To the editor:
We are all in favor of a vibrant city life, but if you could see from your windows what we see on a sunny weekend day, you might be concerned too.
There are cars backed up for blocks on Union Street, on either side of King Street, trying to cross it without killing a pedestrian or being narrowly missed by a trolley making a right-hand turn heading south. Meanwhile pedestrians have to navigate around dumped scooters left on the narrow sidewalks.
There are bikes and scooters riding on sidewalks or in the road, ignoring stop signs and paying no attention to pedestrians or vehicles. And if ambulances, police cars or fire engines need to respond to emergencies, how can they get to their destinations through this mess?
This needs remediation and it seems to me that the first line of defense is police stationed at various choke points, as well as parking enforcement officials to ticket the many illegally parked visitors.
We are not just hurting the residents, but to quote the immortal Yogi Berra: “Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.”
I am sure there are people that feel that way now about Alexandria.
-Mimi Olinger, Alexandria
