Completed Streets Alexandria is a site that intends to document the state of cycling and pedestrian infrastructure within the city of Alexandria Virginia. It follows the Alexandria Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan from 2016. There have been a few updates to this plan, but they are minor.
Completed Streets should not be confused with Smart Growth America’s Complete Streets. Complete Streets is a vision for multi-modal transportation design that is all inclusive: all ages (the very young to the very old), all abilities (including those whose mobility is physically challenged) and all modes of transportation (pedestrians, bikes and yes, cars and trucks). Complete Streets are a stated headline goal of Alexandria’s urban planning.
Completed Streets Alexandria, using the past tense, looks at the actual, on the ground, application of these design features and reviews city streets in that context.
Completed Streets Alexandria also supports to Vision Zero. Vision Zero insists that safety for all who use roads, streets, sidewalks and public transportation is intrinsic to its design. That accidents, injury and fatalities are not so much do to operator failure (user error) but to poor design. To that end, I will include videos and posts that focus on such hazards, especially to cyclists and pedestrians. Alexandria city government has committed to implement Vision Zero in their Master Mobility Plan.
The best way to document progress (or the lack of it) in implementing this Plan is to ride the routes and video tape them. In doing so, I’ve taken my inspiration from Mark Wagenbuur’s BicycleDutch, a must-view channel for every urban cycling enthusiast. It features a silent narrator with its focus on the surrounding infrastructure, other riders, traffic and general ambiance.
I have tried, as much as possible, to make the rides and videos continuous – a single take. The only elisions are times spent at Alexandria’s absurdly long stop lights, especially waiting for a pedestrian crossing signal.
I hope my videos will accurately convey something of the riding experience in and around Alexandria.
As per the Alexandria Plan, I label the street and direction of travel and note crossings of other bicycle routes. In some cases, existing or proposed routes travel in only one direction (i.e only east, but not west, for example) even at a four-way intersection. I’ve taken the liberty of pointing out schools, libraries, stations, some other government buildings and, of course, Capitol Bikeshare stations. I’ve also included some bridges and landmarks just for orientation – even an oft-ridden route can seem unfamiliar when viewed in a video.
Each Completed Streets video will be accompanied by a blog with a more detailed description of the routes and of the cycling network as a whole. I offer the caveat that the blog is my opinion alone, that I am not a traffic engineer, nor an urban planner nor politician and that my only agenda is to get from point A to point B safely, conveniently, comfortably.
A route posting, however, is by no means an endorsement that the way is safe. Bear in mind that what may seem comfortable at a certain time of the day may seem treacherous within a few short hours. All riders are encouraged to consider their ability and experience carefully, especially when riding arterial roads – Seminary Road and Duke Street come to mind – in traffic.
As with urban cycling in North America, whether commuting to work or going grocery shopping, route selection requires more than a bit of improvisation. Viewing the Plan, it’s apparent that 70% of the routes as of 2016 were only planned, they did, and most still, do not exist. A complete cycling network throughout this city – and one that connects with Fairfax County and Arlington – is but a future aspiration.
So, I may choose a sidewalk (which I loathe) over a street because traffic is uncomfortably fast and dense, yet at another time of day riding in traffic may be feel safe (Seminary Road). Sometimes, I prefer a street to a poorly maintained bike path (Eisenhower Road), or riding in traffic to a route that requires many crossings at lights to access service roads and paths (Duke Street).
Being of a certain age, I am probably more cautious than most and less tolerant of dangerous traffic situations. So I wait in line instead of squeezing between lanes, let cars pass when entering intersections and I do obey stop lights and practice ‘safety stops’ at intersections. To spread good will, I always acknowledge when a driver yields the right of way. I practice my yoga breathing when they don’t. For the most part, NoVA drivers are courteous to cyclists, and the avenues are fairly broad. Most of its city streets can safely accommodate bikes.
As far as North American cities go, I would admit that the biking environment, apart from its existing infrastructure, is good. However, as a network, commuting from outside the city or through it, it is poor to fair. As a world-class cycling network it is nascent and presently unjudgeable. The next decade will determine whether the Plan is backed by the social, economic and political will necessary to implement its stated goals of Complete Streets and Vision Zero or whether it remains aspirational.
To those interested, please comment with your critiques, corrections and suggestions on how to make these videos and content better and more informative. Now stop reading and start riding!
