By Kimberley Moore, Alexandria
(File Photo)

To the editor:

Why is the city looking at adding bike lanes to Prince and Cameron streets? City officials earlier this year announced that bikes could ride on the sidewalk. They also removed on-street parking spaces along King Street to create bike lanes against residents’ wishes.

How about seeking ways to reduce real estate taxes?

Given that Alexandria has been in a tight fiscal environment for the last six years (not enough money to buy fire equipment and increase the salaries of public employees, for example), it is impractical to allocate dollars to conduct studies and public hearings about whether or not we need to add bike lanes to Prince and Cameron streets. If this initiative is intended to slow traffic there, then use our existing resources — the police — to organize speed traps.

I can guarantee that, with or without bike lanes, cyclists will continue to plow through stop signs and traffic lights just as they now do. Please, ticket them.

Last weekend, at various times, I drove along Union Street between Cameron and Prince streets. Of the 30 or so cyclists I observed at those three intersections, none obeyed the stop signs.
Until cyclists, who recently have been rewarded with a variety of bike-friendly initiatives, show respect for traffic laws, I strongly advise that no further bike-focused policies (or studies about bike lanes) be pursued.