The Buckingham Herald Tribblog

Representatives of Harris Teeter, Goodyear, and the American Service Center have been meeting with each other over months to discuss possible redevelopment options in the 500 and 600 block of N. Glebe Road. The potential changes—a long-shot at best—would completely change the look of the block, especially the section north from the Harris Teeter grocery store to the Goodyear Tire company at the corner of N. Carlin Springs Road. The ideas floating would move or expand the businesses, creating underground or garage parking, retail space and apartments.

This is according to Terry Serie, an Arlington County Planning Commission member who spoke at the Buckingham Community Civic Association last night. (He actually was invited as a member of the Bluemont Civic Association, and was not speaking officially for the Planning Commission last night.)

The companies have been speaking on their own, and the Planning Commission hopes to get all of them in the room together this summer to see what, if anything, would be worth pursuing, Mr. Serie said.

“I’m expecting that nothing will happen,” he said, given the complexity and scope of a project like this.

He said that last year’s proposed redevelopment of the Goodyear and the small house on N. Carlin Springs next to the tire company is currently off-line, but that has nothing to do with the discussions with the other companies, he said.

The Planning Commission is a citizen advisory board that helps the elected county board with "orderly development of the locality" the county's web site says.

The topic that Mr. Serie actually came to speak about, however, was the newly approved outdoor seating at the Union Jack’s pub, located on the ground floor of the Ballston Commons Mall with a store-front on N. Glebe Road. The outdoor space allows for 54 seats, but many more people than that for standing room. Couple that with Rock Bottom Brewery’s Wednesday night outdoor kegger next door, and the noise, especially in the evening is a bit much for people living in the townhouses across the street from the mall, said Mr. Serie, who lives in one of the townhouses, part of the Bluemont Civic Association.

That civic association only learned last week about the proposed expansion of the outdoor seating, too late to mount an effective campaign. Plus, the company scaled back its plan so that it did not need the complicated Site Plan review or an Arlington County Board vote. County staff could OK the project on their own, consulting only the Ashton Heights Civic Association where the mall is located.

Bluemont Civic Association voted to write a letter to County Manager Ron Carlee, asking that Bluemont receive notices of decisions being made in the 600 block of N. Glebe Road that face the Bluemont, even though the mall and garage property are inside the Ashton Heights neighborhood.

The BCCA voted to write a similar letter.

Also speaking at the BCCA meeting was Tom Hutchings, an Arlington County planner who ran through the $2.4 million renovations of three N. Glebe Road intersections at Fairfax Drive, Wilson Blvd., and Carlin Springs Road, called the North Glebe Road Pedestrian Improvements Project. This has been years in the making, and much of the construction has already been completed.

Wider sidewalks and skirts on the Exxon gas station and Goodyear corners has been completed, as has been shrub removal —allowing greater driver/pedestrian visibility—on the median just south of the intersection.

The most heated of the discussions among the people was how best to calm traffic entering and exiting the Ballston Mall parking garage.

Mr. Hutchings explained that planners tried to place raised crosswalks across the entrance to the garage, but the Virginia Department of Transportation would not allow it.

“We were hoping the bump-up would slow the cars down,” he said. VDOT also would not allow 10.5 foot traffic lanes, insisting instead on 11 feet.

People talked about getting better signs alerting drivers to watch for pedestrians. Mr. Hutchings said he would ask, at the request of the BCCA, that the entire corner, and especially the exit from the mall, be made “no right turn on red.” No promises in that, though.

This project started in 1999 and was projected for completion at least six months ago. Last report put the project at $1.9 million.

Finally, BCCA President Pat Hope made official what was clear to many: he will not seek another term as BCCA president. Mr. Hope is running as a Democrat in the 47th District of the Virginia House of Delegates. As a Democrat, he is widely expected to win the race and will not have time for both positions. He can serve until November, he said at the meeting. The BCCA will pick up the search for a replacement at the September meeting.

Proposed Mixed-use Building for Goodyear Site

A Decade for New Lights and Curb Cuts

I am still on summer hiatus, but the news was just too big to ignore at last night's meeting, so I thought I'd give a quick post. More on this in the fall, no doubt. --ST

Labels: asc, ashton heights, bluemont civic association, goodyear, harris teeter, pedestrian, redevelopment, traffic

// posted by Steve Thurston @ 6:01 AM 0 comments

Construction crews began work renovating the N. Henderson Road at N. Thomas Street intersection, Friday.

