Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Parking Clarification Slated for March Traffic & Parking Board Hearing.


On the agenda for the March 24th hearing of Alexandria's Traffic & Parking Board is the consideration of a request to install a “No Parking Here to Corner” sign along the east side of Elbert Avenue 45 feet before the intersection with Four Mile Road.

City Staff is recommending the installation of the parking restriction which comes at the request of the Alexandria Police based on complaints from residents who have recently been confronted with a blind intersection with the recent rise of cars parked at the location due to a lack of clarity.

From the staff report:
The Alexandria Police Department has received complaints of a safety concern along Elbert Avenue at the Four Mile Road and Elbert Avenue intersection. Currently vehicles are allowed to park in parallel parking spaces on the west side of Elbert Avenue. Vehicles can park on the east side of Elbert Avenue perpendicular to the road in a parking lot. Please see figure 4b. The parking lot ends approximately 45 feet from the intersection of Elbert Avenue and Four Mile Road where there is a stop sign for vehicles traveling northbound on Elbert Avenue. There is currently no parking restriction on this stretch of Elbert Avenue from the end of the parking lot to the intersection. 
Elbert Avenue is 28 feet wide, and should a car be parked on both the east and west side, it can be extremely difficult for both to pass. Parking is currently allowed on both sides along the rest of Elbert Avenue, but vehicles will use open parking spaces or areas in front of driveways to make room for a vehicle traveling in the other direction to pass. This maneuver is not possible when vehicles are parked on both sides of Elbert Avenue near the intersection, as there is no room for a vehicle turning onto Elbert Avenue while another vehicle is waiting at the stop sign. A situation like this causes a safety concern for vehicles and pedestrians at this intersection.

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