by Grassroots Alexandria
Action: Please write to city council by October 15 with this or a similar message: “Please implement the Traffic and Parking Board recommendation by daylighting intersections, improving crosswalks, and adding parking spaces specifically for Naomi Brooks Elementary School teachers and please to direct staff to accelerate implementing safe routes to school safety improvement near other schools.”
Dear Mayor, Vice Mayor, and City Council,
We in Grassroots Alexandria are writing with concern about the July Traffic and Parking Board (TPB) meeting. After publicizing and accepting public comment on two “Safe Routes To School” options for Naomi Brooks Elementary School, city staff brought only one of these options (Concept 1) to the TPB. While a significant majority of the public (“roughly seven in 10” of survey respondents) supported the more impactful Concept 2, the TPB was asked to consider only the less impactful option. Why not show respect for our process by asking TPB to consider the more widely-supported, more impactful option?
At issue was the removal of parking spaces near intersections to improve sight-lines for people crossing Russell Rd, a safety measure known as “daylighting.” Hoboken, New Jersey, completely eliminated traffic fatalities by, among other things, daylighting intersections. One of our friends, who moved here from New Jersey, told us she was surprised to see that people in Alexandria were allowed to park so close to intersections. As a result of the Russell Rd discussion, she now knows what daylighting is. To us, it’s controversial. To her, it’s simply common sense. We ask that you support the TPB recommendation, including the recommendation to accommodate teacher parking.
Here are 4 reasons to direct city staff to implement the TPB recommendation:
- It feels good to do the right thing. Our activist friends speculate that city staff or city leadership wishes to avoid another 11-hour city council meeting over parking. However, while an 11 hour meeting is not fun, it is even less fun for people on the losing end. Consider the evidence: In the E Braddock case, the TPB meeting ran past midnight. In the Russell Rd case, despite on-line noise about parking spaces, the opposition barely showed up. Only one resident spoke against the TPB recommendation and the TPB meeting was much shorter. Following through with daylighting is not only the right thing, it cements the hard-won, 11-hour lesson that we will stand up for our values.
- Virginia leads in education. The 2019 Safe Routes to School Program Census (the most recent available) “identified hundreds of Safe Routes to School programs present in almost all of the states.” SRTS is especially popular in Virginia, with programs in all 9 VDOT districts. Participation is highest in Northern Virginia.
- Truthfulness matters. When people claim that parking is scarce, it sounds “truthy.” We’ve all struggled to figure out where to put a momentarily-inconvenient car. If residents claim parking scarcity in a neighborhood with no parking restrictions, then a residential parking zone is needed. Or, perhaps, not everyone is being truthful.
- Community matters. Every week, the Naomi Brooks Elementary School community organizes the Brooks Bike Bus to celebrate, encourage, and enjoy bicycling to school. These parents, children, friends, and neighbors are pedaling towards a safer, healthier, Alexandria community. Following the example of our community-minded city council, they are showing up in our community like they showed up at the Traffic and Parking Board.
For these reasons, we believe it is beneficial to stand by our values, as reflected in our process, and follow through with our plans. This is true whether we are developing and improving our bike-lane network (Mobility Plan), expanding affordable housing (Housing 2040 plan), or implementing street-safety best practices near elementary schools (Vision Zero policy).
We ask that you support the July TPB recommendation for Safe Routes to School at Naomi Brooks Elementary School, including teacher parking. We further ask that each of you, individually, encourage our very-capable city staff to continue to faithfully implement city plans and policies.
We thank you for your time and attention.