The work will make a dangerous intersection a little more pedestrian friendly. The changes will “bump” the sidewalks a little into the travel lanes, slowing drivers as they turn, while shortening the distance pedestrians will have to travel to cross the streets. "Zebra stiping" of the crosswalks for greater visibility over N. Henderson is part of the plan.

The project will also improve drainage and lighting at the intersection. As well, the sidewalk in front of the Hyde Park Condominium’s pool, just east of the intersection, will get curb cuts for better wheelchair, scooter and bicycle accessibility.

According to Patrick Hope, Buckingham Community Civic Association president, the work should be completed in about two weeks. This was the first project in Buckingham to be completed under the Neighborhood Conservation Project process.

Crimson Urban, Inc., owners of 650 N. Glebe Rd., are looking to redevelop that parcel of land where the Goodyear Auto Service Center now stands.

“This application is requesting approval for a five (5)-story approximately 115 unit residential building with approximately 9,234 square feet of ground floor retail,” a letter from the owner’s lawyers states.

Current zoning allows for a four-storey mixed use building, which means the developer will have to go before the county’s Site Plan Review Committee, a sub-set of the Planning Commission, for approval.

The letter says that the apartments will be “reasonably priced,” that the building will have 146 parking spaces, and that the building will try to receive 26 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design credits from the U.S. Green Building Council.

County planners and residents have long wanted to improve pedestrian safety at the corner of N. Glebe and N. Carlin Springs roads where the building sits.

“This may be our chance to negotiate the overhead crosswalk over N. Glebe we've been discussing for years. I hope to make this part of the discussions,” wrote Pat Hope, the Buckingham Community Civic Association president in an email. That crosswalk would connect to the Goodyear site to the Ballston Common Mall parking lot. Mr. Hope forwarded the attorney’s letter to the HeraldTrib.

The U.S. Green Building Council, an independent group, has four levels of certification. A LEED credit score from 26 to 32 is “certified,” from 33 to 38 is “silver,” from 39 to 51 is “gold,” and platinum buildings range from 52 to 69 possible points, according to the council’s web site.

The current zoning allows for four storeys. The building under construction on N. Thomas Street, near the Goodyear, is covered under the same zoning and is being built “by right” meaning basically that it is staying within current zoning.

Glebe and Carlin Q&A: No Changes to Pedestrian Crossing Times (July 12, 2007)

A Decade for New Lights and Curb Cuts (July 11, 2007)

Pedestrian Meeting Coming to Bham (June 25, 2007).

Labels: Carlin Springs, Glebe, intersection, pedestrian, redevelopment

// posted by Steve Thurston @ 9:18 AM 2 comments

To the uninitiated, that might only have sounded like a politician glad-handing those in attendance, but it’s more than that.

The Glebe Market building will be torn down soon enough if the plans-in-progress go as scheduled. It will be replaced by a four-storey building with retail on the ground floor and market-rate apartments above. Georgetown Strategic Capital, the potential developers, have room in their plans for a small grocery store, but the question remains what type of store will replace the Glebe Market. This has led to debate within the community, and Mr. Tejada was publically throwing his support to one side. I think we now know what the county will be bargaining for as the development process progresses.

Although both sides of the argument are supported by all sorts of people, the main fault line corresponds largely to people’s backgrounds: the Spanish-speaking Latinos in the area want to see a store similar to the Glebe Market, while English-speaking people tend to prefer something more like a Trader Joe’s grocery or Yes! Organic Market.

(Sam Chon, the Glebe Market owner, is retiring and the store itself will not be reopened.)

I’ll admit here that I am with Mr. Tejada on this. I don’t want a Trader Joe’s (and a county staffer or two has told me TJ’s would not move in here anyway). I am afraid that we’ll lose the flavor of our neighborhood if we get another national chain. I am afraid that economic pressure will nudge our retail spaces toward the likes of Clarendon once the hundreds of new apartments and townhouses in the neighborhood are built. As one place goes belly-up it will be replaced by something a little higher up the economic ladder, I think.

(FYI: Buckingham will see about 1,000 new housing units once all the construction throughout the neighborhood is completed over the next five, years, or so.)

So, I'd like to see a store that has a similar content to the Glebe Market, and that has ownership close-at-hand so that it will be responsible to the neighborhood.

At the same time, I want any new store to look new. The Glebe Market does not look nice inside anymore. And I do want the county to think about what they are going to do with the men who congregate, sometimes drink or get unruly, outside the Glebe Market now. I don't want them simply rousted, but fairly dealt with.

