City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: JUNE 20, 2023
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER /s/
FROM: TARRENCE MOORER, INTERIM DIRECTOR, TRANSPORTATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
DOCKET TITLE:
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Public Hearing and Consideration of a Resolution to Endorse the Duke Street Transitway Advisory Group Recommendation for a Preferred Concept Design for the Duke Street Corridor.[ROLL-CALL VOTE]
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ISSUE: Consideration of a resolution (Attachment 1) to endorse the Duke Street Transitway Advisory Group recommendation for redesigning Duke Street to create a bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor.
RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council adopt the Duke Street Transitway Advisory Group recommendations for a preferred near-term concept design and long-term plan for consideration in the Duke Street Small Area process for the Duke Street Corridor.
BACKGROUND: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) encompasses several elements aimed at improving bus service speed and reliability to make it a better experience for current riders and to attract new riders. It provides better choices for residents and visitors, reducing emissions, and managing the growing travel demand for the corridor. Elements of BRT include dedicated transit lanes, transit signal priority, level boarding, consolidation of closely spaced bus stops, and frequent service.
Although travel patterns changed during the pandemic, by 2022, ridership on Duke Street surpassed pre-pandemic levels, thanks to factors such as increased service frequency, fare-free DASH service, the introduction of the 28A route in the eastern part of the corridor, and the broader trend of bus travel being less impacted by changing work patterns than other modes. Despite strong ridership, now over 3,000 weekday boardings, the corridor faces challenges in terms of on-time performance (67% on DASH during ...
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