🌱 Dedicated Bus Lanes For Duke St Transitway? + West End Safety Grant

Hey, West End Alexandria. Danielle Fallon-O'Leary here with your weekend edition of the West End Alexandria Patch newsletter, filled with all the community information you need to know right now. Including updates on:

• Some new dedicated bus lanes for the Duke Street Transitway.
• A federal grant to address seven "high-crash intersections" in the West End.
• The Alexandria School Board's support of the district’s School Resource Officer program.

But first, your local weather:

• Saturday: Sunny and cooler. High: 49 Low: 35.
• Sunday: Clouds and sun; not as cool. High: 58 Low: 46.
• Monday: Mainly cloudy and mild. High: 60 Low: 37.
• Tuesday: Rather cloudy and mild. High: 61 Low: 40.

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Here are the top five stories in West End Alexandria:

1. City staff in Alexandria have presented plans to city council for a Duke Street Transitway, which could include dedicated lanes for buses in certain areas. The transitway aims to reduce traffic congestion and improve safety for all users, including walkers, bikers, drivers and bus riders, along one of the city's most heavily-used east-west corridors. While feedback from residents showed no clear consensus, the city is exploring options for providing dedicated bus lanes on both the east and west ends of the transitway, with a mixed traffic or bi-directional option in the middle. (Alexandria Living Magazine)
2. The City of Alexandria plans to use a federal Safe Streets & Roads for All grant to address safety concerns at seven high-crash intersections in the West End. The project, which is part of the city's Vision Zero plan to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2028, will fund safety audits and conceptual designs for improvements at these intersections. The project is expected to begin in fiscal year 2024 and will complement other recent Vision Zero efforts, such as speed limit reductions and a school zone speed camera program. (Patch)
3. The Alexandria School Board has voted to support the district's School Resource Officer (SRO) program and requested the city to continue funding the program less than two years after officers were temporarily removed from schools. The vote was in response to a recommendation from the Student Law Enforcement Partnership (SLEP) Advisory Group to maintain the partnership. The vote was passed by a margin of 8-0, and although one person spoke in opposition, the decision was largely uneventful. The district also discussed student safety and proposed a non-evasive security screening program, which would be piloted at some of the district's high schools and middle schools. (DC News Now)
4. The City of Alexandria has experienced an increase in residential and commercial real estate values, resulting in a 3.81 percent increase in the overall tax base from 2022 to 2023. The taxable property was assessed at $48.33 billion, which is $1.77 billion higher than in 2021. The real estate tax property owners pay will depend on the real estate tax rate set by City Council during its annual budget process, and City Manager James Parajon will present the fiscal year 2024 budget proposal to City Council on Feb. 28, with the budget set to be adopted on May 3. (Patch)
5. Alexandria City Public Schools has reported a decrease in the number of incidents, calls for police service, and arrests on campuses during the first half of the 2022-2023 school year. According to the school system, there were 188 incidents across schools in the first semester, which is six incidents less than the previous year. However, arrests on campuses increased from month to month, although they fell below previous semester rates in both middle and high schools, with a total of 17 arrests across the system. (WTOP)

Coming up in West End Alexandria:

Saturday, February 18

• Bright Star Touring Theatre: Meet Dr. King At Charles E. Beatley Jr., Central Library (2:00 PM)

Sunday, February 19

• Jazz Brunch With Rodney Kelley At Blackall Hitch (10:30 AM)
• Artisan Confections Chocolate Tasting At Charles E. Beatley Jr., Central Library (1:30 PM)
• Alexandria Oddball Cinema: "Love And Monsters" At Charles E. Beatley Jr., Central Library (2:00 PM)
• Bolivian Carnival Pop-Up Bar At Village Brauhaus (5:00 PM)

Monday, February 20

• Out Of School Time Camp At emPOWER Kids (8:30 AM)
• Keb' Mo' At The Birchmere (7:30 PM)

Tuesday, February 21

• Line Dancing At Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library (11:00 AM)
• Dance Fitness Cardio Class At Charles E. Beatley Jr., Central Library (6:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Help out local shelter animals and enjoy a discounted skating session at Cameron Run tomorrow, Feb. 19, just by donating much-needed pet supplies! The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria and NOVA Parks will be on-site collecting donations from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for their “Share the Love” supply drive, and all donors will receive $1 off admission to the rink. Visit AWLA’s Amazon and Chewy wish lists for accepted donation items. (Zebra)
• As a reminder, many Alexandria municipal offices and city buildings will be closed on Monday, Feb. 20 in observance of Presidents Day. However, there will still be plenty of businesses open and things to do around town that day! Check out the link to see what’s open and closed on Monday throughout the city. (Patch)
• A newly-released West End survey reveals what local residents like and don’t like about the community ahead of the city’s long-term planning process. Cultural diversity and the abundance of parks topped the list of likes, while traffic congestion was ranked the “worst” thing about living in West End. See the full survey results at the link. (Alexandria Living Magazine)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Saturday. I'll be back in your inbox next week with a new update!

— Danielle Fallon-O'Leary

About me: Danielle Fallon-O’Leary is a content manager with content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and assists Patch.com with community newsletter curation. Danielle also holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and works part-time as a pediatric speech therapist.