And I'd like to know that any market we get serves the entire community, taking all backgrounds and income levels into account.

Mr. Tejada’s remarks can be heard here:

As usual in Buckingham events, the crowd at the ribbon cutting for the newly-spruced up N. Glebe Road at N. Pershing Drive intersection was made up mainly of county staffers with a few Buckinghamster and Ashton Heightites attending.

Although county board members Jay Fisette and Barbara Favola are seen in a couple photos, I forgot to mention that they were there and Mr. Fisette spoke. He praised the finished project and talked about how much he liked the Buckingham Center, the food and stores.

Ms. Favola, who is up for reelection this November, stood on and held the ceremonial ribbon.

I have to admit that I love what has been done to the streetscape. The sidewalks are nicer, the "skyline" without the wires is great. I only, still, regret that the art component was relegated to the bus shelters.

Buckinghamster Bernie Berne said that he thought the changes did little. He speaks up at many events and is known for wanting to get rid of affordable housing in the neighborhood and not liking the men who congregate outside the Glebe Market and CVS. He said the changes to the intersection do nothing to help that.

Bernie, I couldn't disagree more. I think what has (finally!) been done is great, and I'm very happy it finally happened. We can deal with other issues later.

Scroll down for the link to the story.

According to the county web site, “the project includes replacing the metal decking and fencing, improvements to the railings, painting of the bridge and railings and installing lighting and a roof over the bridge.” Traffic will be affected during non-rush hours, the press release says.

To read the press release click here.

As always, you can scroll down to see all the recent stories, or simply click the links below (if the link doesn't work, scroll down to find the story, and email to tell me what's busted: heraldtrib@gmail.com --Steve Thurston).

Today's Headlines:

Catholic Parade Through Buckingham for Pentecost

No Clear Nominee For Beaver's Name! So the voting continues...

Police Notes for Buckingham, May 28, 2008

Headlines from Earlier in the Week:

Thunder Rumbles Through Church

With a Snip, Eight Years is History

Labels: buckingham center, favola, fissette, pedestrian, renovation, tejada

// posted by Steve Thurston @ 11:02 AM 0 comments

It has been so long in coming that people cannot even recall when the whole process began, but the date it ended was Thursday May 22, 2008, when county board members and local civic leaders snipped the ceremonial ribbon on a N. Pershing Drive bus shelter, ending a tumultuous process of renovation at N. Pershing’s intersection with N.Glebe Road.

The process started, most likely, in 2000, when county staff organized the “Buckingham Charette” and the idea for improving pedestrian safety and designing common sense traffic patterns was discussed. The idea quickly became part of the Neighborhood Strategy Area Plan, written in 2000.

In late 2002 and early 2003, the county was saying this project would be completed “by spring.” But county staff cited troubles working with the many people and businesses that own the property and buildings, troubles working with the slow-moving Virginia Department of Transportation, and concerns raised by the county’s Historical Affairs and Landmarks Review Board.

So much was slowed down that staff chose to cut sculptures from the project and instead limit the “arts portion” to etched-glass bus shelters.

The irony of this is that in the intervening years, the property on that corner has risen in value, and the CVS and Glebe Market buildings will be torn down and rebuilt if current plans are executed. The new curb cuts and landscaping on the west side of N. Glebe Road are not consistent with the plans for the new buildings.

Videos and images from yesterday’s event and some more history are a included as part of the following video. Links to stories covering this renovation appear below the video.

The intersection, known in the neighborhood for limited visibility and unmarked crosswalks, will be upgraded through the Neighborhood Conservation Program. It’s the first project to get funding in the neighborhood under the Buckingham Conservation Plan, written last year. [See a link to the full NCP under the drop-down menu "County Links" at right. --ST]

“The major design, I think we agree on,” said Stuart Engel, of Jackson Manor Condominium, which sits on the northeast corner of the intersection. He joined two people from Hyde Park Condominium and county staffers Angela Courtney and Dan Reinhard at the meeting.

The design pushes the sidewalks out into the streets a little more, giving drivers turning from N. Thomas onto N. Henderson a better view before crossing or merging with traffic. These sidewalk “nubs” should push the no parking zone farther from the intersection, increasing visibility, and shortening the distance for pedestrians to cross.

“It should get you out where you’ll be able to see past the parked cars,” Mr. Reinhard said. Drivers on N. Thomas will stop before the crosswalk and then roll forward and stop for the traffic on N. Henderson. “Virginia is a two-stop state.”

