Driving around Tysons Corner in Northern Virginia is challenging enough.
But biking? Or walking? That’s downright foolhardy on the narrow and car-packed streets of Tysons – at least, it is right now.
“Biking is really difficult,” said Cindy Holcomb, manager of the REI store in Tysons, which specializes in bikes. “There's really not lanes to do that if you want to go from point A to point B."
Pedestrians, likewise, struggle to walk along or cross the road due to a lack of sidewalks and crosswalks – even as more office buildings have opened along the busy roads of Tysons Corner.
“There’s a lack of pedestrian crosswalks and there’s a large amount of traffic,” said Scott Whitehouse, who works in Tysons.
That’s why some are applauding a plan by Fairfax County to add bike lanes to some streets in Tysons. Spring Hill Road, West Branch Drive and Jones Branch Drive are among those that could get the lanes.
Some roads may even be narrowed to slow traffic and make room for bikes and pedestrians. The Fairfax County Deparment of Transportation is holding a public meeting on the issue Monday at 7 p.m. at Westbriar Elementary in Vienna.
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Supporters of the proposal are quick to point out that making room for bikes and pedestrians is about safety, not just convenience. Still, balancing the needs of bikers and walkers with the heavy traffic the region sees each day is no easy task.
“If we have our own lane to bike, then we are both sharing the road,” Holcomb said. “We are both using traffic lights and stop signs and we are all adhering to the rules and regulations, just like everybody else.”
