VA, Virginia

Paving Stones Encourage Traffic Calming in Virginia ... Plans have been made for the Route 50 Corridor in the commercial area of Middleburg, Virginia. The focus has been put on the individual needs of the community and also to preserve the quality of the region. The aim of the Route 50 Corridor Coalition is to maintain the heritage of the area and to also further the vision of the citizens.

This vision can be easily summed up in the words of James E. Rich of The Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board, who said, “We must never forget that Virginia roads belong to the people and not to a government bureaucracy ...  Virginia has a unique opportunity for leadership in transportation by applying a concept called traffic calming.”

The residents near and along the Route 50 Corridor have been concerned for some time about the degradation and long term effects that it will have on their community. Therefore, the coalition formulated a Traffic Calming Plan project. This would involve the installation of pavers at several different intervals of Route 50 so that traffic would slow down.

There are four general principles of the plan, and they include:

• Informing travelers that they will be arriving and leaving specific historical areas
• The feeling of the road will change at certain intervals. The feeling of the road in the villages will be different to the open parts of Route 50.
• Speed limits will be changed so that drivers will have to slow down in residential areas.
• Traffic calming methods are generally for implementation in the villages, so as to create a safer environment for the residents.

When drivers are entering the area of the villages they will notice the speed limit is reduced as well as a series of strips of cobblestone pavers or brick paving stones will be built across the road at close spacing so as to gain the attention of the driver. This is so driver will feel the difference between the sections of road and perhaps this will encourage them to slow down.

Another method of alerting drivers as to the different sections of the streets, such as parking lots, walkways, pedestrian crosswalks, has also been the use of various paving materials designated to the different sections of the street and road. The use of several types of paving stones and colors alerts drivers and will hopefully encourage safer sidewalks, walkways and streets for pedestrians.

About Virginia, VA ... Virginia is nicknamed and known as the mother of president’s state. This is because Virginia is the birth place of 8 American presidents such as; George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe and John Tyler just to name a few.

Virginia is spilt into 5 geographic regions which are; Tidewater, Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge and Appalachia.

Virginia is known as one of the wealthiest states of the south of America. It gained its wealth back much quicker than other states through the Great Depression and Civil War.

Virginia contains many rivers flowing throughout it some popular rivers include; Elizabeth River, James River, York River and Rappahannock Potomac River. The Atlantic Intra coastal Waterway also passes through Virginia.

For more information go to The official website for the state of Virginia

Cities of Virginia