Available space on N. Henderson Road does not allow for the sidewalk nubs to shorten the distance on both sides of N. Thomas; however, the crosswalks will be “ladder” or “zebra” painted for increased visibility.

Mr. Reinhard suggested moving the street light that is tucked away in a corner of the sidewalk (see the upper right hand corner of the drawing) from the space between Jackson Manor and Hyde Park and putting a new one in front of Jackson Manor.

That section of the sidewalk, with awkward right-angle turns and little room for maneuverability, is a problem for the planners.

“I didn’t find anything that really helped us out here other than moving the light,” Mr. Reinhard said.

Moving that light, which is hidden in the tree canopy, would mean a dark corner would get darker, and could feel dangerous to pedestrians.

Discussion led to adding another light near Hyde Park, just east of the current light.

A third light is planned for the northwest corner of the intersection. In all, four new lights are planned, including one on the south side of N. Henderson that will be installed when Paradigm development builds townhomes on the southwest corner of the intersection.

Mr. Engel also suggested moving the bus stop currently just east of the intersection to a location just west. He hoped this would push the no parking area even farther down the street, allowing for more visibility. However, the stop is a Metrobus, so it is not controlled by Arlington. As well, moving the stop might have other problems with traffic flow. There was a question of whether it is possible at all.

“We’ll put the question to our transportation people and our bus people,” Mr. Reinhard said. “We’ll find out.”

By the end of the meeting, Mr. Reinhard’s copy of the plan had many notes and reminders covering it.

Other changes and timeline:

County: Give Bham Real Crosswalks

Labels: henderson, pedestrian, thomas street

// posted by Steve Thurston @ 1:16 PM 0 comments

A bill that would have required drivers to “stop and remain stopped” for pedestrians in crosswalks died in a Virginia House of Delegates subcommittee, Monday.

“It died on a three–three vote,” according to the office of Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Del. Charles “Bill” Carrico. Del. Carrico (R-5th) represents Galax City and surrounding areas in southwestern Virginia near the North Carolina border.

The bill that died Monday originated in the Senate, with Arlington’s Sen. Patricia Ticer (D-30th) as the chief patron. It passed the full Senate on Feb. 9, and “crossed-over” to the House the following week. An identical bill, sponsored by Arlington/Alexandria’s Del. Adam Ebbin (D-49th), narrowly died on the House floor, Feb. 11. The House bill had squeaked out of the same subcommittee that later killed the Senate bill.

This is at least the third time that a bill of this sort has failed in the Virginia Legislature. Democrats and at least one Republican have cited the problem as downstate representatives who have not understood the heavy congestion, and need for more regulation, in northern Virginia. However, Republican legislators have said that the language will not stand up in court. The bill had a lot of support of northern Virginia lawmakers from both parties.

The law currently states that drivers must "yield" for pedestrians. The vague nature of "yield," proponents of the new language have said, makes conviction nearly impossible. Any driver who does not hit a pedestrian has yielded to that pedestrian, proponents, including some police officers, have said.

A representative for Sen. Ticer said she saw this bill as a “very important” piece of legislation.

“She [Sen. Ticer] said she always will try, every year” to bring this bill to law, said Larin Brink, a legislative aid to Sen. Ticer. “I don’t anticipate that the departments we’re working with in northern Virginia would let go of the issue.”

Pedestrian Bill Walks onto House/Senate Floor

Labels: house of delegates, pedestrian, virginia politics, virginia senate

// posted by Steve Thurston @ 12:03 PM 0 comments

“I’m not dead, yet.”

“Yes you are, you’ll be stone cold in a moment.”

“I feel happy!”

The bill (HB1270), sponsored by Democrat Adam Ebbin (D-49th, Arlington/Alexandria), lost by one vote in the full House Feb. 11, but an identical bill (SB644) passed through the state Senate, Friday Feb. 9.

Therefore, the Senate bill crossed over to the House where it was taken up by the House Transportation Committee, once again, and that committee sent it down, once again, to “Sub-committee #2” where it will be discussed as early as Monday.

The bill has already made its way once out of the sub-committee and full-committee to the House floor. That could happen again, although the votes in committee were close.

The main thrust of the bill is that it requires cars to “stop and remain stopped” for pedestrians in crosswalks on the car’s side of the street. (That is, a southbound car must stop for a pedestrian in a southbound lane.) Supporters of the bill say that this is more clear than the current law which requires drivers to “yield” to pedestrians in crosswalks.

