On April 12, 2010, the Board of Supervisors held its public hearing on the draft Countywide Transportation Plan (CTP). Many residents came out for the hearing and since then, many more have raised a common concern -- new and wider roads are not the answers that they are looking for.

While the updated plan discusses a wide variety of solutions, it doesn't have to consider cost, and therefore does not exclude hugely expensive north-south bypasses and roads that would not help most Loudoun residents --who overwhelmingly commute in an east/west direction.

The plan also envisions 6 lane roads through most Eastern Loudoun communities, a serious challenge to the safety of families, pedestrians and bicyclists. Put simply, the draft plan does not do enough to address the reality that Loudoun residents face today: We need more alternatives for commuters; more than just getting in a car and driving by yourself

We Need A New Approach

Many of the proposed road projects are not in the best interests of Loudoun’s current residents. The projects don’t address existing traffic problems; instead they would open up new areas to development and make our roadways more dangerous. New roads like the 'Lenah Loop' or the 'Northstar Boulevard' extension do little more than open up new areas to development. And widening roads to 6 lanes through existing neighborhoods increases the danger to residents by inviting commuters to bypass congestion on major roads, like Route 7 and Route 50, and travel through communities at unsafe speeds.

Neither the State nor Loudoun taxpayers can fund the billion-dollar-plus cost to build the envisioned roads. However, we fear that the usual will happen: the “harmless” lines on the CTP map become a blueprint for future development, to be paid for with the kind of scattered development that Loudoun has experienced for the last 30 years --with people having to drive long distances to accomplish nearly every daily task.

Many of these projects have been included based on modeling scenarios which presumed that growth in Loudoun and western Prince William would continue as it did during the boom years. Growth has since moderated, and the Board can send a strong signal by focusing on the parts of Loudoun where communities are already, not places developers hope to entice them in the future.

The Right Mix of Roads, Transit, and Alternatives

When identifying projects to include in the CTP, we think the County should plan for the future, but prioritize the needs of existing residents. The Board should:

• Develop criteria with which to evaluate projects based on value to existing residents, affordability, timeliness, congestion relief, and safety
• Incentivize the broad variety of commuter and transit options included in the plan such as bus/transit lanes, HOV lanes, and improved express bus service on major corridors.
• Improve existing roads and finish east/west connections with design criteria that result in complete streets --including well-designed crosswalks, sidewalks, and bike lanes-- that are safe and accessible for all pedestrians and cyclists and provide more options for short trips.
• Complete relatively inexpensive intersection improvements, signal coordination and traffic calming measures to help traffic flow more efficiently.

These are just a few ideas. You can review more ideas and specific recommendations on the Campaign for Loudoun's Future Priority List.

CTP Next Steps and Chances to Share your Thoughts

After the April 12th, 2010 public hearing, the Board of Supervisors' Transportation and Land Use Committee (TLUC) held a meeting to discuss the draft CTP, focusing on the modeling used to generate the roadway projects in the plan. There will be another TLUC meeting on May 12th devoted solely to the draft Transportation Plan. While the public is not invited to speak at these meetings, they are very helpful in understanding the issues and Board member's perspectives. You can, however, voice your opinions at the regularly scheduled public input sessions during the time the Board considers the draft.

Board Meetings are Mondays at 6pm on:

May 3, May 17, June 7, June 21, July 5

The Board has until July 6th, 2010 in which to review, adjust and adopt the plan.

The official public comment period is still open, so if you haven't yet sent a letter and you cannot make it to a Public Input session, please take a few minutes to write to the Board of Supervisors and let them know what you want to see happen to our transportation network.

For more information, please visit the Loudoun County website or call Gem Bingol, PEC at 703-431-6941.