Newly installed bicycle signal on Mt. Vernon Trail at Porto Vecchio. (Courtesy Photo)
To increase bicyclist safety and compliance, the City of Alexandria installed a bicycle signal along the Mount Vernon Trail, located at the Porto Vecchio Condominiums driveway at the intersection of South Alfred Street and South Washington Street. With over one million visitors utilizing the Mount Vernon Trail each year, it is one of the Washington, D.C. region’s most popular multi-use trails. The trail is heavily used with a peak of more than 300 bicyclists per hour during the summer months.
In June 2010, the City submitted a formal request to the Federal Highway Administration to use a bicycle signal to evaluate its potential effectiveness in modifying bicyclist and motorist behavior. The request was approved in July 2010.
City staff will continue to monitor the new signal in the coming months and throughout the year.