Also, it defines more clearly what “marked” and “unmarked” crosswalks are. Finally, it says that pedestrians must not enter either type of crosswalk if the car does not have time to stop for the pedestrian.

That bill has had cross-party support. Republicans in pedestrian-heavy northern counties, among others, have voted for the bill.

The real thing is this: it lost by one vote on the House floor on a day when three Democrats (including one sponsor of the bill) were absent from voting. (A tie vote, by the way, loses.)

My take:

I like the bill. It’s not perfect. The Republicans I spoke with said it would not really change much, and might still be as tough to convict the idiot driver who blasts through the intersection, pedestrians-be-damned. For instance, who is to say that the pedestrian did not step off the curb too late and not give the car time to stop? That will remain as unclear as it ever was, say detractors.

Still, I think everyone can see the difference between “yield” and “stop,” and it’s a significant difference to me.

Walking my dog this morning, I noticed a spot on N. Quincy Street at N. 5th Road that would be a perfect “unmarked crosswalk.” The sidewalk at the corner has a nice skirt that slopes down to N. Quincy at the intersection. On the opposite side of N. Quincy is another skirt that slopes up from the road. N. 5th, however, does not cut all the way through at that point, and there are no striped lines marking the crosswalk on N. Quincy, so it does not look much like a crosswalk, but under the SB644, I think it would be.

I wondered if I would be legally right to consider that a crosswalk, and if I stepped out into it would a car on my side of the street have to stop for me or risk a ticket? (If the driver actually hit me in a cross walk, marked or no, the driver is actually at fault).

Since the “crosswalk” there is not readily apparent, that would mean drivers would have to be even more vigilant, constantly looking for pedestrians crossing at these places.

And that is why I like the bill.

A few drivers (even myself if I was not paying attention) would get tickets for failing to stop for a pedestrian in an unmarked crosswalk even though they might not have known the law and might not have hurt or risked the life of anyone. So be it.

What this county needs is a shift in attitude. We have to change the mentality of drivers that says “hurry up and get out of my way foolish pedestrian” to “it won’t cost me but a few seconds, on average, to stop and wait for the person to get out of my way.”

If the law can get us to the point where people think that way (the same way seatbelt laws got everyone to think about using seatbelts), then I am all for it. I think this law will do it.

We’ll see what happens, and you know I will keep you posted.

Labels: house of delegates, legislature, pedestrian, virginia senate

// posted by Steve Thurston @ 10:58 AM 0 comments

“‘Yield’ means different things to different people, including ‘swerve,’ ‘stop,’ ‘slow down,’ or ‘just miss’,” said Del. Adam Ebbin (D-49th, Alexandria) from the House floor, Monday. He is the chief sponsor of the bill in the house. “This legislation is supported by the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, local law enforcement agencies,…and the Virginia PTA.”

Del. Salvatore Iaquinto (R-84th, Virginia Beach) voted against the measure. He is an attorney and said he has defended pedestrians many times.

“The case law is pretty clear that the pedestrians have a right of way in a crosswalk,” he said in an interview Tuesday, adding that people know what "yield" means. The term is not the problem, there are some who will ignore the current law.
“If you’re in a crosswalk, and you get hit by a car, the person who hit you is at fault," he said.

But without that accident, police find it hard to get a conviction at all, said Pat Carroll, Arlington County's legislative liaison. "It’s very important to our police department" that this law pass, she said in a voice mail.

“In Fairfax [County] at least, and this may be true in Arlington as well, the police say they have trouble getting convictions unless somebody actually hits a pedestrian," she said.

Although the language changing “yield” to “stop” is intended to clarify what drivers are supposed to do, Del. Iaquinto said he thought the bill would confuse some people. Pedestrians must obey lighted pedestrian traffic signals under the law, but what if someone does not? Del. Iaquinto wondered. Is the driver required to stop for that person? And what happens when there are no pedestrian signal lights at an intersection and a pedestrian enters the crosswalk against traffic, who is at fault then? He also said that he feared rear-ender accidents with drivers slamming on brakes to avoid pedestrians.

“I’ve got to be honest with you, I was fifty-fifty” on whether or not to vote yes to the bill, Del. Iaquinto said, but it just was not clear enough language. “I don’t disagree with his [Del. Ebbin’s] motives…[but] I think we’d be back here next year trying to fix [the bill].”

