Isabel Shultz
Route from the Minnie Howard campus to the King Street campus of Alexandria City High School.
We’re the Better Braddock Coalition – a group of Alexandria residents on a mission to fix a problem hiding in plain sight: Braddock Road near Minnie Howard. And we hope you can help!
Right now, Braddock Road west of Quaker Lane is doing a great impression of a highway – wide, speedy, and totally indifferent to the fact that it runs right next to a brand-new high school campus with thousands of students walking, biking and e-scooting daily. Braddock is the kind of road that makes crossing the street feel like an extreme sport, makes biking feel like a bad idea, and makes walking feel like a gamble. We think Alexandria can — and should — do better.
The Better Braddock Coalition is calling for a smarter, safer design on West Braddock Road:
Wider sidewalks West of Minnie Howard, from Van Dorn Street, Howard Street and nearby neighborhoods, so walking to school doesn’t feel like tightrope walking, especially when walking with a group of friends..
Protected bike lanes that connect to the existing bike network and give us a buffer between traffic and pedestrians. This will make cycling and scooting safer, and eliminate conflicts between students walking and students riding.
Improved crosswalks that don’t require Olympic-level sprinting to cross safely.
Traffic calming measures that make speeding less tempting and safety more automatic. Calmer traffic helps school buses travel safely.
Now here’s where you come in.
As students, you know the real deal. You see what Braddock is like all times of the day. Your voice matters, and your perspective could help shape how this road evolves. We’re inviting students to join us — not just to make suggestions, but to be part of the team helping design a safer Braddock Road. The City’s Transportation & Environmental Services department is launching a study soon, so this is the perfect time to get involved!
Note: an upcoming City study (after the Braddock Road effort) will address the King-Quaker-Braddock intersection, and we welcome your ideas about that too!
Join the Better Braddock Coalition and help turn this road from a racetrack into a welcoming, walkable, rideable route that reflects our awesome community — including you.
Interested? Curious? Righteously annoyed by a Braddock Road seemingly designed by a traffic engineer who valued cars over students? Get involved to help fix it!
Follow us on Instagram @BetterBraddock
Email us at [email protected]
Let’s design a road where safety doesn’t have to compete with speed.
See you on the sidewalk,
The Better Braddock Coalition
Bill Pugh, Jonathan Krall, Asa Orrin-Brown