Six Alexandria intersections have emerged as critical safety hazards where pedestrians and cyclists face daily risks from distracted drivers and inadequate infrastructure, according to a new report analyzing more than 300 near-miss incidents over 18 months.
The report, provided to ALXnow on Thursday by Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets, examined 318 near-miss incidents reported between January 2024 and July 2025. According to the report, 47% of incidents involved children, with most occurring during school commuting hours from 6-9 a.m. and 3-6 p.m.
NoVA FSS was founded in 2017 by Mike Doyle after he survived being struck by a car while walking in a crosswalk in Old Town Alexandria, according to the organization’s website.
The analysis was conducted by researchers Shuo (Ava) Qin and Sam Thomas.
The intersection of Hickory Street and Kennedy Street was identified as a high-incident location. As ALXnow previously reported, the roundabout has resulted in a surge of near-miss complaints since its installation.
The report quoted one witness: “Dozens of kids & adults trying to cross Kennedy in both directions and at both sides of intersection, cars speeding both up & down the street failing to yield.”
Other high-risk locations identified include:
- Duke Street and South Fayette Street: One incident report stated: “Vehicles in neither direction on Duke street stopped despite the flashing signal. I was forced to take refuge in the median of Duke street in order to get across the street safely.”
- Radford Street and West Braddock Road: According to the report, one witness stated: “There is a painted crosswalk at Braddock Rd and Radford street. However, there is no traffic light, stop sign, or rapid flash here. Drivers never stop. I’ve seen them whiz past kids in the crosswalk, and I’ve seen more than one collision between vehicles as someone attempts to cross Braddock. I’ve had to go out into the road as an adult to stop traffic for kids trying to cross.”
- East Braddock Road near Braddock Metro Station: One report quoted in the document stated: “Drivers routinely ignore the pedestrian crosswalk and flashing lights at the intersection.”
- Mount Vernon Avenue and Herbert Street: The report notes drivers fail to yield despite flashing lights, with visibility problems from overgrown trees.
- King Street and South Henry Street: According to one incident report: “At the intersection of King St and Henry and the intersection of Patrick and King St the cars on King St are allowed to turn left before the pedestrians can proceed.”
The data shows 85.03% of reported incidents involved people walking, while 14.33% involved cyclists. Traffic lights were the most common incident location at 29.30%, followed by stop sign intersections at 14.65% and mid-block crossings at 12.74%.
Infrastructure problems identified include no stop signs or signals (29.62% of reports), poor visibility (27.07%), and not enough time to cross (11.46%).
Driver behavioral factors included failure to yield (65.61%), distracted driving (35.35%), and speeding (35.03%).
The near-miss reporting system was launched in 2022 when Alexandria secured a $45,000 grant to allow pedestrians and other “vulnerable road users” to report incidents where a collision with a vehicle is narrowly missed.
The report states that as of August 2025, Northern Virginia recorded 10 pedestrian and cyclist fatalities, with 2 occurring in Alexandria.
The report calls for reducing vehicle speeds on high crash corridors such as Mount Vernon Avenue and King Street, implementing complete street designs, and supporting legislation to expand speed safety cameras in residential communities.
According to the document, “AFSS needs to do a better job of raising awareness about the NM survey app in underserved communities.”
