Opponents say the people who want
safer streets don’t exist.

“As a taxpayer in Alexandria, I believe our streets should give Alexandrians freedom to choose how they want to travel around our city.”

— Phoebe in Landmark

“I’ve lived in Rosemont my entire life, but haven’t biked since I was a kid mostly because of safety. Even though I don’t personally bike, as a driver and frequent pedestrian, I understand the importance of multi modal transportation and safety, especially on one of our major corridors. I can’t wait to see Braddock become safe for the many ways that people choose to travel through our city.”

— Mallory in Rosemont

“Took a scooter home from Metro today. In the 4 block stretch of Braddock between the Metro and my house: 4 vehicles crossed the double-yellow to pass me 2 came within 3 feet of me 1 (an asphalt truck) honked and yelled at me through an open window. Shared lanes don’t work.”

“I bike commute every day from Rosemont to Arlington via the Potomac Yard trail. I never ride on Braddock however, even though it would be faster and more direct, because cutting through the 7-11 parking lot (not great!) feels like a safer way to get to the trail. We owe it to our kids to ensure our public spaces (like streets!) serve the whole community, not just a vocal minority of car owners. Let's make Braddock safe for everyone, rather than subsidizing car storage for a few!”

— Matthew in Rosemont

“So many people my age ride bikes as a primary mode of transportation and anything that can be done to keep young people safe as they transition into independence and potentially even save lives is incredibly important.”

— Oliver in Rosemont

“My husband and I moved back here recently from San Diego and we're able to enjoy the new bike lanes there. It's a fantastic alternative to sitting in traffic and fighting to find a parking space. I would love to be able to just continue biking everywhere I need to go. It's the best way to get around. All it takes is one time getting on a bike or an e-bike and using that to get around to realize it's so much better than the drudgery of cars.”

— Joan in OTA

“No one should need to feel unsafe on our streets, regardless of how they travel. Alexandria is not a remote exurb where people are confined to their cars and roads are only for the benefit of drivers. Braddock is a major road that should cater to all in a safe design. The proposed changes are exactly the type of forward thinking that we expect from our city and contribute to the community that we are so proud to call home.”

— Del Ray resident

“As someone who recently moved to Del Ray and also as someone semi new to cycling as a way of commuting and getting around the neighborhood, I generally will choose not to bike somewhere if I do not feel there is a safe way to do so. If we build more bike lanes, people will bike more. We should be encouraging that! It makes our city more livable and environmentally friendly. There is still room for parking elsewhere and for cars on the road.”

“I do as much as I can to avoid this section of Braddock Rd, often opting to drive rather than risk my safety. Crossing Braddock at non-signal crosswalks is unsafe. When drivers do yield at crosswalks, other vehicles pass them in the 2nd lane, often accelerating around without regard to walkers or cyclists. Along the entire corridor, cyclists are forced onto the sidewalk for safety & parked cars obstruct visibility. We should all be embarrassed we've tolerated this dangerous situation for so long”

— Del Ray resident

“Among other factors, the Braddock Rd. project improves accessibility. My daughter is in a wheelchair and loves to get outside in the city, esp. our runs and urban hikes. Braddock Rd. is a main thoroughfare and our primary route to Old Town. Currently this stretch is INACCESSIBLE, esp. Commonwealth to Mt. Vernon. We need safe lanes to travel; the sidewalks don't work for us. The City is responding to specific accessibility issues case-by-case, as it should. Don't block safety for all.”

— Tim in Del Ray

“Braddock Road is a critical route to school for students of George Washington Middle School, which is the school my third grader will soon attend in a few short years. Currently, we get to school by bike, and I expect that we’ll continue to get to school this way when she becomes a middle schooler. Braddock road is unfit for this use because its design puts non-car users like me and her in danger. The updated redesign, on the other hand, looks great and will do its job of keeping everyone safe.”

— William in Carlyle

“I don't want to play chicken with cars.”

— CW in Rosemont

“Our family is full of avid bikers, including our children, Sophia (6) and Tori (4). We live in Rosemont and I bike to work every day, crossing Braddock Road with the middle schoolers walking to and from school. Sometimes the cars stop to let us cross, sometimes they don't. A better Braddock to me means that I can be on this road without worrying constantly about whether a car is going to kill me. I want this road to be useable by everyone, regardless of how they get around.”

— Jordan E in Rosemont

“I want this road to be safer and more comfortable for all. Ive been on it by bike and by car.”

— Ken in West Alexandria

“I bike, walk, and drive around Braddock Road daily, and for me, these changes are a great step forward in supporting a walkable, bikeable neighborhood, not only for me, but also for the many kids I see biking and walking into school every day.”

— Dylan in Del Ray

“I bike and walk with my children throughout Alexandria every day. The largest barrier preventing more people from biking is the lack of protected bike infrastructure. The city should not prioritize fossil fuel-based transportation at the expense of biking and walking.”

— Adam in ALX

“My kids cross Braddock Road on their way to school and have seen numerous near misses at busy intersections. My bike commute would be so much shorter and easier if it were safe to cycle on Braddock Road. I enthusiastically support efforts to make Braddock Road safer for everyone —pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.”

— Alice in Rosemont

“This is a great opportunity to make our neighborhood safer and more accessible for everyone!”

— J - Rosemont

“I ride on Braddock Road nearly every day to get to work, Metro, Old Town, Del Ray, and the PY trail. I've been tailgated, honked at, yelled at, bumped, or nearly flattened more times than I can count. Alexandria deserves a safe network of routes for people to get around without a car, and Braddock Road is a crucial link in that network.”

— James in Rosemont

“I would bike or walk all the time if I could, but I wish I didn't have to worry so much about my safety. I've been almost hit at the intersection of Braddock and West, and dealt with navigating around delivery trucks blocking the bike lane almost every time I ride on Braddock. We need more safety.”

