More information about this project:

In the docket for an upcoming Transportation Commission meeting, city staff unveiled plans to open op a process to “define the future of Duke Street.”

In a 2008 Transportation Master Plan, the city identified several corridors through Alexandria as prime locations for transitways — redesigned streets to meant to emphasize high-frequency and reliable public transit. A 2012 concept plan further elaborated with a more detailed framework for what transitways would entail.

“The goal of these transitways is to deliver high capacity transit to areas of the City that are not adjacent to Metrorail,” the city report said. “These areas already see high transit ridership and are expecting significant development (as evidenced in the Small Area Plans). High capacity transit provides a means to manage congestion as well as connect residents and businesses to jobs and services within the City and throughout the region.”

The Transportation Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 16.

A staff report on the project said that while transit improvements are the main focus, traffic management and bicycle/pedestrian access will also be included in the plans. The report said in November, the City Council agreed that staff needed to reevaluate

“Duke Street IN MOTION Week is the first step in that effort, which will help guide the revised plan for transit facilities and services on the corridor,” the city said.

That week of public programming is scheduled for June 21-27.

“Duke Street IN MOTION Week will include a virtual kick-off webinar on June 23, project website launch, and an online feedback form to help the team identify the communities’ needs and goals for the development of the corridor’s improvement alternatives,” the city said. “This will also include CDC compliant in-person pop-ups events and outreach to stakeholder groups and organizations along the corridor. Approximately 12 pop-ups will be hosted during Duke Street IN MOTION Week, with 6 additional pop-ups held after June 27.”

Over the summer, the staff report said the city would begin planning and working with a design consultant firm to develop conceptual plan alternatives and put together drawings and documents, with additional rounds of feedback in the fall. The total feedback period is scheduled to run for 18 months.

“The community will create a vision for this corridor to steer the eventual outcome of improvements related to public transit, such as the bus,,” the city said on the project website, “as well as other related improvements for walking, riding a bicycle, driving, and using micromobility (for example, shared electric bikes and scooters).”

https://www.alxnow.com/2021/06/14/city-launches-duke-street-transit-overhaul-process/

Anonymous wrote:Well for Alexandria proper, before the pandemic, they shut down for long stints twice. City Council should have been a hard f*** no. For the weak businesses, Covid was the last straw (plus their restaurant tax).

Nevermind Metro, even with modest recoveries in quality, is displaced by ride share.

The urbanists said to carpool, and people are carpooling. When you have hammer, all problems look like a mail. Stop trying to make buses work because you have them.

I take the metro, I cycle, sorry I can’t find time in my life and heart for the bus (or a street car) too.

Buses are slow because they're stuck in the same traffic as cars, despite carrying many more people, and because they don't come frequently. Bus-only lanes solve one of those problems.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live just off Duke Street, and would love both dedicated bus and bike lane ! Thanks, for letting me know about this, OP!
I know you were hoping to find haters, just like I know you were hoping Alison Silberberg would win the mayor primary. Hopefully you will finally learn...

Not OP, but serious question, how often do you cycle and how often do you actually take the bus? Obviously we can't verify your honesty on the matter. the inherent problem with surveys. Data suggests you and most people don't.

I usually avoid Duke, there's no reason for me to take it, on the rare occasion I drive at all. The primary reason is traffic, the changing bottle necks of lanes, and I don't see were any more lanes could be put, without taking land, or actually making everything worse.

Moreover as a pedestrian and cyclist, I hate the bus, and I have been almost hit several times while legally crossing the street, with the right of way. If people want safer streets, they need to ban busses.

We shouldn't build bike and bus facilities because people don't bike or take the bus because there aren't bike and bus facilities because people don't bike or take the bus because there aren't...

You realize that this is circular logic that equally applies to the proposition you propose? I could make similar arguments about lots of things. “If you build it they will come” is not as convincing an argument as you think it is.

I will give WMATA that at least the subway or whatever were calling it over here is mostly safe. Unlike some other cities I’ve been too.

Well for Alexandria proper, before the pandemic, they shut down for long stints twice. City Council should have been a hard f*** no. For the weak businesses, Covid was the last straw (plus their restaurant tax).

Nevermind Metro, even with modest recoveries in quality, is displaced by ride share.

The urbanists said to carpool, and people are carpooling. When you have hammer, all problems look like a mail. Stop trying to make buses work because you have them.

I take the metro, I cycle, sorry I can’t find time in my life and heart for the bus (or a street car) too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live just off Duke Street, and would love both dedicated bus and bike lane ! Thanks, for letting me know about this, OP!
I know you were hoping to find haters, just like I know you were hoping Alison Silberberg would win the mayor primary. Hopefully you will finally learn...

Not OP, but serious question, how often do you cycle and how often do you actually take the bus? Obviously we can't verify your honesty on the matter. the inherent problem with surveys. Data suggests you and most people don't.

I usually avoid Duke, there's no reason for me to take it, on the rare occasion I drive at all. The primary reason is traffic, the changing bottle necks of lanes, and I don't see were any more lanes could be put, without taking land, or actually making everything worse.

