Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Epidemic of Streetcar-Related Injuries Continues

Hello, Yupette,

Thanks for your blog. I absolutely oppose spending anymore money on Zimmerman's ridiculous streetcar system.

A few weeks I visited San Diego to attend a conference about preventing epidemics. You will be interested to know that there is an epidemic of streetcar-related injuries in San Diego. If you search the Web you'll find the same is occurring in Portland and other cities where in-fill development and re-development are occurring. There are too many vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists packed into too small an area. Then streetcar tracks and streetcars are added. Recipe for serious accidents and injuries involving streetcars and streetcar tracks. Perhaps streetcar safety programs are preventing some accidents. But too many people are being encouraged to buy and ride bicycles everywhere, whether they want to obey the rules of the road or not. Same thing with pedestrians and, to some extent,  motor vehicles.

It appears the people elected to promote our best interests could care less about who is hurt by streetcars and streetcar tracks. That's why the law firms that represent streetcar-related accident victims are thriving.

Kathy, 22205

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chris Zimmerman appears to only care about his employer, AECOM.

Anonymous said...

There are some pretty graphic copyrighted news photos by the Bike Portland news blog of recent serious injuries involving bicyclists and streetcar tracks.

Anonymous said...

Yupette, don't forget to mention the Zimmerman Biketard Coalition, which only cares about its FY 2014 County Board stipend.

Brosnan Holzheimer said...

Hey, it stopped raining. Everybody bike to work again today, don't clog the streets and roads for non-residents who make the County's transportation 'planning' decisions.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of Portland, streetcar ridership is down again this year. The newest part of the system, the Eastside Loop, is a low speed gentrification gimme to developers.

Visit Portland said...

What is starting to happen in Portland is bus service is being degraded so commuters will take streetcars instead of buses. The streetcars are too slow and now they are being pitched as a convenience for seniors and people who work at home during non-rush hours.

Anonymous said...

Portland received $75 million from the Federal Transit Administration for the East Side Loop streetcar system. The Portland transit agencies do not pretend the East Side Loop streetcar system is anything other than Development Oriented Transit.

Anonymous said...

So Arlington is doing more or less what Portland did five years ago?

I have to ask where will the upscale people come from to occupy ten thousand new expensive apartments and condos on the Pike?

Anonymous said...

Not only an epidemic of streetcar accidents in San Diego but a plague of ambulance chasing lawyers.

Anonymous said...

Who's going to pay for all the accidents and injuries?

Anonymous said...

Biketards are total Urban Village Idiots. Like the corrupt local media they trade silence for $$$$.

Anonymous said...

Can't say they weren't warned about streetcar tracks.

Frau Inta said...

"Achtung Arlington Sheeple, Reitsfuhrer Zimmerman has decreed that commencing January 1, 2013 Arlington Residents who belong to organizations that receive Reitsorganisation funds will ride everywhere in Arlington on bicycles to free up scarce parking spaces and traffic lanes for non-residents who make critical transportation decisions for the Reit".

Jeff said...

Put Clifton VA resident Barbara Donnellan's fat a$$ on bicycle. I'll ride one to work if she does.

Anonymous said...

Don't ya know, Arlington's decision makers (who live in Fairfax County) all drive to 2100 Clarendon Blvd. one-to-a-vehicle, talking on their cell phones to Joe Reit in New York while they are driving.

Anonymous said...

"Transportation Planning" is an oxymoron in Arlington.

Anonymous said...

We are headed for another year when the County Board of Urbanization, aka County Board of Resegregation through Gentrification, approves site plans for another 3,000 new parking spaces and another $3 million to promote a 'car free diet'.

Doug Park said...

Zimmerman and other CB members will be long out of Arlington before streets are closed in their neighborhoods to provide "open space", which will largely be used by residents of infill development along arterials like Columbia Pike.

Anonymous said...

That's the plan...infill the neighborhoods with 5 story condo and apartment buildings then close the streets to provide 'open space'.