Suburban Park to Get Security Boulders

Fort Scott Park (Arlington, Va.) photo courtesy of Kit Whitely

Congratulations to Kit Whitely and the entire Arlington Ridge Civic Association (ARCA) in Arlington, Virginia. They were victorious in persuading the Arlington County Parks and Recreation Commission recently to fund the installation of boulders in Fort Scott Park as a safety barrier between the parking lot and Fort Scott Drive.

ARCA had requested a $6,050 Park Enhancement Grant for the boulders in response to a 2009 pedestrian fatality. A car went out of control in the park's parking lot. The vehicle was “launched” over the edge of the parking lot curb, rolled down the hill, ran over a pedestrian in the sidewalk who was walking his dog, and crashed into a house across the street. The park's lot was apparently often used as a venue for driver training-related parking lessons—and this one went tragically wrong.

The photo above shows the hill down which the car rolled. The pedestrians on the sidewalk and vehicles in the street were completely unprotected from the type of crash that occurred. Staff from Arlington County's Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources will determine the locations of the boulders to create a natural appearance while also creating a barrier to hopefully stop cars from going down the slope. The installation is planned for this year.