Most residential streets will be lowered to 20 miles per hour.
The City of Falls Church, Office of Communication issued the following official news release Tuesday afternoon:
Tuesday, October 17, 2023 — Later this fall, many residential streets in the City of Falls Church will get new speed limit signs, lowering the limit to 20 miles per hour from 25 miles per hour. The City’s education campaign, 20 is Plenty, includes yard signs, social media outreach, and more, available on www.fallschurchva.gov/20.
This effort supports walkability and pedestrian safety. A speed reduction to 20 mph has life-changing results for pedestrians. Crash data has shown there is a significant improvement in pedestrian survivability in the event of a crash when drivers are traveling at 20 mph as opposed to 25 mph. Also, traveling at higher speeds narrows your field of vision as you drive, making it more difficult to see and react to people in the roadway.
Over 100 speed limit signs will be replaced in neighborhoods starting in October 2023 and will take a few weeks to complete, depending on weather. The new 20 mph speed limits legally go into effect on each street when the existing speed limit signs are replaced.
Residents can pick up a free yard sign to show support of 20 is Plenty and encourage safe driving in their neighborhood. Signs are available at the City Hall Permits Counter (East Wing, 1st Floor) during business hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The counter is closed the last Wednesday of the month.
When posting a yard sign, please note:
- Signs should be placed on private property in your yard.
- Please don’t place the sign on someone else’s property without their permission.
- Make sure not to block driver visibility for pulling out of driveways, seeing pedestrians, etc.
- Make sure the signs do not block walkways, bikeways, or drainage ways.
- Do not place signs on traffic sign posts or utility poles.
- Please promptly remove any broken or vandalized signs; replacements are free!
- Unfortunately, local recyclers do not accept corrugated plastic yard signs. If you no longer want the sign in your yard, please let someone else use it, or return it to one of the pick-up locations.
Residents can also access a #20IsPlenty toolkit with social media graphics, wording for neighborhood newsletters, and a flyer, available on fallschurchva.gov/20.
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