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Safety Along Lafayette at Charles and Kenmore

As a Downtown Fredericksburg resident, frequent walker and a dad of two small kids, I was thrilled to learn that two troublesome intersections along Lafayette Boulevard would soon be receiving safety improvements provided by the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Lafayette’s intersections at Charles Street and Kenmore Avenue form a notoriously difficult barrier for pedestrians or cyclists navigating the southern end of downtown. People trying to access amenities like the train station and Colonial Tavern, or simply crossing the street on foot, are confronted by a disorienting rat’s nest of wide streets, blind corners, and a frustrating lack of crosswalks. The final boss is four “slip lanes,” which are wide, overgrown turn lanes that allow drivers to glide dangerously through without slowing down.

I eagerly read VDOT’s long-awaited design plan, hopeful for positive change. I was dumbfounded. All four dangerous slip lanes would remain; one would be widened further. Lafayette’s existing stoplight at Kenmore would be removed, forcing pedestrians and drivers entering Lafayette from Kenmore to dart into free-flowing traffic. A bike path is nominally included, but cyclists would have to navigate four separate street crossings while contending with speeding drivers and blind corners. And while some crosswalks would be painted, they are too long (one at almost 100 feet!) and too sparse to provide safe passage.

To better understand how this design was conceived, I attended VDOT’s public information meeting last Wednesday, June 25. In response to an audience question about pedestrian safety, a VDOT engineer responded that this super-sized design was necessary to relieve the (quite modest) vehicle congestion that occasionally pops up in this area. Another VDOT engineer said that the intersection dimensions had been formulated using the largest street-legal tractor trailer—a 70-foot long behemoth known as ‘WB67’—as the assumed “design vehicle,” despite the fact that relatively few large trucks use the intersections due to the low clearance of an adjacent railroad overpass.

It is clear from VDOT’s design, and the engineers’ own words, that these intersections are designed for the speed and convenience of motor vehicles, not for the safety of people.

An intersection designed for safety would close the slip lanes, prohibit right-turns-on-red, and utilize a simple, traditional 90-degree configuration similar to those elsewhere downtown. This cozier design would free up more space for people-friendly features like wider sidewalks, benches, bike paths, street trees and greenspace. A safe design would call for fewer, shorter crosswalks and retain stoplight protection to make Lafayette’s intersection with Kenmore safer for pedestrians and drivers alike. Most importantly, a safe design would intentionally calm traffic from all directions to encourage drivers to slow down and be more alert while approaching and turning, even if that means adding a few seconds to some people’s afternoon commute.

I urge VDOT’s engineers to submit a revised design that puts safety first. And I urge other concerned citizens who feel like I do to review the proposal and provide feedback using VDOT’s Public Survey (deadline is July 5) by visiting: https://publicinput.com/lafayettekenmoreimprovements

Adam Lynch
Fredericksburg

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