Water Mains...Not Bike Lanes

Hello, Yupette,

How much more is this County going to spend on new dedicated bicycle infrastructure and renovating older bicycle infrastructure to benefit what's become a cult? How many Arlington residents are riding bicycles today - it's 30 degrees and snowing? How many water main breaks will have to be repaired this Winter? How many times will we have to boil tap water because large diameter water mains break and take days to repair?

New ductile iron water mains last 100 years and are highly resistant to cracking. Bike lane infrastructure lasts, what, 3 years? How did we get to the point where sports, recreation, and arts consume hundreds of millions every year, including tens of millions for new sports, recreation, and arts infrastructure?

Then there are the injuries caused by bicycles and scooters, which are essentially ridden free-range, and the demands on already-stressed ACPD and ACFD. How much does that cost us?

Terri, 22207

Tie: Wash Post and ArlNow for 'Worst Local Journalism in 2019'

Late last month AY polled its contributors to ask which local news outlet published the worst local journalism during 2019. Results were a virtual tie between the Washington Post and the ArlNow News blog. The Post narrowly edged ArlNow. Here's a sample of comments we received about the Post, ArlNow and the other local media, e.g., Sun Gazette.

Audrey Clement for County Board

No contest this year. Democratic County Board incumbents Katie Cristol and Christian Dorsey are running on a platform of trashing Donald Trump, continually hiding behind Virginia's Dillon Rule, allowing the County to suffer from a devastating flood and a significant drought within 4 months, and having serious conflict of interest issues from accepting many thousands in campaign contributions from WMATA unions who they are supposed to be overseeing via the NVTC Board and WMATA Board.

Then there's their New Urbanist agenda. After 40 years of redeveloping Arlington New Urbanism has become a growth-for-the-sake-of-growth monster that's devouring formerly livable neighborhoods with more cars and vehicle trips, ever-more unaffordable housing, and continuing destruction of open space and the mature tree canopy. With the purpose of making the County an expensive urbanized mess within ten years.

Enough is enough. We deserve better, much better, from a bloated County Government and what we pay in ever-increasing taxes, which seem to only go for more Taj Mahal infrastructure for the so-called "Progressives'" favored special interests. Therefore AY endorses Audrey Clement for Arlington County Board.

Write-in Theo Stamos for Commonwealth's Attorney

Hi, Yupette,

I'm a 53 year old Yuppie with kids out of college several years. I live in Lyon Park.

I'm posting this to ask Arlington Voters to write-in Theo Stamos for Commonwealth's Attorney on November 5th.

We have enough problems with the homeless, drugs and alcohol, crime by non-residents, and free-range Millennials now. If Team Parisa takes control of the Commonwealth's Attorney's office it's going to be "Party's Over Here, in Arlington".

If I wanted to live in "vibrant" and "trendy" DC, I would. I don't need or want the bad behavior that's epidemic in DC moving here.

Thanks for a blog that's an alternative to a continuous stream of infomercials for the status quo, e.g., ArlNow, Sun Gazette, Inside Nova.

L.J.

Discussion: Is County Government Environmentally Responsive and Responsible?

Hi, AY contributors wanted a discussion about the level of County Government's environmental responsibility. So AY is asking for your thoughts.

Replacing Brick Sidewalk Paving is No Big Deal

Hi,

Thanks for this blog.

I live in the B-R Corridor and the brick sidewalks here continue to deteriorate. What's the reason not to replace them with concrete? No good reason. I called one of the local construction companies that bids on County public infrastructure projects and asked. Was told that the bricks are removed and recycled, sand and gravel under the bricks is leveled, concrete is poured. Not a big deal unless other improvements are made, like new curbs. So why not just replace the bricks and make the sidewalks in the Corridor much safer? Funds being used for dedicated bicycle lanes? Or what?

Ted, 22201

Multi-Modal Safety PSAs - Conspicuous by Their Absence

Hi,

I sometimes visit this blog and agree that there's a big problem in Arlington with multi-modal safety.

I took an early vacation in upstate NY after Memorial Day and there are lots of safe pedestrian-bicycle-auto PSAs produced by NY State Government, on network TV and on YouTube. Here's one of them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6ct-uSo10c

Why not in Virginia, especially inside the DC Beltway?

Thanks again for your blog.

John, Dominion Hills