Let’s improve W. Braddock, Cambridge Rd, N. Royal, S. Pitt, and Russell Rd in Alex

The City of Alexandria has put up a web survey soliciting feedback on the upcoming street repavings. The current list includes West Braddock, Cambridge Road, North Royal, South Pitt, and Russell Road (as well as Seminary and South Pickett discussed in previous posts).

Here is a link to the survey form (note, the survey closes on May 4th)

https://survey.alexandriava.gov/s3/C…treetsRepaving

Below are some suggestions from BPAC, but of course feel free to express your own ideas and concerns.

Braddock Rd. (N. Beauregard St. to N. Van Dorn St.).

This section of W. Braddock includes apartments and townhouses, and is close to NVCC. It has a history of bike and pedestrian collisions, and is designated as an enhanced bike route in the bike ped master plan. A large City park, a private middle school, the Minnie Howard high school campus are located just east of the repaving area.

– Speed limit should be reduced to 25 MPH, with a limit of 15 MPH in front of schools during arrival and departure hours.

– West Braddock should have protected/buffered bike lanes and additional pedestrian improvements, which should include a partially protected intersection at North Hampton with concrete islands for people walking to wait on

– Provide leading pedestrian intervals at Van Dorn, North Hampton and Beauregard.

– Create a protected intersection at Braddock and Howard.

– Bike lanes are needed to connect existing low stress bike routes on Van Dorn and North Hampton, and a future low stress bike route on Beauregard creating a low stress network.

Cambridge Rd. (Duke St. to Janney’s Ln.)

This neighborhood street is a major cut-through route and also serves Douglas MacArthur Elementary School and Bishop Ireton High School.

Top issues: Pedestrian safety and excessive vehicle speeds

Suggested solutions include the following

Install continental crosswalks at Cambridge Road/Dartmouth Road and Cambridge/Vassar Road
Install Bulb-outs at these two intersections to both narrow the roadway (for traffic calming) and shorten pedestrian crossing distances
Increase visibility at intersections by moving stop signs and bars several feet back from the crosswalk
Designate Cambridge Street as a 15 mph neighborhood “slow zone”

S. Pitt St. (King St. to Gibbon St.)

Improve pedestrian safety with curb extensions at King St and Wilkes. Daylight intersections at King St, Prince St, & Wilkes. Replace four way stop at Wilkes with two way stop. Add sharrows.

N. Royal St. (Bashford Ln. to King St.)

North Royal should be a neighborhood bikeway, designed primarily for walking and biking, and slow vehicle speeds.

– Implement planned changes to improve walkability and biking

– Suggestions include Daylighting at King/Cameron/Madison, and Bashford and 2nd St and implementing high visibility crosswalks.

– Do not repaint centerline north of 3rd St and between Cameron and King,

– Reduce speed limit to 20 mph, add traffic diverters at 2nd St (east/west traffic only), additional traffic diverters at Wythe, Oronoco and Queen,

– Full width speed bumps each block, ban trucks.

– Bike lanes between King and Cameron would connect to the Cameron Street lanes.

– Review traffic warrants to see if intersections meet the criteria for stop signs. Where they do not, consider replacing with mini-roundabouts.

Russell Rd. (Mt. Vernon Ave. to Masonic View Dr.)

For Question #6, please consider checking these three issues:

· People drive too fast on my street

· It is difficult to travel on the sidewalks along my street

· It is difficult to bike on my street

For Question #7, consider including

· Add new or upgrade existing crosswalks

· Other – add Leading Pedestrian Intervals

· Add or improve bicycle facilities

The area from Glebe to Mount Vernon is a dense urban area with high levels of pedestrian activity.

– Provide a Leading Pedestrian Interval at Mt Vernon and Glebe,

– Remove left lane on north side of Glebe intersection due to underuse.

– Close slip lane from Mt Vernon Ave.

– Create 6′ bike lanes between Glebe and Mt Vernon Ave, bike box at Mt Vernon Ave, removing 8 parking spaces in front of St. Rita Parish School which has its own large parking lot.

– A short bike lane on Mount Vernon between Russell and Bruce St would connect to Four Mile Run Trail.

– Consider bike lanes south of Glebe: In order to deal with excessive speeds on the rest of Russell, extend buffered climbing lane by removing 1 of 2 underused parking lanes to Mt Ida Ave/Mansion Dr.

o Add Buffered bike lanes from Mt Ida Ave/Mansion Dr to Mason.

o Add Buffered climbing lane alternating until Masonic View Dr.