Fairfax Families for Safe Streets joined 17 partner partner organizations of the Fairfax Healthy Communities Network (https://www.fairfaxhealthy.org/), in the submission of budget comments on Fairfax County’s FY25 advertised budget. The complete package of budget comments is linked below, however, highlights of the Sustainable Transportation comments include: Comments also included a “thank you” to the Board’s proposed investments in transit, including the proposed additional $10 million for WMATA operating funding and the proposed increase of $2.15 million for Fairfax Connector bus service. Read the full set of comments: FHC-FY25-Fairfax-County-Budget-Comments.pdf Would you like to receive our newsletter in your inbox each month? Just sign up! Follow Us

March 1, 2024 Complete Streets ProgramCity of Alexandria, Virginia301 King Street, suite 2300Alexandria, VA 22314 Attn: Alex Carroll, ManagerSubject: Duke Street and Route 1 Intersection Safety Improvements On behalf of the Board of Directors of Alexandria Families for Safe Streets (AFSS), wesupport the safety improvements to Duke Street and Route 1. Both intersections areranked among the City’s high-crash intersections, and we support the City’s generalproject to eliminate fatal and severe crashes at this location. We support implementation of curb extensions, leading pedestrian intervals, pedestrianrefuges, and the raised crosswalk design, and encourage the City to adopt raisedcrosswalks at more locations throughout the City. FHWA statistics show

Big trucks and SUVs, especially those with flat front ends, aren’t just more intimidating to look at, they are genuinely deadlier for pedestrians, according to new research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Read the full CNN Article: https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/14/business/boxy-trucks-suvs-pedestrian-deaths/index.html

ARLINGTON, VA – This past Sunday, November 19, 2023, North Virginia Families for Safe Streets commemorated the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims at Wakefield High School. We honored the pedestrians killed by drivers in Fairfax County, Arlington County, and the City of Alexandria counties in 2023. A row of 19 empty chairs with a single candle placed on each represented the victims who ranged from 23-86 years old. “Every one of these folks was a mother, a father, a son, or a daughter,” said Arlington Chief of Police Andy Penn. Following the event, participants walked two blocks to the site on Rt