Alexandria’s Complete Streets program, which aims to make city streets safer and more accessible for all users, will be the focus of an upcoming public program hosted by Agenda Alexandria on March 24 at the Lyceum.
Since its implementation, Complete Streets has generated both support and opposition. The city touts safety improvements, while some residents express concerns about impacts on traffic flow and automobile use.
The forum will feature a diverse panel of experts and community representatives who will discuss the program’s goals, achievements, and challenges. The event begins with a reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by the program at 7 p.m.
“Complete Streets are streets for everyone,” according to city materials about the program. “Complete Streets are streets designed and operated to enable safe, efficient, and comfortable travel for all users. Those include people of all ages and abilities, regardless of whether they are walking, bicycling, using public transportation, or driving.”
The panel will include Alex Carroll, Program Manager for Alexandria’s Complete Streets initiative. Carroll oversees the city’s Vision Zero Program, which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries. Carroll has led major projects, including corridor redesigns, intersection improvements, sidewalk installations, and multi-use trails.
Carter Flemming, Chair of the Alexandria Federation of Civic Associations, will also participate. A native Alexandrian named a Living Legend in 2017, Flemming has been involved in transportation issues including the Seminary Road diet, Duke Street in Motion, and the recent Pickett Street Road diet.
Kanti Srikanth, Director at Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, brings over 30 years of experience in transportation and regional planning to the discussion. Srikanth oversees the integration of transportation, land use, housing, climate, energy, and air quality planning programs.
Alexandria resident Dane Lauritzen, who identifies as a pedestrian, biker, and commuter, rounds out the panel. Through Families for Safe Streets, Lauritzen has advocated for street safety and provided feedback on multiple street design projects, including Duke Street in Motion, Eisenhower Avenue, South Pickett Street, and Holland Lane.
Rod Kuckro, Agenda Alexandria Board Member, will moderate the discussion.
According to city reports, the Complete Streets program made significant progress in fiscal year 2024. Achievements include installing over 600 linear feet of new sidewalk, creating 90 new or upgraded crosswalks, adding safety treatments to 7 intersections, implementing 12 traffic calming treatments, and developing 1,200 linear feet of new or improved bike lanes.
Notable projects completed in FY 2024 include planning and conceptual design for multimodal improvements on Holland Lane and South Pickett Street, installation of Alexandria’s first contraflow bike lane on Glendale Avenue, completion of the Lynhaven Neighborhood Slow Zone Pilot Project, improvements to the King-Callahan-Russell intersection, and installation of a missing sidewalk connection on Seminary Road at Colfax Avenue, according to the city.
For fiscal year 2025, the city says that it has allocated $840,500 for the Non-Motorized Transportation Program Budget, with planned increases in subsequent years. The FY 2025 work plan includes 28 projects, many aligning with the Alexandria Mobility Plan, Safe Routes to School, Vision Zero, and repaving initiatives.
Despite these accomplishments, the program has faced opposition. According to Agenda Alexandria, “Objections are largely from citizens who see the program’s lane eliminations as hostile to individual automobile use and disruptive to neighborhood traffic patterns for the sake of a small minority of cyclists.”
Agenda Alexandria, a registered 501(c)(3) non-partisan organization, hosts in-person and digital programs on topics of interest to Alexandria residents without taking positions on issues. The organization “encourages informed debate and discussion on a wide variety of local issues.”
The Lyceum is located at 201 South Washington Street in Alexandria. For more information on the program and updates, click here.
More information about the Complete Streets program is available at alexandriava.gov/CompleteStreets.