Moreover as a pedestrian and cyclist, I hate the bus, and I have been almost hit several times while legally crossing the street, with the right of way. If people want safer streets, they need to ban busses.

We shouldn't build bike and bus facilities because people don't bike or take the bus because there aren't bike and bus facilities because people don't bike or take the bus because there aren't...

Or we can use your failed logic, trust people when they say they’ll use it, and then don’t.

Seriously you people have largely stopped taking the metro. -80% or more. Nothing has changed. I bet you’ve taken an Uber too. Or driven late one night when it was still open.

Not sorry I don’t believe you’ll walk the dog everyday, when your lie costs everyone else hundreds of millions of dollars.

Use it or lose it.

What’s funny is that they convinced Metro that the problem was that it was not running frequently enough. So Metro spent a ton of money to run trains more frequently and it didn’t make a difference. Ridership continued to decline.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live just off Duke Street, and would love both dedicated bus and bike lane ! Thanks, for letting me know about this, OP!
I know you were hoping to find haters, just like I know you were hoping Alison Silberberg would win the mayor primary. Hopefully you will finally learn...

Not OP, but serious question, how often do you cycle and how often do you actually take the bus? Obviously we can't verify your honesty on the matter. the inherent problem with surveys. Data suggests you and most people don't.

I usually avoid Duke, there's no reason for me to take it, on the rare occasion I drive at all. The primary reason is traffic, the changing bottle necks of lanes, and I don't see were any more lanes could be put, without taking land, or actually making everything worse.

Moreover as a pedestrian and cyclist, I hate the bus, and I have been almost hit several times while legally crossing the street, with the right of way. If people want safer streets, they need to ban busses.

We shouldn't build bike and bus facilities because people don't bike or take the bus because there aren't bike and bus facilities because people don't bike or take the bus because there aren't...

Or we can use your failed logic, trust people when they say they’ll use it, and then don’t.

Seriously you people have largely stopped taking the metro. -80% or more. Nothing has changed. I bet you’ve taken an Uber too. Or driven late one night when it was still open.

Not sorry I don’t believe you’ll walk the dog everyday, when your lie costs everyone else hundreds of millions of dollars.

Use it or lose it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live just off Duke Street, and would love both dedicated bus and bike lane ! Thanks, for letting me know about this, OP!
I know you were hoping to find haters, just like I know you were hoping Alison Silberberg would win the mayor primary. Hopefully you will finally learn...

Not OP, but serious question, how often do you cycle and how often do you actually take the bus? Obviously we can't verify your honesty on the matter. the inherent problem with surveys. Data suggests you and most people don't.

I usually avoid Duke, there's no reason for me to take it, on the rare occasion I drive at all. The primary reason is traffic, the changing bottle necks of lanes, and I don't see were any more lanes could be put, without taking land, or actually making everything worse.

Moreover as a pedestrian and cyclist, I hate the bus, and I have been almost hit several times while legally crossing the street, with the right of way. If people want safer streets, they need to ban busses.

We shouldn't build bike and bus facilities because people don't bike or take the bus because there aren't bike and bus facilities because people don't bike or take the bus because there aren't...

As with most of these things, it's not so much about traffic or transportation but more a developer/retail subsidy angle. Most likely it is just tax money to offer an incentive for people to move to Landmark.

Anonymous wrote:I live just off Duke Street, and would love both dedicated bus and bike lane ! Thanks, for letting me know about this, OP!
I know you were hoping to find haters, just like I know you were hoping Alison Silberberg would win the mayor primary. Hopefully you will finally learn...

oh yeah! The one cycler in Alexandria is planning to take the survey. and sadly this is probably all they need to confirm that bike lanes are needed.

Anonymous wrote:I live just off Duke Street, and would love both dedicated bus and bike lane ! Thanks, for letting me know about this, OP!
I know you were hoping to find haters, just like I know you were hoping Alison Silberberg would win the mayor primary. Hopefully you will finally learn...

Not OP, but serious question, how often do you cycle and how often do you actually take the bus? Obviously we can't verify your honesty on the matter. the inherent problem with surveys. Data suggests you and most people don't.

I usually avoid Duke, there's no reason for me to take it, on the rare occasion I drive at all. The primary reason is traffic, the changing bottle necks of lanes, and I don't see were any more lanes could be put, without taking land, or actually making everything worse.

Moreover as a pedestrian and cyclist, I hate the bus, and I have been almost hit several times while legally crossing the street, with the right of way. If people want safer streets, they need to ban busses.

I live just off Duke Street, and would love both dedicated bus and bike lane ! Thanks, for letting me know about this, OP!
I know you were hoping to find haters, just like I know you were hoping Alison Silberberg would win the mayor primary. Hopefully you will finally learn...

Wait, you’re telling me a bus lane, that is only used once every 30 minutes, and currently below 10% occupancy will increase traffic?

You know that, based on what? Won't help whom?

I don't know how much good taking these surveys actually does but I do know that bus lanes and bike lanes aren't going to help on Duke st but I took the survey anyway ...

https://www.research.net/r/AlexandriaVA-DukeInMotion