— Kelsey in Del Ray

“For me, a safer Braddock Road that better accommodated ALL kinds of travelers (pedestrians, driver, and bikers) would mean peace of mind. I would feel more at ease both as a pedestrian walking around Braddock, AND as a driver who routinely has to go through that area and does not want to hurt or antagonize pedestrians and bikers. If some of us are safter, then we're ALL safer.”

— Dan in Del Ray

“My family doesn’t bike, and we do drive on Braddock Rd multiple times a week. Safer for bikers and pedestrians is better for drivers, too. Part of what we love about Alexandria is the freedom it allows young people to get around on their own; when our son is old enough to ride a bike, we want him to be able to get around safely, even on major roads.”

— Paul and Natalie in Del Ray

“My family uses this street all the time, mostly on foot, bike and car. It’s not comfortable crossing on foot. Cars speed because there’s room to speed. The staff design is a good one to make the street better for all users, and when we drive we don’t mind if we are slowed down by safety design improvements.”

— Melissa M, Madison St

“I get around Alexandria mostly by bus and bike, but usually drive to visit friends in Rosemont and Del Ray because there’s no safe, direct route there. Making arterials like Braddock safer is critical, especially for parents like me biking with our kids”

— Alex in the West End

“I live farther west up the hill off Braddock. I would LOVE to be able to easily bike to the Braddock Metro but riding east of Russell Braddock has been very unsafe for me. Ironically, most of the parking spaces under the microscope are empty when I pass through!”

— W. from near George Mason ES

“Braddock Road is like the wild west of Alexandria between Russel and West. So many cars swerving and speeding, and no safe place for bikes. I want to be able to bike with my kids down Braddock to the metro and through that roadway!”

— Marta Schantz, Rosemont

“One of my children commuted by bike from the West End to Satellite Campus at Braddock metro for 3 years. The most dangerous part of their commute was getting through Braddock Road. My other child is now a strong and smart enough bike rider to get themselves to soccer practice and activities in Del Ray but Braddock Road’s dangerous conditions mean they can’t be as independent as they’re otherwise able to be. Instead, we add to car traffic to drive them.”

“I ride my bike to get errands done around Del Ray and Rosemont - which is often faster than driving because you don’t have to look for parking, and it’s also just more enjoyable and makes me feel better connected with people I see when I’m out. The Braddock corridor is the hardest stretch of the neighborhood to navigate, I’d love to see it be safer for me and drivers alike.”

— Jesse, Del Ray

“I bike frequently on Braddock round with my family. Increased safety on that road means more options and less chance of tragedy.”

— Brad in Old Town North

“I regularly ride my bike the Potomac Yard Trail to get to friends and errands across Alexandria, but I dread the crossing at Braddock Road because I’ve had near misses with cars a couple times. A safer Braddock Road would keep my car off the road and would allow me peace of mind to let my son ride once he’s old enough. Some of my happiest memories are riding my bike around as a kid, but I was always hampered by unsafe roads and terrible infrastructure. I want to do better for my kid.”

— Brad in Del Ray

“The bike lane plan is a positive for all users of the corridor. It gets cyclists off the sidewalks, helping keep pedestrians safe. It keeps cars away from cyclists, keeping the cyclists safe. It introduces road narrowing that’ll naturally make motorists slow down, which makes it safer for them. I don’t ride a bike around town because it feels too unsafe thanks to having to share the road with cars. Bike lane infrastructure like this will help people like me choose bikes more frequently.”

— Eric on Braddock Road

“I want to take my bike 20 minutes to get to shops, doctors appointments, and friends, family members houses instead of over an hour on two buses to do the same. A dedicated bike lane would let me feel conformable trying. I also walk this stretch and the sidewalks are too narrow and close to the road to feel safe in parts. These changes will also make walking safer; adding visibility at intersections by removing parking spaces. I don't own a car, let me use the road I pay for.”

— Dianne of Del Ray

“I am a huge supporter of the proposed safety updates to Braddock Road. As a major thoroughfare in such a walkable neighborhood, it deserves the safety features that will make it more pleasant to walk and bike along so that those of us who can be multimodal will choose to be. But the safety issues are real—I used to have to cross at the metro crosswalk, and it’s dangerous as a pedestrian and hard to see at night as a driver. Slightly slowing cars down makes it safer for everyone (even drivers).”

— Liz in Parker Gray

“My daughter and I biked this stretch every day for the past 4 years to get to school. I can’t tell you how many times we were almost hit by drivers ignoring the laws. I don’t want other families to have to suffer like we did!”

“I often bike on Braddock to get to and from metro. It makes my commute shorter, but biking on Braddock feels unsafe. When I bike in the morning, I have to watch out to make sure cars can see me. Once I get closer to the station, I have to go across lanes of traffic which is risky. I would love to feel safer during my commute.”

— SM in Del Ray

“Every single day, I ride a capital bike share from Commonwealth and Monroe to Braddock Metro, twice a day. I am a confident cyclist; I raced bikes for over a decade, and feel comfortable riding on any road. Braddock has an elevated risk of bike riders being rear ended by cars not paying attention or racing between the lights; this is the most dangerous kind of collision for any cyclist. A bike lane with buffer provides a margin of safety. Vision zero can't wait.”

— JM in Del Ray

“I ride my bike regularly in the area but you'll never find me on Braddock road - I avoid "Sharrow" streets because studies show they make cyclists less safe - this often means I have to go far out of my way to stay on trails and in protected lanes instead. Completing these lanes would add an important connection to our safe bike network and help encourage more people like me to try biking more often”

— Elena in Del Ray