Virginia plans to create a slew of new traffic management rules that would restrict the number of cul-de-sacs, traffic lights and strip-mall driveways developers can build along state and local roads.
The changes, part of a plan mandated last year by the General Assembly, are designed to help the state ensure drivers access and use major roads in a way that limits congestion and traffic accidents.
The Virginia Department of Transportation, which has purview over almost every Virginia road, can enforce the new rules when developers apply for building permits.
The agency is accepting public comments on the plan through Dec. 15.
“As Virginia becomes more populated, as our roads become more congested, these rules are designed to help us maintain the traffic flow as much as possible,” VDOT spokesman David Fierro said.
“We don’t want to get ourselves into the situation of having the classic strip mall, where there are four driveways within a halfmile, and a lot of red lights and congestion because one car wants to get to a shoe store.”
The state is placing stricter limits on where localities can install traffic lights because, though lights can discourage speeding, frequent stops and starts in traffic lead to more rear-end accidents, according to studies cited in VDOT planning documents.
VDOT is also advocating building roundabouts instead of traditional traffic-signal intersections where possible.
“The beauty of the roundabout is the traffic keeps moving,” Fierro said. “If you’re not used to it, it’s a little bit disconcerting at first, but it lets you regulate yourself.”
Many of the proposed regulations have proven unpopular with developers, who would have to abide by stricter planning rules, and local officials who fear a lessening of their authority to regulate their own neighborhoods.
The new rules would place restrictions on building dead-end streets in subdivisions, a particularly thorny issue in dense areas because cul-de-sacs are popular among families looking for quiet streets.
Dead-end roads add to congestion because they force drivers to seek out major roads for short trips instead of allowing them to cut through their neighborhoods, VDOT planners say.
“The whole idea of a subdivision is people want to create a certain environment,” Fierro said. “But we also have to weigh how the traffic from that subdvision will affect the overall network, and how it can be as safe as possible. We’re trying to create a happy medium.”
