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Route 7 Needs Bicycle Bridge, Too
In addition to improved pedestrian routes within Tysons Corner, there is a crying need for pedestrian and bicycle access across the Capital Beltway at or near Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) ["Exploring Inroads for Tysons Foot Traffic," Page A1, June 23].
This would make it possible to walk and bike between Tysons and the Falls Church/McLean residential and shopping areas, including the West Falls Church Metro stop.
Because of the entry and exit ramps streaming into Route 7, it is impossible to cross the Beltway on foot or bike at that point without taking one's life in one's hands. There are no alternative crossings for at least a mile in each direction. Usable bus service along Route 7 is next to nonexistent.
The ideal solution is a bicycle bridge like those on Interstate 395 at Shirlington and Interstate 95 near the Springfield Metro station. Failing that, improved sidewalks with push-button lights along at least one side of Route 7 would make this bottleneck passable for non-drivers.
William McLeese
Falls Church
MetroWest Traffic Would Burden Area
Lisa Rein reports that the new Fairlee-MetroWest development will generate 1,356 new trips during the typical rush hour ["Mini-City Plan Discourages Use of Cars," Metro, June 22].
I would like to clarify that this figure is the projected per-hour trip generation during the rush hour period, which around here is just about all day. The reason neighboring citizens are critical of the project is because even if a 47 percent trip reduction can be enforced, it will still mean some 8,000 car trips to and from the development per day.
Also, the traffic study showed that actual trip generation from the surrounding neighborhoods is about 20 percent higher than they predicted. It certainly makes me skeptical that they will be able to lower traffic 47 percent below their projections.
Deborah Smith
Vienna
