Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PAC) Charter

Authority

The Arlington County Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PAC) will be established and its members appointed by the County Manager.

Purpose

The PAC will advise the County Manager on issues that impact the quality of pedestrian life in Arlington County, including, but not limited to: safety, health, access and mobility, maintenance and development, and the recognition of pedestrian activities as fundamental to a complete transportation system.

Scope

The committee will:

• Advise the County Manager on implementation of the pedestrian and streets elements of the Master Transportation Plan.
• Advise on proposed capital programming activities.
• Advise the County Manager on project and development issues related to accessibility/ADA compliance, traffic safety, sidewalk and building frontage activity, and innovative or best practices.
• Provide a forum for citizens to comment on the quality of pedestrian life in Arlington, and advance the cause of improved pedestrian transportation.
• Promote greater citizen advocacy for place-making and improved quality of public space.

Membership Qualifications & Duties

PAC members will be Arlington County residents or employed in Arlington.  They will be expected to have a general knowledge of or professional interest in pedestrian issues and best practices.  Ideally, it should include representatives of the following organizations or interest groups:

• Transportation Commission
• Planning Commission
• Disabilities Advisory Commission
• Commission on Aging
• Homeowners and apartment dwellers
• Business improvement districts
• Arlington Public Schools or PTA’s
• Public health advocates

The PAC’s chair and vice-chair will be responsible for developing meeting agendas, running public meetings, administering any online committee presence, and facilitating votes and any official correspondence.

Appointments & Duration

The PAC will comprise between seven and 15 members formally appointed by the County Manager. Each member will serve renewable two-year terms. The PAC will present a slate of proposed members for the County Manager’s approval prior to the start of each calendar year. The County Manager retains the right to select members as needed to ensure the committee reflects the demographic and geographic diversity of Arlington as a whole. The chair may nominate additional members for County Manager approval when useful and appropriate.

The PAC will select its chair and vice-chair for terms of up to two years duration. Other topic-specific officers will be assigned as needed.

Public Involvement

The PAC is expected to convene a public meeting at least every other month, but might choose to meet more often. A full calendar year of meetings should be set up in advance and posted to a publicly accessible forum or forums. To help engage those not naturally inclined to attend public meetings, the PAC should develop an online presence using Google Groups or other social media tools appropriate to its mission.

Staffing

An employee of the Department of Environmental Services’ Transportation Planning Bureau will be assigned the task of staff coordinator and committee liaison. Other staff will be called upon for support as needed.

Reporting

The committee will prepare a summary of the proceedings of each public meeting for the benefit of its members and for the County Manager’s review. The committee will make that summary available to the public within two weeks, and may compile the year’s meeting summaries and committee accomplishments in the form of an annual report.