Alexandria Transportation Commission Meeting – September 21, 2026

The Alexandria Transportation Commission met in person at 2900 Business Center Drive and remotely via Zoom. The commission approved two months of deferred meeting minutes, adopted the Fiscal 2027 Go Alex Fund budget and work plan, and received updates on the paratransit program, parking and curb-management technology, and 2027 legislative priorities. No members of the public spoke at either public comment period. Note: the officially provided meeting date is September 21, 2026; the transcript opens with a notice referencing a September 16, 2026 date.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public speakers signed up for the general public comment period or for the public hearing on the Go Alex Fund. Both comment periods were opened and closed without testimony.

Minutes of the May and June Meetings

• Minutes for both the May and June meetings had been deferred because prior meetings lacked a quorum. After a question from a member, the commission approved both sets of minutes.

Public Hearing: Fiscal 2027 Go Alex Fund Budget and Work Plan

• The budget and work plan had been discussed at the prior meeting but could not be acted on without a quorum. The commission adopted the Fiscal 2027 Go Alex Fund budget and work plan after closing the public hearing with no speakers.

Discussion: Paratransit Program Update

• Staff described the program's operations: a call center, an operations vendor, and a single city-purchased software platform for dispatching. Customers can request a trip by drop-off time or pick-up time window (for example, an 8:30 to 9:00 or 8:15 to 9:00 window for a 9:00 departure).
• Roughly 20% of trips are booked through the mobile app, and those riders report high satisfaction with service.
• Paratransit operated all normal hours except for about six hours, during which fixed-route service was also closed after an incident. Many trips connect to city programming at the West End Government Center, social services, and medical appointments that were also closed.
• The program update was initiated by city council to find cost savings. Fares were 'right-sized' by distance: the highest-cost product is a 12-ride pass to the $10 fare zone during peak times. Metro Access charges the city over $100 per trip for city residents using its service.
• Rides are pooled up to three at a time to keep travel times reasonable, and the current vehicle mix serves demand for larger wheelchairs and riders accompanied by two or three guests.
• Once approved, a new service model would keep city residents out of the WMATA participant queue and fund an additional full-time staffer to serve residents directly.
• A curriculum can certify travel trainers; the independent center currently has staff who speak English, Spanish, and (as transcribed) 'Park.'
• The program's biggest equity concern is building a policy that expands accessibility while including guardrails so costs do not become exorbitant at launch. A pilot with a small group of riders will run for a few months before full rollout.
• Staff are coordinating with other city departments that provide similar transportation services so that all city vehicles and staff are used as efficiently as possible.

Discussion: Parking Website and Curb Management Update

• The new curb-management layer gives the city its first centralized view of how every curb is regulated at any time, from two-hour metered parking to 15-minute zones.
• Publishing standard curb specifications would allow automakers, Google, and eventually autonomous vehicles to ingest the same data and tell drivers whether they are allowed to park or load.
• The Traffic and Parking Board and land-use priorities factor into decisions: in main street or town areas, access for people and goods is prioritized over parking.
• Staff are monitoring utilization closely because of conditions at the City Hall garage and in Old Town, and other Old Town areas remain under review. The board asked staff to review additional areas without rehearing the same decision.

Discussion: 2027 Legislative Priorities

• Recap of the 2026 General Assembly session: the legalization of the safety stop (the 'Idaho stop') was discussed, as was two years of funding to relieve short-term pressure, but no legislation was modified.
• For 2027, staff are considering dedicated funding for Northern Virginia. A commissioner called regional (WMATA) funding the most important issue, saying 'that funding throttles everything else we could possibly do,' and asked for guidance so a letter could be drafted for the chair to sign.
• A commissioner expressed the position that bicycles should not follow exactly the same rules of the road as cars: safety stops and pedestrian-signal behavior reflect what is naturally safer on the street, get bicycles out of cars' way, and reduce animosity.
• A commissioner noted that the 'Flock' camera discussion has undermined debate about similar-but-different technology that could support curb management and street safety, arguing the city cannot hire enough enforcement officers for every corner and needs technology to achieve safety outcomes.
• Grant funding was discussed: DASH receives substantial funding, but 'we don't know if we're getting the funding until our budget is already done,' and the relevant staff grant can be applied for every two years.
• A member noted a regional partner expected to be over budget next year due to accounting errors, having based this year's budget on last year's numbers, and referenced an appeal related to additional parking. A reference was also made to 'Dylan's rule' (likely Dillon's Rule) as a constraint on local action.

Commissioner Updates and Appointments

• The city is recruiting a citizen member aged 16 to 25 with an interest in transportation or land use. A separate motion reallocated a second Planning Commission representative seat to a citizen position; the city clerk was expected to take the reallocation to the committee on membership.
• A commissioner noted that some applicants do not clearly fit the listed categories, and that some appointments, such as their own reappointment to the Environmental Policy Commission, take about 20 minutes online, with city council acting on appointments at council meetings.
• Written items included a quarterly report of meeting metrics and topics, which one member admitted to not having read.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the May and June 2026 meeting minutes.
• Adopted the Fiscal 2027 Go Alex Fund budget and work plan.
• Directed the chair to draft a letter on the commission's 2027 legislative priorities, including dedicated regional (WMATA) funding.
• Staff will continue paratransit improvements, including a small rider pilot and an additional full-time direct-service staff position.
• The city clerk will review reallocating a second Planning Commission seat to a citizen member position.