Consideration of Cyclists for E. Monroe Ave Traffic Calming

[Clarence Dillon]

Ms Marks,
I will not be able to attend Wednesday's 7pm meeting at GW Middle School on
the proposed traffic calming project, but I have some input that I hope you
will consider.  I live on E. Monroe Ave and feel I am attentive to the
traffic along this street.  My family and I walk in our neighborhood quite a
bit, so I am generally in favor of traffic calming throughout the
neighborhood.  I am also a bicycle commuter and so I pay close attention to
efforts that are supposed to calm traffic and enable cyclists and
pedestrians.  I have made these observations about traffic on Monroe Ave:

1.  The Alexandria DASH buses are some of the worst offenders, speeding
along E. Monroe Ave.  Speeding cars are dangerous and noisy; speeding buses
so much more dangerous and noisy.
2.  As the pear trees along E. Monroe Ave disappear (the city arbor cuts the
dying ones down but does not replace them), the street opens up and people
seem more inclined to speed.  I suppose, because the street has the look of
a bypass and not a tree-covered lane...  I can think of at least 5 trees
that have been taken down and none have been replaced.
3.  The traffic calming on Monroe Ave, near CVS and the YMCA has made that
area more difficult to navigate on a bike.  Because many drivers do not
recognize the legitimacy of cyclists in the traffic lanes, and cyclists ride
in the far right side of the traffic lane, motorists do not yield the lane
to cyclists who are forced to move closer to the center of the lane at
bump-outs.   (In all my years of riding I've never seen a cyclists suddenly
disappear while riding, though the roadway afforded to cyclists comes and
goes!)

...and I have these recommendations:
1.  Alexandria Police should occasionally enforce the speed limit along E.
Monroe Ave, especially watching for DASH buses.
2.  The City Arborist should replant trees along E. Monroe Ave, especially
taking advantage of the new bump-outs at crossings.
3.  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE paint "Sharrows" on E. Monroe Ave (and all traffic
calming projects) where the road narrows or lanes shift.  This indicates to
motorists that cyclists should be in the middle of the traffic lane, not
forced into the gutters when the road narrows.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or follow-up.

Respectfully,
Clarence Dillon
223 E. Monroe Ave
Alexandria, VA 22301
703-981-6593
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