Sidewalks
Sidewalks are the cornerstone of the pedestrian system. At the system level Arlington's goal is to have a sidewalk along at least one side of all residential streets and along both sides of all arterial streets. Numerous programs are in place to help achieve this goal.
The three basic design elements of a sidewalk are width, surface, and separation from adjacent motorized vehicular traffic. The minimum width for a new sidewalk in Arlington is four (4) feet. Four foot sidewalks are found in low density areas such as single family neighborhoods. As adjacent land uses become more intense the minimum widths for sidewalks increase to six (6) feet for medium density areas, such as townhouses or small commercial areas, and ten (10) feet in high density areas, like the County's Metro corridors. These minimum widths are the clear area of the sidewalk and do not include things like street trees, street lights, traffic signal poles, signs and parking meters.
In Arlington there are three common types of sidewalk surfaces. The most common surface is basic concrete. A large majority of sidewalks in Arlington are made of concrete because it is a smooth and durable surface. In many commercial areas sidewalks are constructed with concrete pavers. Paver walks are viewed as being more attractive than plain concrete and add an urban feel to these areas; however, people with certain physical disabilities may have difficulty maneuvering in them.
A few sidewalks in Arlington have been built with a concrete walking surface and paver borders - "sandwich" style-for walkability with a more aesthetic touch.
The final design element of a good sidewalk is providing separation from motor vehicle traffic. Pedestrians are least comfortable walking directly adjacent to moving cars, trucks and buses, so in Arlington, we make every effort, especially on busy streets, to provide non-pedestrian, non-vehicular space between vehicle travel lanes and the sidewalk. This space also provides an area for trees, poles signs, etc so that the minimum clear widths for the sidewalk can be maintained. In residential areas a utility/planting stripe of two and one half to four feet is provided. In commercial and mixed use areas a space of four to six feet is provided either as a continuous planting stripe or as an area with street tree pits, street lights, and other street furniture. In some areas where there is not room to provide separation between the street and a sidewalk, on-street parking can serve as a buffer and actually improve the pedestrian experience.
Not every sidewalk in Arlington reflects these design guidelines--in fact, even some of the Couty's most-walked streets are seriously inadequate in this regard. But meeting these standards is a goal the County continues to strive towards. With each property that redevelops, and each street that undergoes improvements, every effort is made to improve conditions for pedestrians.
Arlington also has special design standards for the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor, the most densely populated segment of the County, which address sidewalk pavings, street tree plantings and street furniture. A central goal of these standards is to coordination between different developments to give a more coherent look to the environment at the pedestrian level.
