By Dave Levy, Alexandria
(File Photo)

To the editor:

I support the plan to remove parking and adjust the travel lanes for bike lanes on the north and south sides of King Street between Rosemont Avenue and Janneys Lane. One of Alexandria’s strategic goals is creating “an integrated, multimodal transportation system that efficiently and effectively gets people from point A to point B.”

The debate is about whether we will achieve the 2008 transportation master plan vision for “a transportation system that encourages the use of alternative modes of transportation, reducing dependence on the private automobile.” Achieving this goal will require removing parking spaces along the north side of King Street for several blocks.

That will present a change in parking for guests of the residents along King Street. Limited parking, however, is nothing new in many other parts of the city, especially Old Town and Del Ray.

While we have parking on the streets in the Del Ray neighborhood, we have a lot of demand for it. I own a home along East Nelson Avenue, near the intersection with Mount Vernon Avenue. Even on good days, residents may only find parking more than a block away.

There are five restaurants within a one-block radius of my house (and soon we will have a Walgreens). Most of the houses do not have driveways. My guests must park up to four blocks away when visiting me.

I do not see removing parking on King Street as an inconvenience to the residents. The change in the location of traffic lanes and addition of bike lanes will provide a safer pedestrian, bike and auto corridor.