To the Editor:
On a recent afternoon, I rode my bike home on King Street after school along with two friends, passing another student after leaving a crowded bike rack. I can testify firsthand: the King Street bike lanes are not unused. Personally, I've been riding my bike up and down King Street six days a week since Aug. 1. The bike lanes allow students to get to school safely without slowing the speed of traffic.
This year, TC students were inconvenienced by cuts to the late bus schedule. With the current schedule, students who finish after-school tutoring, clubs, or sports practices any time after 4:30 p.m. must wait until
6 p.m. for the next buses (which take roundabout routes). Students with sports practices ending at, say, 5:30 p.m., are unable to get home until 6:30 p.m. or later, resulting in an hour of lost homework time. Riding DASH allows students to save time and be more productive. Both school buses and DASH buses are supported by city taxpayer dollars; cuts have probably saved ACPS a little bit of money while slightly reducing paying ridership on DASH. In the end, the cost to city taxpayers is probably insignificant.
Some individuals have complained that private school students should also receive free DASH bus rides. However, one thing the individuals have not considered is that some students at local private high schools
are not Alexandria residents — or Alexandria taxpayers. Besides, in my opinion, any person who can afford to pay $15,000, $35,000, or $55,000 annually for a high school education — something they could have had for
Free — can manage to put up a $1.60 bus fair.
From my personal experience, the city’s efforts to improve the lives of T.C. Williams students with new programs have been very beneficial.
Mark Bailey
Alexandria
The writer is an 11th grade student at T.C. Williams High School.