By Ryan Belmore
Published March 24, 2025 at 9:10PM|Updated March 25, 2025 at 10:30AM
Alexandria’s Complete Streets program continues to spark debate among residents, with some praising its safety benefits while others criticize its impact on traffic flow. The issue took center stage at the Lyceum during an Agenda: Alexandria forum on Monday, March 24, where panelists representing various perspectives discussed the merits and challenges of the city’s approach to street design.
Complete Streets is a national movement adopted by over 1,500 communities across the United States, including Alexandria. The concept aims to design roadways that safely accommodate all users – pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and transit riders.
“Complete Streets is both a means and an end,” explained Alex Carroll, Program Manager for the City of Alexandria Complete Streets. “Vision Zero is the goal of eliminating fatal and severe injuries in our community. Nobody should die or be maimed on our streets. That’s a pretty straightforward principle.”
Carroll emphasized that the program is about more than just safety. “It’s also about giving people choices, it’s about giving people options for ways to get around, and it’s about minimizing our environmental impact.”
The city’s approach appears to be yielding positive results. According to Carroll, Alexandria has bucked regional trends by seeing “a steady decline in total crashes, in fatal crashes, and in severe crashes over the last 10 years.” She notes that in 2023, Alexandria recorded zero traffic fatalities for the first time.
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Read More: Alexandria’s Complete Streets Program sparks debate at Agenda: Alexandria forum | ALXnow
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