Missing links block easy travel for pedestrians

As larger scale developments change our urban form, many miss important opportunities to provide important pedestrian connections. Many developments put fences on multiple sides that block pedestrian travel through the sides and backs of property for seemingly irrational reasons or no reason at all.

Near Bailey’s Crossroads, almost right on the border between Arlington and Fairfax Counties, the end of Forest Drive almost touches the parking lot of the apartment building on Jefferson Street.

But instead of installing a staircase that would allow people to easily walk from the neighborhood to the shops on Jefferson, including the Giant Food and Starbucks, the building blocked it with a fence. In the same way, the fence prevents residents of the apartment building from walking around the neighborhood, to walk their dog or just for enjoyment.

Who is afraid of whom? Is that apartment building afraid of the neighborhood people? The complex is wide open to Jefferson Street; anyone can just walk in from that side. Are people on one side dangerous and the others not?

Or are the neighborhood people afraid that having a link here would allow undesirables into their neighborhood? But without this pedestrian option, getting to Starbucks requires driving out onto Route 7, which is very difficult. Maybe it never occurred to them that they could conceivably walk there if it weren’t for this fence.

A few blocks away, there is a perfect example of the opposite. The fence contains a pedestrian pass-through, allowing the apartment complex residents on Leesburg Court easy access to the nearby shops. This is a really good idea, which I suspect both the shops and the residents strongly support.

There’s a big missed opportunity out in Tysons Corner. Just west of the 123/7 interchange, a large office building abuts a set of shops, not near the front, but along the side of the building and the back of the shops. This map shows where office workers have worn a path between their building and the shops, which is actually down a steep hill. Making the same trip via sidewalk (or car) requires a trip of more than ½ mile.

It’s easy to see that both the office owners and the shop owners would benefit from this link. The office workers would have easy access to more lunch options and services and the shops and restaurants would have a larger market. It’s a no-brainer, but I suspect no brains have given it any thought.

There are certainly thousands of these small linkages that could be unblocked or created. Each one might open up pedestrian opportunities to a few people or a few score of people. But all multiplied together one could imagine literally thousands of short car trips being eliminated and improving the quality of life for all of the people there.