Alexandria residents on King Street (Rosemont Avenue to Janney's Lane) look out on empty bike lanes that occupy 30 percent of the roadway. A year ago parking, available to residents when they bought their homes, was removed and the roadway was narrowed two feet to accommodate these bike lanes.
On May 15, "Bike to Work Day," I counted only 15 bike riders using this section of King Street between 7 - 9 a.m.. Weather was beautiful — sunny, with a few clouds and temperatures in the upper 50's. During the same time period there were 1,978 motorized vehicles (includes 76 buses). There was plenty of room on the sidewalk to accommodate the 15 bike riders or they could have used the Masonic Memorial Bike Trail. These options especially make sense when you view pictures taken by residents documenting the dangerous overlap of vehicles into the bike lanes.
The city has committed to review the decision on King Street bike lanes by October 2015. Considering (a year after implementation) that only 15 bike riders traveled this section of King Street during morning rush hour on a day designated "Bike to Work" makes the case to reverse the decision for these dedicated bike lanes. At the time of implementation city plans advised that King Street had a low potential for bike lane usage, suggested alternative bike lane routes, and did not suggest the removal of on-street parking which served as a buffer. Basically empty bike lanes have proven the wisdom of these original plans.
Restore King Street for its primary users — drivers of motorized vehicles and those who live every day on this major roadway to/from Old Town. Bring reality back to this Complete Street plan.
Louise Welch
Alexandria