or geographic disparities among residents, and guide community leaders, practitioners, and advocates in making data-driven decisions,” the county said in a news release.

The dashboard also highlights the fact that the county has installed 620 traffic calming devices since 1998, most of them at speed humps and speed tables.

The county plans to update the dashboard on a yearly basis in order to monitor community progress.

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