Four Alexandria teenagers were robbed by six masked suspects on Monday (July 31) at a bus stop in the West End, according to police.
The juvenile victims, all 16 years of age, were not injured in the incident. At around 9:15 p.m., the victims were waiting at a bus stop near the intersection of Duke Street and N. Donelson Street when the suspects pulled up in a black Toyota Corolla.
The victims told police that four men and two women wearing ski masks got out of the car and then stole money and personal items. No one was injured and no weapons were used by the suspects, according to police.
A father of one of the victims reported the incident on NextDoor.
Anyone with information on this incident can call the Alexandria Police Department non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
Image via Google Maps
A plan to overhaul the way Alexandria handles transportation funding from developers was sent back for further review by the Planning Commission.
Members of the Planning Commission said earlier this week that there are too many lingering questions about the impacts on local residents of the proposed changes, though the changes are headed in the right direction.
The change could lead to end of city-wide shuttle programs, leaving a gap in services that the local bus network may not be able to fill.
Currently, developers manage funding for transportation projects to offset increased traffic from their projects. That funding, part of a transportation management plan (TMP), can be used to encourage employees and residents to use public transportation, walk, take a bike or rideshare over driving to work alone.
But a number of the 106 TMPs in effect in Alexandria lack proper oversight to ensure funds are being put to good use, while developers face low penalties — a $50 fine — for not following these plans, according to a city report.
The city proposes to lump funding from those TMPs into a single, city-managed pot to be allocated to city transportation projects.
Commissioners and public speakers said there are a few areas where the change could pull the rug out from beneath a few vital current systems.
The plan is “not ready for primetime,” Morgan Babcock, manager and TMP coordinator for the Carlyle Council, told the Planning Commission during public comments.
Babcock said her TMP provides a workday shuttle and supports community events like Bike to Work Day as well as management of a tunnel connecting Carlyle to the King Street Metro station. The city would have to assume responsibility for and management of all these initiatives, Babcock noted.
Commissioners were particularly concerned about the future of shuttle services, which staff said are part of eight TMPs.
“We would potentially be remiss if we pull the rug out from shuttles,” said Planning Commission Chair Nathan Macek. “I’m not sure DASH or Metrobus would be an adequate substitute for shuttles.”
Staff said one part of the plan would involve shifting shuttle operations over to DASH. Macek noted that DASH buses generally do not fill the same needs as the shuttles in TMPs.
In Cameron Station, for instance, a shuttle circulates around the community and gives better access to local homes than a bus traveling along major streets would, Macek said.
Planning Commission member Mindy Lyle proposed deferring the changes until staff could conduct more outreach to current TMP programs and review the impact on shuttles. That motion carried unanimously.
A new bus rapid transit (BRT) system could connect Alexandria’s Mark Center with Tysons along the second-busiest corridor in Northern Virginia.
BRT systems are a way of potentially redesigning a roadway to favor fast and accessible bus travel, sometimes separating the bus into its own lane as in the Potomac Yard Transitway. The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) has scheduled a community discussion tomorrow to look at the planned Route 7 BRT system.
While the route will extend into Alexandria, the discussion tomorrow will mostly focus on the Falls Church section.
“Route 7 is the second busiest corridor in Northern Virginia, and ridership remained strong during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the essential workers who rely on this service,” the NVTC said in a release. “BRT would upgrade transit quality through the 14-mile corridor, connect major job centers, connect one Metrorail station and one BRT service, serve more than 7,500 transit dependent riders weekly and increase pedestrian access to transit.”
The exact route the BRT will take is still being studied, with a report on the options expected to wrap up in April 2023.
The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 11, from 6:30-8 p.m. The meeting is scheduled for Meridian High School at 121 Mustang Alley in Falls Church.
The City of Alexandria could be rolling out a new kind of bus stop with some substantial improvements over the current one.
It’s no hoity-toity $1 million Arlington bus stop, but the new shelters have modifications designed to make them more durable.
“Once approved, this bus shelter model will be used as the primary bus shelter to be installed by the City CIP projects and Developers throughout the City moving forward,” the city said in a project application.
The application laid out a few of the improvements over the current design approved in 2015.
“The modified bus shelter design is substantially similar to the current design and offers improvements that would make it more durable,” the application said. “Improvements include a more impact resistant roof, compact solar panels, framed wall panels,
handrails, and better mounting system for light fixture and location sign.”
The City of Alexandria is sending the new bus stop design through its approval process starting with a stop at the Board of Architectural Review on Wednesday, Sept. 7.
