Alexandria City Council unanimously approved the King St. bike lanes. Thanks to everyone who wrote in support!
Please sign the petition for the Alexandria City Council to approve the King Street Traffic Calming Project with Bike Lanes, by COB Friday, March 14.
By now you’ve probably heard about the proposed bike lanes on Alexandria’s King St., and the public approval process that keeps getting dragged out.
What’s the holdup?
A handful of residents along this short stretch of road are — perhaps understandably — upset about losing street parking in front of their homes. And the Traffic and Parking Board seemed more sympathetic to these residents than to the thousands of pedestrians, cyclists, and even motorists who would benefit every day from a striped and traffic-calmed King St.
All parties say that safety is their primary concern, and that speeding is the main hazard to be addressed. Traffic engineers know that narrowing lanes causes motorists to slow down, as in this example:
“… we went out and used temporary chalk to stripe two parking lanes and two bike lanes on the street (the original striping had long faded away) and then, during that same two hour window, recorded the speed of all the passing vehicles. Our hypothesis – that narrower driving lanes would reduce the speed of traffic – was confirmed by our results. It was simply a bonus when neighborhood residents showed up and started using the bike lanes.” (Image and quote by Strong Towns.)
The King St. bike lanes are about safety for everybody, not just cyclists. Motorists will slow down. Pedestrians will get a much wider buffer from traffic. While a few parking spaces remain in the compromise plan, every parking space removed would eliminate a potential car-bike conflict point.
It’s also about “last mile” connections to the King St. Metro, in accordance with local and regional transportation plans.
Shouldn’t we be following these plans, and Complete Streets policies? (Alexandria does have one.)
City Council has the final say on this issue and will decide it at a meeting on Saturday, March 15, 11:00 a.m. at Alexandria City Hall. Everyone who supports Complete Streets — and who fears such a policy is meaningless if any group of angry residents can prevent its implementation, street by street — is encouraged to come to City Hall to show their support.
Whether you can come or not, please sign the petition for the Alexandria City Council to approve the King Street Traffic Calming Project with Bike Lanes, by COB Friday, March 14.
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