City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: JANUARY 11, 2021
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage of an Ordinance to Amend and Reordain Section 10-1-15.1 (Truck traffic; prohibited on certain streets; penalty) of Chapter 1 (General Provisions) of Title 10 (Motor Vehicles and Traffic), of The Code of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, 1981, as amended.[ROLL-CALL VOTE]
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of a recommendation from the Traffic and Parking Board to pass the proposed ordinance (Attachments 1 & 2) to prohibit through truck traffic on the unit and 100 blocks of East Linden Street between Commonwealth Avenue and Mount Vernon Avenue.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council hold a public hearing and approve the second reading, public hearing and final passage on Saturday, January 23, 2021.
BACKGROUND: All streets that currently have “No Through Truck Signs” are listed in the City Code section 10-1-15.1. East Linden Street is classified as a local street on the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Functional Classification map and provides a connection between Mount Vernon Avenue and Russell Road (Attachment 3). West Linden Street, between Commonwealth Avenue and Russell Road already has “No Through Truck” prohibitions in place. The Traffic and Parking Board considered this request at its November 16, 2020 public hearing and unanimously recommended approval. Nine members of the community spoke in favor of restricting truck traffic on East Linden Street and no one spoke in opposition.
DISCUSSION: The section of East Linden Street between Commonwealth Avenue and Mount Vernon Avenue has residential homes on both sides of the street and there are no commercial properties. These narrow blocks of East Linden Street are only 20 feet wide with parking on the south side of the street and are not designed to accommodate heavy truck traffic. By comparison, the standard residential street is 30 feet wide. Residents have expressed concerns about commercial trucks using East Linden Street and requested “No Through Truck” restrictions through the City’s process to prevent through trucks from using East Linden Street. Trucks that have business on this block may still travel on the street with the proposed restriction. (For example, trucks performing maintenance on the Hooff’s Run Culvert will be able to use the street.)
The City’s criteria for considering whether to prohibit through truck traffic is included in Attachment 4. To determine whether East Linden met the criteria, staff performed studies in April 2016 and in February 2020 and found that 4.8% of the roughly 1,400 vehicles per day traveling on East Linden Street were trucks. East Linden Street meets the City’s criteria for prohibiting through trucks based on roadway classification and narrow lane widths. The East Linden Street travel-way is 12 feet wide and accommodates two directions of traffic, leaving a six-foot lane width for each direction. The standard lane width for one direction of traffic is 10 to 11 feet.
Virginia State Code defines a truck as “every motor vehicle designed to transport property on its own structure independent of any other vehicle and having a registered gross weight in excess of 7,500 pounds.” A No Through Truck restriction will therefore prohibit any vehicle more than 7,500 pounds from using East Linden Street as a through street.
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Ordinance Cover
Attachment 2: Ordinance
Attachment 3: Location Map
Attachment 4: City of Alexandria No Through Truck policy
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, Deputy City Manager
Joanna Anderson, City Attorney
Adrienne Fine, Assistant City Attorney
Yon Lambert, Director, T&ES
Hillary Orr, Deputy Director, T&ES
Bob Garbacz, Division Chief of Traffic Engineering, T&ES