The Alexandria City Council has approved a pilot parking program for the 100 block of Prince Street (between Union and Lee Streets), which is a historic cobblestone street. Cars with the Alexandria One Sticker displayed on their rear bumpers will be able to park at any time on this street, but visitors will now be able to use the Pango system to pay for two hours of parking.
I am a strong advocate of increasing visitor parking opportunities while also respecting the rights of the residents. However, since this site is one of only two cobblestone streets in Alexandria, any potential traffic increases should be discouraged. Sixty-five percent of the residents on this street signed a petition to the Traffic and Parking Board agreeing to the pilot program and hopefully they will see a decrease rather than increase in traffic as a result. Needless to say the residents on this street take great pride in this historic street and wish to retain its residential streetscape while also desirous of parking reasonably close to their homes, especially after dark.
In my opinion, the choice of Prince Street as a Pango pilot is at best a dubious one. The City Council’s stewardship of historic resources somehow was allowed to be abrogated in this instance. They should have found a more suitable location.
Townsend A. “Van” Van Fleet
Alexandria