At Belle Haven Road, the bollards have already gone up.
The National Park Service recently released details of a new plan for the George Washington Memorial Parkway, reducing the number of travel lanes south of the beltway at 10 intersections between Belle Haven Road in the north and Stratford Lane in the south.
The study is called the “George Washington Memorial Parkway – Southern Section Road Diet Traffic Impact Analysis,” and is divided into “Concept 1,” between Belle Haven Road and Morningside Lane, and “Concept 3,” between Morningside Lane and Stratford Lane. “Reducing the number of lanes on a roadway can improve safety, calm traffic, and enhance the overall quality of life,” it said. It involves more crosswalks for increased visibility and reduced crossing distances.
Historically, road diet benefits include:
* Reducing the number of rear end crashes
* Reducing the number of right side crashes of vehicles crossing the lanes
* Reducing the number of lanes pedestrians and bicycles would need to cross
* Creating a pedestrian refuge island in the middle
* Calming traffic
* Creating a more community focused “Complete Streets,” environment that accommodates the needs of all the road users
“The analysis indicates that intersection changes can be made at the 10 intersections along the parkway that would help improve overall safety of the corridor,” the study concluded. It would impact sections of road between Tulane Drive and Belle Haven Road, Tulane Drive and Morningside Lane and the area around Morningside Lane. Traffic counts in 2019 showed there were 170 cars turning left out of Belle Haven Road in the morning and 98 in the afternoon, and 107 turning right out of Belle Haven Road in the morning and 126 in the afternoon. Similar statistics were shown for each intersection.
Out on the Street
The configuration at the intersection with Belle Haven Road has already been changed by the park service and there are white traffic bollards installed.
“Something needed to be done,” said Kellie Murray, a resident who noted the number of crashes she has seen there. “Some entrances are pretty dangerous,” she added.
Wes Yeary, a Stratford Landing resident, likes the parkway as-is and feels the changes aren’t needed. “It’s going to lengthen everyone’s commute,” he said.
The NPS is looking for comments on this study, and the comment period closes Oct 24, 2023. To make a comment, go to https://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?documentID=131948