Pedestrian issues took a front seat in Buckingham last summer as county staff met with residents of the neighborhood regarding pedestrian safety, especially at the intersection of N. Glebe and N. Carlin Springs roads. Changes which continue there are part of the North Glebe Road Pedestrian Improvements Project. The project covers that intersection as well as two others.

As well, the intersection of N. Glebe at N. Pershing Drive is part of a different project. One aim of the renovation is to improve pedestrian safety.

N. Thomas Street at various intersections of the neighborhood—most significantly at N. Henderson Road—is a subject of county capital improvements aimed at pedestrian safety. [More on this next week. --ST]

Suzi Smith, a resident of The Carlin apartment on N. Carlin Springs Road, took an active roll in meetings with county staff last summer.

“It makes a huge difference whether it’s stop or yield,” she said in an interview yesterday. She said she’s been in intersections where she could touch the car as it was driving by.

She said that the police could issue more traffic tickets, which might only directly affect a few people, but word would get around. As well, people who received tickets would begin to slow down, and then everyone would have to slow down behind them.

Representtatives from K.W. Barrett Elementary's PTA joined with statewide PTAs for a day with Legislators during the first week of February. Barrett parent Nina Austin had taken the pedestrian issue as a prime concern given that many Arlington parents have been telling the school board that they want their children to walk to school. She has been encouraging parents to contact legislators.

"We can't just make this a northern Virginia issue," she said in an interview on Feb. 5.

That might hit at the crux of the problem. Some form of this bill has come up perennially for at least three years, and county staff and political leaders have said in the past that they just cannot convince downstate Republicans that there is a need for a change in the law.

“I’m from Virginia Beach,” Del. Iaquinto said. “Yeah, I think you’re right. The downstate legislators, they just don’t see these problems" of heavy pedestrian traffic mixing with vehicle traffic. Still it was not enough to convince him to change his vote.

The measure is not dead, however, as the bill that made it through the Senate (it is identical to the House bill), crossed over to the House, where it heads back to the Trasportation Committee, perhaps as early as Thursday.

“This is a priority for Arlington," Ms. Carroll said. She added in an email: "Regardless, we remain committed to pedestrian safety and if the bill does not pass, will continue to work on it."

This is How Crosswalks Are Supposed to Work, Virginia!

Labels: delegates, house of delegates, pedestrian, virginia politics, virginia senate

// posted by Steve Thurston @ 10:12 AM 0 comments

House Bill 1270, seeks to clarify a law that originally said vehicles had to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, language that legislators have said was too vague to enforce.

Del. Adam Ebbin (D-49th, Arlington/Fairfax County), the chief patron of the bill, said this was the second time in three years that the bill has made it out of the transportation committee, the last time in 2006. It is a bill that county politicians have fought for in the past. Ebbin said he was happy that the measure made it out of the committee, but he did not know what chance it had in the Republican controlled House.

Del. Al Eisenberg (D-47th, Arlington), a patron of the bill, said it was “important” that the bill passed through the transportation committee, which gave him hope that it would pass the House. A vote can always, “slip on the ice,” he said in an interview this morning.

He compared the voting process on some bills in the House as a knit sweater with a loose thread. It all unravels when someone pulls the thread, and delegates might not know where the thread is or who is pulling it.

In this case, he said the thread might just be the problem of who has the right of way. Although the bill states that cars “must stop and remain stopped,” it also states, “No pedestrian shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle which is so close that it is impossible for the driver to stop, nor shall any pedestrian cross an intersection in disregard of traffic control devices.” Del. Ebbins said this was a significant change that clarified the pedestrian’s role, and that it is clear in the legislation that cars cannot enter a crosswalk when a pedestrian is present.

However, these portions of the bill gave Del. Manoli Loupassi (R-68th, Richmond) a reason to vote no. He was one of eight delegates to vote against the bill in the transportation committee; 11 delegates from both parties voted for it.

A former prosecutor and defense attorney who said he has spent a lot of time in traffic court, Del. Loupassi said he believes the bill is unworkable in court because, “there’s a burden of proof that cannot be met.” He said it will not always be clear who had the right of way.

“I just think it’s a situation that’s going to get someone killed,” Del. Loupassi said. He said he thinks the bill could “mature” to his liking but that it would have to be simplified for clarity.

The problem with enforcing the law as it stands is that “yield” could mean to stop the car and wait for the pedestrian, or to allow the pedestrian to go first, but then slide just behind them in the crosswalk, officials have said.

