What Are Complete Streets?
Complete Streets are streets for everyone. They are a vital part of livable, attractive communities and are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities. Complete Streets make it easy to cross the street, walk to shops, bicycle to work and access buses or train stations.
There is no singular design prescription for Complete Streets; each one is unique and responds to its community context. A complete street may include: sidewalks, bike lanes, special bus lanes, comfortable and accessible public transportation stops, frequent and safe crossing opportunities, median islands, accessible pedestrian signals, curb extensions, narrower travel lanes, roundabouts, and more.
Complete Streets improves the efficiency and capacity of existing roads by moving people in the same amount of space and getting more productivity out of the existing road and public transportation systems, which is vital to reducing congestion.
Complete Streets are relatively low cost, fast to implement, and high impact. By adopting a Complete Streets Policy in 2011, the City of Alexandria directed transportation planners, engineers and developers to routinely design and operate the entire right of way to enable safe access for all users, regardless of age, ability, or mode of transportation. The policy was reenacted in 2014, recognizing that the users of our transportation system include pedestrians, bicyclists, riders and drivers of public transportation, in addition to motor vehicle drivers.
Complete Streets Design Guidelines
The City has completed the Alexandria Complete Streets Design Guidelines, which were developed in conjunction with the update of the Bicycle and Pedestrian chapters of the Transportation Master Plan.
Traffic Calming & Speed Cushion Program
Speed cushions are traffic calming devices that use vertical deflection to slow motor-vehicle traffic in order to improve safety conditions. The use of vertical deflection devices is most commonly found where vehicle speeds are mandated to be low, usually 25 miles per hour.
Safe Routes to School Program
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is a program to improve the well-being of children by improving walking and bicycling conditions on the route to school and enabling and encouraging children to walk and bike these routes.
Complete Streets Projects
- Mount Vernon Avenue Complete Streets
- King-Callahan-Russell Intersection Improvement Project - Traffic analysis underway
- King Street Complete Streets Project - Post-implementation evaluation summary provided to the Traffic & Parking Board in September 2017.
- North Van Dorn Complete Streets - Flexposts installed in July 2017.
- Pedestrian Improvements to Transit Stops - Construction underway
- Royal Street Neighborhood Bikeway
- Commonwealth Avenue Sidewalk Project
Completed Projects
Trails, Sidewalks & Pedestrian Safety
- Trails (Shared Use Path Capital Improvement Program)
- Vision Zero
- Residential Sidewalk Program
- Pedestrian Crosswalks and Signals
- Brick Sidewalks and Sidewalk Design Guidelines
- Pedestrian Safety in Rosemont & Del Ray
- Alexandria Fire Department Response to Pedestrians Struck and Bicycle Crashes (April 2014)
Resources
To reach the City's Complete Streets Program Manager with a request, suggestion or inquiry regarding the biking, walking or any other Complete Streets concern, please submit a request via Call.Click.Connect.