Monday, May 9, 2011

Arlington County Needs a Comprehensive Bicycle, Pedestrian, Motorist Safety Program, ASAP

Hello, Yupette,

I live in Douglas Park and I was not surprised by the bicyclist-motor vehicle accident at the intersection of South Walter Reed Drive and South Four Mile that resulted in the bicyclist being killed after he ran into a car on Four Mile Run Access Road coming off South Walter Red Drive hill.

Reckless behavior by bicyclists and pedestrians is epidemic in this area.

County Government must IMMEDIATELY begin a comprehensive county-wide pedestrian, motorist, and bicycle safety program, before there are more fatalities. The next fatality or fatalities will be bicyclists hitting a pedestrian or pedestrians at high speed.

I will not vote for incumbents running for political office who allowed this situation to develop. Arlington County Government is totally reactive and this accident is proof.

Douglas Park

41 comments:

Motorist said...

Are bicycle lanes appropriate for steep downhill streets like Walter Reed Drive?

BTW, County Transportation Staff was recuently requested to place Speed Limit signs on the downhill side of S. Walter Reed Drive.

Anonymous said...

The number of reported bicycle and pedestrian accidents in Arlington averages 140 per year, according to data from DES.

Anonymous said...

May the poor bloke who was killed yesterday rest in peace.

Arlington Counnty's bicycle safety program is to put sharrows on Walter Reed and other arterials, to encourage bicyclists to ride as fast as they can on heavily traveled streets.

Anonymous said...

Let's not forget jaywalking while texting.

Parent said...

This is a County that wants children to ride bicycles to school? Over potholed and broken streets and down hills like S. Walter Reed?

Anonymous said...

If, as the people who bicycle up and down Walter Reed Drive claim, speed builds very fast on the downhill lanes why are dedicated bicycle lanes going to be painted there?

fairgrrl said...

Worst street for bicycles in Arlington? South 28th Road, home of none other than Scotty McCaffrey. Steep hill with broken pavement and poorly lighted that abruptly ends at S. Woodrow Street which is usually busy with traffic.

Anonymous said...

DES has been repeatedly asked to upgrade traffic signs on Arlinton's streets and roads and has repeatedly refused.

Anonymous said...

S 28th Road hill starts on S. Abingdon St., near Abingdon School.
If you are going to run up and down steep hills you need a bicycle with disc brakes.

Anonymous said...

Nothing is said about the driver who was apparently preparing to stop at the Stop sign at the intersection when he or she was hit by a man on a bicycle traveling at high speed.

Anonymous said...

About 20 police officers were at the accident scene yesterday. Why so many hours when there's an accident and so little time spent on safety and accident prevention?

Phillies Fan said...

Visit Philadelphia and ask SEPTA what happens when a reckless bicyclist cuts in front of a streetcar.

Anonymous said...

DES - Transportation allows traffic signs to deteriorate so transportation staff can point to accidents and speeding to justify spending millions on traffic calming projects. This is commonly referred to as 'reckless endangerment'.

Anonymous said...

Who's to blame? Jay Fisette. This is the latest of his of his 'buy votes with tax dollars' schemes, bicycles following live theater following dogs.

Anonymous said...

Seen on Pike Wire blog - make the bicyclists obtain licenses and carry liability insurance. Put the police on bicycles to enforce bicycle safety ordinances.

Anonymous said...

Walter Tejada is also to blame. He apparently has no interest in persuading Latinos to stop bicycling recklessly.

Anonymous said...

Reckless Endangerment? Seen any concern whatsoever about bicycle and pedestrian safety by the Arlington Police Department?

Anonymous said...

See the County Board's agenda for Saturday? Another big bond issue to be approved to fund NC beautification projects while Arlington's streets and roads crumble. I will not vote for any incumbent this November.

Cindi said...

Sorry, Jay, my child is not riding a bicycle in Arlington. Why don't you retire to Key West with your bicycle? You and your domestic partner have enough money from your lobbying for his company to buy half the Florida Keys. Take your biketard bozo buddies with you.

Anonymous said...

Time for Barbara Donnellan and her neighbor, Chief Doug Scott, to retire to their uncongested suburban neighborhoods in Clifton.

Anonymous said...

There is no speed limit sign on downhill South Walter Reed Drive between the fire station and South Four Mile Run Drive. How criminal is that? Reckless endangerment? More like negligent homicide.

