Sunday, September 19, 2010

Caution - Zimmerman and Baird May Be Hazardous to Your Child's Safety

Hi Yupette,

I am really becoming concerned about the traffic from the huge Bailey's Crossing apartment complex (across Dinwiddie Street from Wakefield HS and just inside Fairfax County). So I tried to determine what happened to the funds for traffic mitigation that were supposed to be spent before the project was completed. Well the project is completed and it turns out (from a source close to Fairfax County Supervisor Penny Gross) that VDOT is sitting on the bond funds to start the project and neither the Arlington County Board nor the School Board have done anything about it, although they have been repeatedly contacted.

How's that for taking responsibility for our kids' safety? I am sure that if a child is hit and killed by a speeding vehicle driven by a 20-something who lives in Bailey's Crossing Baird and Zimmerman will finally do something after Zimmerman tells us everything is O.K. because his kid attends Wakefield.

S. Dinwiddie

15 comments:

L O L said...

Zimmerman? You mean Chris "Safety Last" Zimmerman?

Anonymous said...

Next County Board meeting is September 25th. Public comment starts at 8:30 AM.

Anonymous said...

Fairfax County Board and Planning Commission were repeatedly told that a huge apartment complex full of 20-somethings was not a good idea.

Let's Be Free said...

Talk about hazardous? How about those sharrows inviting bicyclists to ride on heavily traveled, high speed arterial streets, instead of on parallel bike paths or quiet residential streets.

Sad thing is that kids see this and think they can bike safely on streets like Walter Reed or South 2nd as well.

Just this weekend I drove by the sad memorial on Franconia Road in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County where a 9-year old girl was killed August 30th veering from a safe bike path onto a dangerous arterial.

Zimmerman and his bobblehead NOVA colleagues need to put a stop to this insanity now!

Anonymous said...

On average there are about 140 reported bicycle and pedestrian accidents each year in Arlington. No pedestrian and bicycle safety program. SOME bicyclists are now wearing white shirts when they ride on streets and arterials. Others are dressed in black from head to toe.

I have to believe that Zimmerman wants Arlington's streets and arterials to become totally gridlocked. Why would he approve so many new parking garages beneath or adjacent to new buildings?

Anonymous said...

County Board instructed the Transportation Commission to ignore the traffic from the Bailey's Crossing apartment complex when traffic "planning" was done for the new Wakefield H.S.

Anonymous said...

It is much too dangerous to ride a bicycle on Arlington's major streets and roads. Many residential streets in South Arlington badly need repaving. I'm 45 and in good physical shape and own two bicycles, which I ride on a seldom-used bicycle trail. Something like 500 people are hurt in bicycle accidents each year in Arlington. Most of these accidents aren't reported and are caused by bad pavement.

Anonymous said...

South Dinwiddie Street (where Wakefield H.S. is located) needed repaving 5 years ago.

Highland Street said...

Safety has become a political game not a priority in Arlington. The County allows traffic control (speed limit) signs to deteriorate on major arterials like Pershing Drive and then installs bicycle lanes. Duh

former Metro rider said...

This is NOT surprising. Zimmerman chaired the WMATA Board's safety committee and at the time of the July 2009 Metrorail disaster WMATA was scheduled to have a big safety ceremony and pass out safety awards at its July Board meeting.

Anonymous said...

What I'm concerned about is a huge apartment complex full of 20-somethings and their guests from who knows where across the street from a high school. Apparently the County Board and School Board were also concerned because Mary Hynes attended the Fairfax County Board meeting when this monstrosity was approved.

L O L said...

It's 3 PM, do you know where your 17-year old daughter is?

Anonymous said...

Also, there is no outdoor recreation space for the 600+ residents of Bailey's Crossing, leading me to wonder where they will go for outdoor recreation and exercise.

Anonymous said...

Duh, across the street to the new Wakefield Recreation-Entertainment Complex?

Jeff said...

It's more of the County Board's and School Board's Yuppie Culture - a dog park on every block, a live theater in every neighborhood, a bicycle route on every arterial, every school a recreation-entertainment center with classrooms, every neighborhood on a commercial street a party zone, and so on.