“The police say it’s extremely difficult to enforce the law as it is written,” said Virginia Senator Mary Margaret Whipple, last July.

As early as today, the House of Delegates could vote on the bill. It would modify and amend a number of rules on the books regarding vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The first 11 pages of the 16-page bill define various terms, amending some.

An identical bill is being debated on the Senate floor today, with Arlington Sen. Patricia Ticer (D-30th, Arlington/Alexandria) as the chief sponsor. A vote in the Senate's transportation committee was largely along party lines, nine to six, with Republican John Watkins (10th, Midlothian) joining the Democrats.

In both bills, “Crosswalk,” originally relegated only to intersections with plain markings, is split into “Marked Crosswalks” and “Unmarked Crosswalks.”

The unmarked variety extends through an intersection parallel to one road, and crossing the other road where the sidewalk would meet the intersection, if there is a sidewalk.

Marked crosswalks are not defined solely at intersections, but include “any portion of a roadway at an intersection or elsewhere distinctively indicated for pedestrian crossing by lines or other markings on the highway surface.”

The bill also states that pedestrians crossing outside of marked or unmarked crosswalks must yield right of way to vehicles, and that vehicles must always use care around pedestrians.

From HB1270:

Labels: crosswalks, delegates, pedestrian, senate

// posted by Steve Thurston @ 11:36 AM 0 comments

When the Jim Webb, George Allen fight was hottest, Allen’s own campaign shared the number of votes that he and John Warner shared in the Senate. It was somewhere around 1,500 votes. He’d voted 1,500 times in one term in the Senate! Give those votes over to the other side to sort through and all kinds of statistical, but bad-sounding, nonsense comes out (“He voted 312 times to raise taxes!” Or “He voted to kill your children!”).

That’s why it’s so hard for Senators to win the White House; in one term they have more history than they care to share.

A little closer to home, Suzi Smith reported at the Buckingham Community Civic Association meeting that this line in the road is wonderful. It’s a “stop line” on N. Carlin Springs Road in front of the Carlin apartments. Traffic stopping at the intersection of N. Carlin and N. Glebe Road historically often blocks the driveway to the Carlin making it difficult or impossible for Carlin drivers to get out and dangerous for pedestrians in that area.

She reported that people stop for the line, and leave room, often more room than necessary. Woohoo! (And Kudos to the county staff who got that done (finally?—all children are prodigal and always welcome home.))

I can’t help but come back to my diatribe of the summer—the one says LINES ON THE ROAD DO MATTER, at least when it’s clear what the line means. Oh, don’t get me started.

Today’s Headlines:

Headlines since last Wednesday:

Fun at the ANDC Meeting (Impeach, Seize Property, etc.)

Labels: pedestrian, politics

// posted by Steve Thurston @ 10:03 AM 0 comments

"Usually they do like a one hour block” during morning and evening rush-hours, said Lt. William Griffith, of the police Special Operations Section. The special detail grew from citizen meetings with county staff about pedestrian safety at that intersection.

Certainly police presence slows drivers down, but when do the drivers speed up again?

“As soon as they don’t see [the police],” said John Townsend, of AAA MidAtlantic, and then he chuckled a little. With selective enforcement of speed, “the benefit is short-term.”

He cited a couple traffic studies to support his claim. One, written by researchers at the University of Maryland’s medical school earlier this year, reported that citations do not stop people from continuing to speed.

“Our findings indicate that a single speeding citation has limited effects on changing drivers’ likelihood of receiving subsequent speeding citations....this study suggests that speeding citations have inadequate deterrent effects in the context of the current law enforcement system,” the report stated. "Drivers who received a speeding citation during May 2002 had almost twice the risk of receiving a speeding citation during the follow-up period [one year] than drivers who did not receive a speeding citation during that month.”

The other, written by medical researchers in Ottawa Canada in 2003, found that speeding tickets lower the mortality rate for drivers significantly, in the first month or two after the ticket is given, but the benefit is gone after about three months.

Still, the Maryland study seemed to point to the idea that people slow down if they fear the police are nearby. The report stated, “The severity of the punishment does not seem to be the deterring factor to slow speeders; the deterrent seems to be whether the driver thinks he or she will be caught at all.”

"We try to go back and spot check as well,” said Lt. Griffith. "How often we go back, I don't know."

