Personal attacks emerge in Braddock Road public comments ahead of Monday hearing
Del Ray Cafe owners call city planner 'an embarrassment,' dismiss Traffic & Parking Board as 'useless cheerleaders'
The owners of Del Ray Cafe accused the city’s Complete Streets Program Manager of being “an embarrassment to the City of Alexandria” in a sharply worded letter submitted to the Traffic and Parking Board ahead of Monday’s public hearing on the Braddock Road Corridor Improvements Project.
Margaret and Laurent Janowsky, who live on West Braddock Road and own the popular restaurant at 205 East Howell Avenue, wrote to Complete Streets Program Manager Alexandria Carroll on February 10 that she is “self-righteous and rude to the citizens of the City” and accused her of shouting at residents during community meetings.
“You are an embarrassment to the City of Alexandria the way you talk, or more accurately, shout, at residents and I will be sure to share our opinion with the City Manager and City Council,” the Janowskys wrote.
The letter, which is part of the official public record for Monday’s hearing, also dismisses the Traffic and Parking Board as Carroll’s “cheerleaders” and calls the board “a useless contact for frustrated Alexandria residents.”
The Janowskys signed the letter “Disgustedly.”
‘You don’t care’
The February 10 letter represents an escalation from an earlier November email Margaret Janowsky sent to neighbors, also submitted to the board, in which she said Carroll “obviously has made up her mind that we will lose our parking for her beloved bike lanes notwithstanding all of your very relevant input and ideas.”
In the February letter, the Janowskys accuse Carroll of not actually considering “ANY input from the residents of Braddock Rd” and claim the community engagement process that included 10 public meetings and nearly 900 survey responses was merely “perfunctory and performative.”
“You made it abundantly clear that you had no interest in anything our community had to say,” they wrote. “And, to make it even more apparent, you have skewed what little ‘data’ you have to ‘support’ your desired outcome.”
The Janowskys claim the city’s recommendation to remove parking and install protected bike lanes is “punishment for us speaking out” and warn that delivery trucks and moving vans will block traffic lanes, “perhaps impeding emergency vehicles along our Emergency Route.”
“IN SUMMARY, you just don’t care - period,” they wrote.
Context of the project
The Braddock Road Corridor Improvements Project proposes protected bike lanes along Braddock Road between Russell Road and West Street, which would require removing most on-street parking between Mount Vernon Avenue and Russell Road—the segment where the Janowskys live.
According to the city’s 271-page docket for Monday’s hearing, the project stems from:
A 2023 Safe Routes to School audit at George Washington Middle School
Virginia Department of Transportation’s designation of the corridor as a statewide priority for pedestrian and bicycle safety
17 crashes between 2019-2023, including 8 injuries and a 2015 pedestrian fatality
The city conducted two rounds of community surveys with 290 and 587 responses respectively, held 10 community meetings, and made changes based on feedback including retaining some parking spaces and not reversing traffic on West Alexandria Avenue.
Public comments
The Janowskys’ letters are among dozens of public comments submitted to the Traffic and Parking Board, with residents on both sides of the issue expressing strong views.
What did the RCA oppose?
The Rosemont Citizens Association, which says it represents all residents of Rosemont, has taken two votes:
November 19: Opposed parking removal on the Russell-Commonwealth segment (49-10 vote, 59 people).
January 22: Expanded opposition to the Commonwealth-Mount Vernon segment (61-12 vote, 76 people).
Combined, RCA has opposed: Mount Vernon to Russell Road.
RCA has NOT taken a position on: The Mount Vernon to West Street segment (Metro area, trails, Yates Corner).
What did Del Ray support?
The Del Ray Citizens Association, which only represents its members, voted 72% in favor (43 responses) of supporting the overall project.
All three segments of the project corridor span both the Del Ray and Rosemont neighborhoods. DRCA reported hearing mixed views from Braddock Road residents in Del Ray during outreach: some were concerned about losing street parking, while others felt the removal would make their off-street parking easier and safer to access.
Range of perspectives in public comments
The Janowskys’ letters are among dozens submitted to the Traffic and Parking Board, with residents raising a wide range of concerns and support.
Opposition letters cite:
Loss of parking for homes without driveways
Concerns about Good Shepherd Lutheran Church accessibility
Questions about emergency vehicle access
Traffic congestion at intersections
Delivery and service vehicle logistics
Support letters emphasize:
Safety for children walking to George Washington Middle School
Shorter pedestrian crossing distances
Protected connections to Metro and trails
Vision Zero goals to prevent traffic deaths
Federal Highway Administration guidance on bike lane safety
One resident wrote in opposition to the project: “Removing parking at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church removes accessibility for the disabled, as well as making access more difficult for the general GSLC community.”
Another resident wrote in support: “I’m willing to wait a little longer in my car to increase safety for pedestrians and bikers.”
The Janowskys’ letters stand out for their personal attacks on city staff and the public process rather than focusing on policy concerns.
Response from Janowskys
The Alexandria Brief reached out to Margaret and Laurent Janowsky on February 17 for comment, but has not received a response.
City response
The Alexandria Brief reached out to the city for comment on the personal nature of the attacks, but has not received a response.
What happens on Monday
The Traffic and Parking Board will vote on the city’s recommendation at 7 p.m. Monday, February 23. The Braddock Road Corridor Improvements Project is item #9 on the agenda.
The meeting will be held in person at Del Pepper Community Resource Center (Room 1305, 4850 Mark Center Drive) and via Zoom. Written comments are due by 3 p.m. Monday to TrafficandParkingBoard@alexandriava.gov.
If approved, residents can appeal to the City Council. Mayor Alyia Gaskins has said the project likely won’t come to Council unless appealed.
"unless appealed"
I appreciate the mayor's optimism, but suspect it'll get appealed