Anonymous said...

When was the last time you saw bicycle and pedestrian safety mentioned in the local newspapers? Every other kind of drivel imaginable appears. Ditto for television and the internet.

Another Parent for Change said...

Who are the worst? Libby Garvey, Abby Raphael, and the rest of the School Board. Anyone who wants to put school children on bicycles to and from school on broken and congested streets deserves to be permanently retired from playing school politics by the voters.

Jeff said...

What can you expect? The entire County Government is nothing but a bunch of on-the-job retirees. As are their enablers.

Barcrofter said...

There should be a grand jury investigation to determine whether the accident was the result of a deliberate pattern whereby county government allows traffic signs to deteriorate and not be upgraded in order to justify expensive 'traffic calming' based on increased speeding, running of stop signs etc. Same thing appears to have occurred on Pershing Drive and in Chain Bridge Forest.

FV said...

Thank yuu, Yupette. I am wondering when someone is going to get killed on the South 28th Road hill. The bicycle racers start to zoom down this hill at Abingdon St and 30th Street and they are going really really fast by the time they reach S. Woodrow Street.

Anonymous said...

The 'community leaders' in Ashton Hts wanted the speed limit on Pershing Drive lowered to 25 mph so at least one speed limit sign was removed by 'persons unknown' and others were hidden by foliage which was never cleared until the speed limit was reduced to 25 mph.

Anyone know if any speed limit signs were removed from S. Walter Reed Drive?

Cindi said...

Fairlington residents have repeatedly asked that Stop signs and Speed Limit signs be maintained and replaced with new larger signs. We have been ignored. This is part of the usual Arlington 2-step, allow public and private infrastructure to deteriorate then spend extravagantly on replace the deteriorated infrastructure, e.g., with a million dollars worth of 'traffic calming'.

Anonymous said...

Arlington voters should ask themselves why this blog is the only media outlet calling for a comprehensive bicycle-pedestrian-motorist safety program. What do the 14 PR staff in the County Manager's Office do all day, besides work to get incumbent County Board members re-elected?

FV said...

$$cott McCaffrey can look out his front window and see bicycles whizzing down South 28th Road. He's too busy writing about his 3 priorities $, $$, and $$$ to care about bicycle safety.

Anonymous said...

No, McCaffrey's first priority is covering events where the organization provides free breakfast, lunch, brunch, supper to journalists.

Anonymous said...

Bike to Work Day is May 20th. Lots more people who don't often ride bicycles will be on our streets and roads. Thanks for this thread. Local media here (including the paid blogs) only care about making money and not offending the pols and the chamber of commerce.

Anonymous said...

Where is Chris "Mr. Metrorail Safety" Zimmerman when it comes to promoting bicycle and pedestrian safety? He lives in Douglas Park.

Anonymous said...

I blame DES for only wanting to find reasons to install expensive traffic calming to keep DES staff fully employed. That's why speed limit signs are never upgraded.

Anonymous said...

Time for Jay Fisette to retire - immediately.

Anonymous said...

Sun Gazette and the paid blogs (Arl Now and Pike Wire) cover all kinds of trivia but ignore bicycle-pedestrian-motorist safety. More media that cater to pols like Fisette and Fisette's "safety last" bicycle buddies.

Anonymous said...

Time for Chief Doug Scott to retire. What have the Arlington Police doing about pedestrian and bicycle safety besides responding to accidents?

Don't Re-Elect Incumbents said...

Second the motion. There was/is zero enforcement of bicycle and pedestrian safety laws, no bicycle and pedestrian safety classes, no nothing by the Arlington Police Department, school system, DES, news media, nothing.

Parent said...

This is why we should not vote for Abby Raphael and Libby Garvey. They partnered with their good bud Jay Fisette to put our kids onto dangerous streets with no safety classes beforehand. Fifty million for sports, zero for safety education.

Anonymous said...

Arlington Police Department is primarily responsible - lack of enforcement and lack of education. ACPD is always in the neighborhoods talking about locking your car and taking the keys, etc.

Anonymous said...

It doesn't help that all of the blame is on the drivers and none on the pedestrians and bikers when accidents happen. Runners and bikers take unnecessary chances against 2 ton vehicles because Arlington grants them a carte Blanc to cross anywhere and anytime without a driver's acknowledgement. Whatever happened to making eye contact with a driver before crossing??? Runners are taking after bikers in this town.