As you may have heard, the King Street Traffic Calming and Bike Lane proposal was presented to the Traffic and Parking Board on Monday November 25. The stated intent was to hear from the public and to decide on the removal of 27 usually-empty parking spaces and the addition of three parking spaces nearby. 10 parking spaces on King St would have been retained in the citys compromise proposal. 1. Update: To put it simply the hearing was a disgrace. Proponents of the project, who supported the compromise proposal, were characterized by board members as uncompromising. A member of the board stated, without dissent, that there was no common ground, even though it was clear that the 10 parking spaces retained in the compromise proposal were exactly that common ground. The board chair, Jay Johnson, was extremely dismissive of the hard work of the city staff, saying that the compromise proposal had no meat on it. City staff were instructed to come back with a better plan but were given no practical guidance by members of the Traffic and Parking Board as to what that plan might include. At the hearing, 38 people spoke in favor of the proposal and 18 spoke against it. A broad coalition of citizens and organizers were there and they have our heartfelt thanks. The proposal had the support of the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Environmental Policy Commission. Like the TPB, these commissions are required to balance citizen concerns with the City Councils plans and policies, such as our Master Plans, the Complete Streets Policy and the Eco City Alexandria Charter. Despite the fact that almost every speaker expressed concern for cyclist safety, only one member of the board spoke in favor of safe bicycling and the entire board instructed city staff to implement pedestrian safety measures without bike lanes and without removal of parking. It was clear to those present that the members of the Traffic and Parking Board had no interest in, or any respect for, city staff, the public, the public process, or the policies and initiatives of the City Council. A summary is here: thewashcycle/2013/11/king-street-bike-lanes-delayed-2-months.html 2. Action: Please write to the City Council to ask for both reform of the Traffic and Parking Board and for their support of the compromise proposal for King Street. Here are some talking points: request.alexandriava.gov/CCC/#tab=Departments&group=MayorandCityCouncil&service=CNC_GROUP - At a time when Alexandria is working to re-energize the public process through the Whats Next Alexandria initiative, we need our citizen boards to be relevant, responsive to citizens, and responsive to the City Council. The current Traffic and Parking board is none of these. - All citizens deserve to be heard and deserve to have safe streets. - The City Council has a vision of a transit-oriented Alexandria that will move the city forward. The mission of the TPB, to study traffic and parking problems, is no longer important to the many residents who are living car-free or car lite. We instead need to give voice to broad citizen concerns regarding Transportation and Safety. - The King Street Traffic Calming and Bike Lane project (1) Improves safety for pedestrians by helping to slow traffic. (2) Creates a buffer between pedestrians and motor vehicles. (3) Provides a safe route for cyclists of all abilities for both transportation and recreation. (4) Creates an essential link for bicycle and pedestrian access to transit. - Alexandria is becoming a more urban environment. For the sake of our population and our growing economy, we need to make our changing city work for all of our residents. - We request reform of the Traffic and Parking Board and support for the compromise plan (option 2) for King Street. Mayor Euille, who was recently quoted in the press regarding Capital Bikeshare, said it best: “We don’t want people driving their cars and parking, we want people to be using bicycles and walking.”
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 16:32:36 +0000
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