Release of the “Sperryville Pedestrian Safety and Accessibility Plan”

Today’s release of the Sperryville Pedestrian Safety and Accessibility Plan marks a significant step toward improving the safety, accessibility, and walkability of Sperryville. This Plan recommends 24 initiatives to improve the community’s infrastructure including proposals for new and expanded sidewalks, traffic circles, crosswalks, speed reductions, signage and gateways, and intersection safety enhancements.

Mark Meade, Chair of the Joint Working Groups and a Sperryville resident, stated, "This plan reflects input and suggestions from over 300 community members on ways to make Sperryville a safer place. It outlines our community’s vision for a more walkable and secure environment, guiding local leaders and transportation officials to implement infrastructure improvements tailored to our unique town, rather than focusing solely on facilitating fast-moving traffic."

This Safety Plan was developed with significant community input and expert advice, including the Board of Supervisors requested and endorsed Rappahannock County's Flint Hill and Sperryville Pedestrian Infrastructure Evaluation Memorandum. Community working groups reviewed this input to develop a set of recommendations that seek to create a safe pedestrian environment that connects and unifies the village, while maintaining its rural character and historic nature.

Kerry Sutten, President of the Sperryville Community Alliance and a local resident, stated, "We all cherish this village. The aim of this plan is to capture and share the community's perspective on how to preserve Sperryville's quaint charm and authentic character."

As noted in the Plan, traffic in Sperryville has risen significantly over the past several decades, with no signs of slowing. However, no major infrastructure investments have been made in the area for the past 25 years, despite the town's original design for horse and buggy traffic. This community-driven plan presents a range of solutions, including both substantial infrastructure improvements and smaller adjustments aimed at calming traffic and enhancing pedestrian safety (see map below).

Funding will be necessary for these infrastructure improvements. A review of Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) spending over the past five to six years on regional infrastructure projects shows that Sperryville has been notably underserved. The two primary VDOT programs for supporting local infrastructure, the SMART SCALE Program and the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), have allocated over $150 million to neighboring communities such as Warrenton, Culpeper, Luray, Madison, Front Royal, Gordonsville, and Stanardsville for projects including intersection upgrades, sidewalk extensions, traffic circles, and other enhancements. No grants were made in Rappahannock County during this period.

Sutten notes, "These funds, meant to make communities safer and stronger, are our tax dollars being used for improvements everywhere except in our own community. It's time our hard-earned tax dollars are reinvested here for our benefit."

Map of potential improvements (click to see larger)

Click the image to download the PDF (3,596kb PDF)

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