I feel very strongly that Seminary Road, along with other city streets, should be revamped to include safety features such as bike lanes and better pedestrian crossings. The West End of Alexandria should not be known as the "car required' part of the city. Walking and biking, along
with public transportation and driving, should be among the transportation options for all city residents. Our roads need to be efficient and safe for all modes of transportation.
I have three school age children and we have lived in the West End for 16 years. Seminary Road is a main corridor for us. My children could be riding their bikes to school as well as social and extracurricular activities if I felt it was safe enough.
By adopting a Complete Streets Policy in 2011, the City of Alexandria directed transportation planners to design and operate the entire right of way to enable safe access for all users, regardless of age, ability, or mode of transportation.This has worked well on King Street. I believe this will work well on Seminary Road.
I fully understand that the issue is contentious but as citizens we must rely on city staff and leaders to make the right decisions, which are not always the most popular. I believe many of the opponents to this plan are being swayed by misinformation and fears about traffic that simply will not materialize. I want to reduce the traffic on our roads like everyone else. What we cannot afford to do is bury our collective heads in the sand and insist the status quo is optimal simply because we fear better practice alternatives that involve change.
To go forward to the next phase without making these critical changes would risk setting a dangerous precedent of street engineering by popularity contest, rather than applying city policies and best practices.
Jesse Strauss
Alexandria