Commissioners press for safer Shreve-Haycock corridor as Fairfax plan advances

Planning Commissioners used a June 4 briefing to give early feedback on Fairfax County’s Shreve Road and Haycock Road shared-use path concept, asking county and staff to prioritize pedestrian and cyclist protection while the county’s comment period remains open.

"If you took a foot out of each of those lanes ... it would provide a lot more space to get some, more protection for the pedestrian and the bicycle part of the capacity on the side," Planning Commissioner Michael Stevens said, urging designers to consider narrowing 11‑foot travel lanes to 10 feet in designated sections to free space for protected facilities.

City planning staff noted that the county-led drawings preserve vehicle lane widths consistent with VDOT standards for collectors and minor arterials but said there is a formal comment window: "We have until June 20 to comment on this," staff said. Commissioners and staff discussed tactical changes the city can request now, including clawing back lane width where possible, using flex-post protected segments, improving trail crossings, and adding visible treatments such as green bike crossing markings at intersections.

Commissioners raised operational concerns about driveway crossings, potential curb ramps and the continuity of a shared-use path through the Giant/Falls Plaza corridor; staff said the design proposes to use a travel lane-to-path conversion in some stretches so the multiuse path would be level and avoid repeated up-and-down curb ramps where possible. Several commissioners also urged the city to press for removal of redundant poles and other obstructions to improve ADA compliance along sidewalks.

The commission did not take formal action but recorded consensus support for sending technical and design comments to Fairfax County and for coordinating with adjacent property owners to enable a continuous shared-use connection into West Falls.