Here are some numbers that I find quite compelling. Arlington County may not rank among Virginia’s fastest growing jurisdictions, but its population is growing smartly — some seven percent since 2000. Population now exceeds 200,000, giving the county a population density of nearly 8,000 per square mile — more than three times that of Fairfax County.
Given the intensifying traffic congestion everywhere else in Virginia, things ought to be getting pretty bad in Arlington, too… right?
According to numbers cited by Bob Burke in today’s Road to Ruin article, “Auto Busters,” growth in traffic volume has flattened out over the decade, averaging less than half a percent a year. Writes Burke:
Traffic volume on some of Arlinton’s arterial streets actually dropped between 1996 and 2006, according to county data. Lee Highway in Rosslyn, for example, saw a 14 percent decline in traffic. Wilson Boulevard at Clarendon is down nearly 16 percent.
What makes the difference? Five Metro stations, smart land use around the stations, and control over local streets and roads. Devolution of responsibility for secondary roads may not be a complete solution for traffic congestion, but it is assuredly part of the solution. Every fast-growth county in Virginia should send a delegation to Arlington County to observe the Best Practices in traffic management in action.