“The problem with the county is that we get flooded with requests" to have the motor unit come out on a special detail, especially for speed traps, he said. The officers in the motor unit, however, tend to go back to places, such as the intersection of Glebe and Carlin Springs, if they think they can “be seen, make a difference,” he said.

"They enjoy writing tickets," he said, laughing.

[I don't intend to imply that the studies mentioned are the last word on this. The link to the Stanford study only references a press release since the only copy I could find of the full study was in my college’s library database. For readers here to see that copy, I would have to give all of you my login name and password. The college frowns on that. –ST.]

Labels: pedestrian, Police, traffic

// posted by Steve Thurston @ 8:58 AM 0 comments

This special detail came about as a consequence of a recent meeting between citizens and county staff regarding the state of pedestrian life at that corner.
“[The] next couple of days, should see more [officers] there” at the intersection, Lt. Griffith said.

The officers on the special detail are different from ones who normally patrol the neighborhood.

Officers on the special detail keep a tally of citations made at the intersection and hand them up to supervisors. Officers who normally patrol the area are also allowed to take part in the tally.

“At the end of 30 days, we see what we get,” said Lt. Griffith. He said he should see the tally sheets about mid-August.

Labels: Carlin Springs, Glebe, pedestrian, Police

// posted by Steve Thurston @ 3:06 PM 0 comments

++++++++++

Friday, June 29:
8:15 p.m. The Art of Belly Dancing: Demo & Lesson
8:30 p.m. Film: Casablanca (1942)

To keep up with the Amphitheatre’s summer schedule, look to the right hand column, and click the Arts al Fresco link under “County Gov’t Sites.”

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A Little More About Music

Ever since the Steve Songs Concert a couple weekends ago (see the June 7 post), friends and I have been talking about great kids music (hey, it’s what we do).

Anyway, I thought I’d add a few names and titles for those people interested. Feel free to email me with more, or simply add ideas to “comments” below…

Eddie Spaghetti—He’s an aging rocker, from the looks of his photos, and his “Greatest Hits” album is really good. My fave: “Rainy, Rainy Day Blues.” With lines like “Don’t let the clouds down in my shoes/Don’t want no rainy, rainy day blues…” it’s like something out of a 70s sitcom (I’m thinking “Love, American Style,” or maybe “The Monkeys”). Click the link and you can download the songs—he also has a link to order CDs.

Jessica Harper—She’s got a good band behind her, especially her pianist. Her voice is nice, her songs are fun. (Her web site is interesting because it’s very focused on her kids books—I didn’t even know she had any.) I like “Inside/Out” though, for albums. “Little Brown Dog Named Joe” is my fave, a bluesy tune about a dog that has eaten all her shoes (“…then you ate my cowboy boots/and now you ride the range/hey, you little brown dog-named-joe…”).

They Might Be Giants—I remember from a Washington Post story when their album “NO!” came out that they would get on stage and yell, “We’re Number 1 on the children’s music charts!” during their adult concerts. (I couldn’t find a link to the Washington Post story, sorry.) Frankly, their kid’s music isn’t a whole lot different than their adult stuff. My favorite tune on “No!” is “The Edison Museum”: “The OLDest, LARgest AND most FAmous MAUsoleum in New JERsey.”

Finally, Brent Holmes—He sings about cows, bears, whales, walruses, and moose. Many of these animals help him out on the songs (Marty the Moose and Bernie the Bear take time out of their concert schedules to accompany Mr. Holmes.) A lot of them are simple addition or multiplication songs. He does a great job with the voices, especially on the song “Peanut Butter” where sticky-mouthed bears are eating their beloved food.

But the one I have pretty much committed to memory is “The Backpack Tree.” If you don’t know what that is, it’s the tree backpackers use to keep their food from bears. You find a tree, throw a rope over a whimpy branch that couldn’t hold a bear, and hoist your pack off the ground to a height taller than a bear and a distance as far from the trunk as you can get. This is all for naught, the song suggests (sing it with a goofy, bear-like sound, and you get the idea): “The backpack tree, the backpack tree, I love it when I run into a backpack tree/When I’m bouncin’ down the trail/my favorite thing to see/is backpacks hanging in a backpack tree/backpacks are my favorite food/they put me in a wonderful mood/it’s never very hard to get them down/I climb up the tree and I knock them to the ground.” After he eats the food, he buries the backpacks in order to grow more backpack trees. Classic.

Labels: amphitheatre, concert, kids music, lubber run amphitheatre, meeting, pedestrian

// posted by Steve Thurston @ 12:46 PM 0 comments