Saturday, February 11, 2012

Greens, Parents, Ask for a Comprehensive Bicycle, Pedestrian, Skateboard, Motor Vehicle Safety Program

Hello Yupette,

I almost hit an adult who was dressed from head to toe in black and ran a stop sign on his racing bicycle last night. I understand the Green Party is also concerned about this, and is urging the County to begin a comprehensive safety program for our streets, roads, sidewalks, and bicycle trails.

There are about 150 reported bicycle and pedestrian injuries every year in Arlington County. That's way, way too many. I want to see the police ticketing bicyclists who run stop signs. I want to see bicyclists and others who are on the streets and roads wearing safety vests. I want to see the County Board's pet bicycle groups promoting safety, rather than just putting more bicycles on the street.

Speaking of streets, they are becoming hazardous to both bicycles and pedestrians who have to cross them. When do they get re-paved? After a billion dollars worth of unnecessary transportation, entertainment, and sports projects are constructed?

Joan, 22204

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why are the police not stopping and ticketing the men who are dressed in spandex racing clothing and who run stop signs and traffic lights at high speed?

TY said...

Because they're another County Board-approved special interest group.

Anonymous said...

Why aren't Zimmerman's pet biketards demanding that Arlington's streets be repaved? Probably because their annual stipend from the County Board depends on their going along with the Zimmercrat program.

Anonymous said...

Did you see this morning's County Board meeting? Priority is spending $100 million more on Long Bridge Park.

fed up Dem said...

No, after TWO billion dollars worth of unnecessary transportation, sports, entertainment, and recreation projects are constructed.

Anonymous said...

The quality of suburban life here is being ruined by Zimmerman and the other three who are locked into "Smart Growth" gentrification to the exclusion of anything else related to planning.

Anonymous said...

Agreed.

Anonymous said...

What would have happened yesterday if 100 working class Arlington residents had attended the County Board meeting and demanded the County construct $100 million of affordable condos, co-ops and apartments in Arlington rather than spend $100 million more for Long Bridge Park?

Ted said...

How have we reached the point where elected officials and their hired and appointed employees made driving a 4-wheeled vehicle an increasingly miserable experience while bicyclists can do as they please on streets, roads, trails?

Anonymous said...

The entire police department are on-the-job-retirees, as the recent epidemic of unsolved armed robberies proves.

Anonymous said...

Ted, I am anticipating a terrible spring-summer-fall. Arlington's suburban streets were never designed for what they are becoming - linear parks.

Anonymous said...

Arlington police have zero interest in bicycle, pedestrian, skateboard safety. What they are doing is going overboard about enforcing motor vehicle laws for 4-wheel vehicles. It has reached the point where they are responding to false hit-and-run reports. That is, a driver backs into a concrete barrier in a parking lot, suffers minor damage to his or her vehicle, drives home, and calls the police, reporting the accident as a hit-and-run.

Anonymous said...

Arlington police, fire, and EMS spend huge amounts of time being social workers to dysfunctional adults, many of whom are drug abusers.

Anonymous said...

Have you noticed Arlington's paid blogs are posting almost nothing about basic needs; almost everything is about food, recreation, and entertainment?

Anonymous said...

Anyone else notice that the only armed robbery suspects who are apprehended are juveniles and (occasionally) an adult who did not display a weapon?

Anonymous said...

Want to know what happened when a bicyclist ran a stop light and hit the left rear of my Honda Civic? I was automatically at fault for driving a motor vehicle below the speed limit. And that was not on a so-called shared lane which the bicyclists claim they "own" .

Anonymous said...

When the economy starts significantly improving the real journalists who staff the blogs are going back to real journalism; so the local for-profit blogs are only going to become more insipid.

another fed up Democrat said...

Time for Doug Scott to retire for good. You saw it here first.

ACDC VIP said...

You heard THIS first on this blog: Time for Zimmerman to resign / retire from the County Board. What we've become after 15 years of Chris Zimmerman on the County Board is one Arlington residential suburban community after another becoming a $$$mart Growth 'redevelopment opportunity' for people who don't live here.

Anonymous said...

I will not bicycle anywhere in Arlington. The streets are in poor condition.

Anonymous said...

Someone mentioned that the street lighting in Arlington would be an embarrassment to a village in India. When new street lighting is installed the new lighting puts more light onto trees and buildings than onto the street.

Anonymous said...

A Rosslyn-area Yuppie was held up by two black males last night, one armed with a handgun. They stole an i-phone and $400. Apparently both got away.

Anonymous said...

A bicyclist who was not wearing a helmet and was dressed in black from head to toe was hit and seriously injured by a bus on South Glebe Road this morning.

Anonymous said...

I blame the County Board - especially Fisette - for embracing 'free range Yuppieism' over the past 15 years.

Anonymous said...

I also will not bicycle anywhere in Arlington AND Alexandria until the streets are repaved.

22201 said...

People, take a look at yesterday afternoon's County Board meeting. MAYBE one lane on the 14th Street Bridge for dedicated bus service. Rest of the transportation improvement money is going to be spent on ...you guessed it...bicycles.

F Y I said...

FYI, you can purchase an almost new orange or yellow T-shirt at a thrift store for $1.98. A designer orange or yellow polo shirt (e.g., Tommy Hilfiger) for $4.98. I bought several sized XXL, fit over my gray polatec coat. So, drivers can see me when I try to navigate the potholed streets in my neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

County Government can't implement a comprehensive safety program for bicycles because that would offend the free range biketards.