transportation planning | ALXnow

Morning Notes

Published October 26, 2021 at 6:00AM

Alexandria residents along Telegraph Road demand action from state — “Residents who travel along a busy roadway in Northern Virginia are demanding answers from the state’s department of transportation.” [Fox5]

COVID-19 booster shots readily available in Alexandria and Fairfax County — “Thanks to all the work done setting up the infrastructure to provide initial vaccines to residents, it’s pretty easy to get a booster shot in both Alexandria and Fairfax County, as long as you qualify.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]

News

Morning Notes

By Vernon Miles

Published October 22, 2021 at 5:00AM

Cortado Cafe opens in Alexandria’s West End — “A new coffee shop has opened in the Shoppes of Foxchase shopping center in Alexandria’s West End.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]

Council amends, renames Transportation Master Plan — “City Council approved an amendment to the Alexandria Transportation Master Plan during Saturday’s public hearing that aimed to expand the city’s focus on alternative modes of transit while addressing concerns such as congestion, accessibility and equity.” [Alexandria Times]

Opinion

Poll: Has Metro’s mayhem affected you this week?

By Vernon Miles

Published October 21, 2021 at 1:05PM

King Street metro (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

The Metro is operating at 40% service after the 7000 series railcars were pulled from service to be inspected for the same defect that recently caused a derailment in Arlington.

Metro has said that passengers should expect to wait up to 40 minutes for service on the Blue, Orange, Yellow, Green and Silver lines.

News

DASH network overhaul receives fewer complaints than expected

By Rick Horner

Published October 18, 2021 at 3:45PM

A DASH bus in Old Town Alexandria (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A new report from DASH shows that the bus network has received significantly fewer angry public calls about the new bus network overhaul than had earlier been expected.

A report made at a meeting of the Alexandria Transit Company’s Board of Directors last week indicated that the bus systems’ new DASH network has been a success in terms of recent complaints. According to the network’s customer service report call volumes and complaints regarding DASH operations have fallen below projections for the month of September.

News

City Council to consider swapping parking for ‘parklets’

By Vernon Miles

Published October 11, 2021 at 9:45AM

One of the weird byproducts of the pandemic has been some rapid changes in zoning that were given widespread, impromptu pilot programs over the last year. One of those, the conversion of on-street parking to “parklets“, is being considered as a permanent zoning change.

A city presentation defined a parklet as the “conversion of an on-street parking space into an extension of the sidewalk, to be used for open space, public seating, or the use of an adjacent business for dining or retail.” Examples shown from other cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles show permanent features installed in former parking spaces.

News

Planned bus rapid transit route from Alexandria to Tysons rolls ahead

By Vernon Miles

Published October 8, 2021 at 2:15PM

Envision Route 7 BRT concept, photo via NVTC

A proposed bus rapid transit (BRT) route that could connect Alexandria to Tysons is moving into a new phase of study that will assess options through the Seven Corners area.

The plan is eventually to have the Envision Route 7 BRT line run from the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons down to the Mark Center, where redevelopment could help turn the area into a hub that connects with other BRT lines. In May, Fairfax County chose a route through Tysons for the BRT line.

News

King Street-Duke Street connection closed this week

By Vernon Miles

Published October 7, 2021 at 9:30AM

Diagonal Road, closed for repaving (photo via Google Maps)

Diagonal Road, the very literally named road between Duke Street and King Street near the King Street Metro station, will be closed this week during working hours to through traffic for milling and repaving.

“Work will be performed between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,” the city said in a press release. “During this time Diagonal Road will be closed to through traffic. However, access to parking garages and the Embassy Suites Hotel will be maintained from Duke Street only.”

News

New ornament celebrates Alexandria’s original trolley

By Vernon Miles

Published October 6, 2021 at 3:30PM | Updated October 27, 2021 at 10:34AM

Ornament representing Car 303 of the Mount Vernon Alexandria & Washington Electric Railway (photo via Office of Historic Alexandria)

(Updated 10/27) Did you know that a little over 90 years before the King Street trolley started ferrying visitors through Old Town, another streetcar ran from Del Ray up into D.C.?

A new Christmas ornament for sale for $25 through the Office of Historic Alexandria celebrates the city’s first streetcar — which ran for 14 years before the popularity of the car helped drive it out of businesses.

News

Planning Commission endorses King Street closure despite concerns Prince Street could inherit trouble

By Vernon Miles

Published October 6, 2021 at 1:00PM | Updated October 6, 2021 at 2:05PM

Captain's Row on Prince Street (photo via Google Maps)

The 100 block of Prince Street is impossible to miss. It’s where the one-way street parallel to King Street suddenly becomes a cobblestone lane called Captain’s Row. But with the 100 block of King Street closure getting a Planning Commission endorsement, one of the few remaining concerns is the potential impact on the historic street to its south.

The Planning Commission endorsed making the closure of the 100 block permanent in a pair of unanimous votes, though with some acknowledgment that there are still issues to be resolved down the road, like the need for a better barricade as originally called out at the Waterfront Commission.

News

Alexandria’s mobility plan starts laying groundwork for self-driving vehicles

By Vernon Miles

Published October 4, 2021 at 1:00PM | Updated March 15, 2024 at 2:33PM

Among the changes the city is making to its mobility plan, Alexandria is starting to lay the groundwork for autonomous vehicles on city streets.

There are currently serious concerns about the safety of self-driving cars, with specific concerns about the ability of these cars to reliably avoid hitting pedestrians and cyclists. But at the technology advances, city staff are still including plans for self-driving cars on Alexandria streets as a future possibility worth planning for.

News

City looks to permanently ‘pedestrianize’ a block of King Street

By Vernon Miles

Published September 28, 2021 at 10:45AM

The 100 block of King Street has been closed to cars for over a year, and now the city is looking to make the change permanent.

At an upcoming meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 5, the Planning Commission is docketed to review a proposal by city staff to permanently turn the 100 block of King Street between Lee Street and Union Street into a pedestrian zone.