Safety near Kenmore MS - children hit in crosswalk

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This was an horrific tragedy. But I don’t understand what can be done to make Carlin Springs safer. You can’t add a strip of grass between the sidewalk and the road without taking away real estate from either the yards or the road. And the speed limit on the stretches of road where the schools are is already 20 MPH in the morning and afternoon when school is starting and letting out. What is it that people want the county to do?

Yes you can go into the yards. There is a part of what people think is their yard that is owned by the county. This happened in my neighborhood when they added a sidewalk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A crash on Carlin Springs Rd this afternoon caused a car to land in a crosswalk and strike 2 children. Parents have been begging the county to make this road safer in light of all the students who travel on the crosswalks and sidewalks. Can this maybe obviate the need for an “engineer’s study?” Lower the speed limit and create safer opportunities for cars to safely execute turns. How many kids need to be injured before something is done?

It took 3 deaths near Nottingham Elementary for the County to do something. One wasn't enough, either was two. Three tragedies.

I have no idea why the county is so non responsive and uncaring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This happened because at least one vehicle ignored road rules. All the rules in the world aren't going to stop distracted and bad drivers.

I've driven the stretch from 50 to Columbia Pike (to Rte 7) probably a couple thousand times in the past 10 years. Plus, we've taken the metrobus to/from Kenmore a few dozen times (for sports practices and band rehearsals), having to cross the road at least one time each round trip. As long as people observe the stop lights, cross at the crosswalks when cars are stopped, and stay on the sidewalks, I'm not sure why it's any more dangerous than other busy streets. The impatience that pedestrians have these days in jaywalking, not looking both ways before crossing, and keeping their heads up while walking on the road, is crazy. Jaywalking doesn't seem to be as big a problem but then why is the road considered unsafe for pedestrians? However, for other roads like Wilson/Clarendon and Columbia Pike (Leesburg Pike in Bailey's), people are always crossing the street whenever and wherever they want. We can't keep legislating laws against common sense simply because the population keeps getting dumber. Ticket the jaywalkers.

I don't think the pedestrians here were jaywalking though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s unsafe. Now that kids were hospitalized, hopefully the board will take it more seriously. In addition to widening sidewalks, they need a traffic engineer to figure out how to make it safe for cars to turn onto side streets or outright prohibit certain turns that result in constant problems both for the turning vehicles and pedestrians. To the poster(s) who are so quick to say it’s no different from other areas and it’s just a question if getting people to obey laws and follow rules, are similar concerns being raised about the safety in front of other schools? I’m genuinely curious. I’ve never had kids attending Kenmore, but I frequently drive through there at release time and found it uniquely problematic.

They don't need a traffic engineer, that's always their excuse. They can enforce the speed limits. They can also widen the sidewalks and create a grass strip between the sidewalk and the street to provide a buffer. Common sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was an horrific tragedy. But I don’t understand what can be done to make Carlin Springs safer. You can’t add a strip of grass between the sidewalk and the road without taking away real estate from either the yards or the road. And the speed limit on the stretches of road where the schools are is already 20 MPH in the morning and afternoon when school is starting and letting out. What is it that people want the county to do?

Yes you can go into the yards. There is a part of what people think is their yard that is owned by the county. This happened in my neighborhood when they added a sidewalk.

This. People understandably don't like to loose part of their yard but it absolutely can be done. Eminent domain.

[Anonymous]

I live in this area and have to walk my kids along that road routinely.

The biggest issue is the sidewalk there is no buffer and I joke that I can high five the cars as they drive by because they are so close. It’s awful. Kids cannot fit because there is literally no space.

The data the county pulled from VDOT for their most recent study also showed that 33000 vehicles travel on S Carlin Springs Rd on an average day. That is an outrageous number given that three schools are in a small stretch of that road.

If you look at the county’s own vision zero junk they outline a number of measures that can be taken and even identify how each action may reduce danger to pedestrians.

The county is pointing to eminent domain as the only option available to remedy the situation and while it would be helpful, there are also plenty of other immediate actions the county could take such as adjusting sequencing of signals, adding in signage that amplifies pedestrian safety, etc.

In my personal opinion, the road should be taken down to one lane in each direction with a middle turn lane. I really don’t care about falls church and Alexandria and other areas using it as a cut through to 50. The safety of our kids is more important and traffic is part of life in NOVA—drivers can adjust.

[Anonymous]

They could enforce the speed limit, widen the sidewalk, and add traffic lights with dedicated turn signals. If they make it a less attractive option to use as a cut through, fewer people will use it. This will push more cars onto other roads, but they don’t have elementary and middle school kids walking through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They could enforce the speed limit, widen the sidewalk, and add traffic lights with dedicated turn signals. If they make it a less attractive option to use as a cut through, fewer people will use it. This will push more cars onto other roads, but they don’t have elementary and middle school kids walking through.

What other roads would offer an alternative to Carlin Springs?

[Anonymous]

Realistically, I bet they widen the sidewalks and exercise eminent domain over property owners unwilling to voluntarily grant an additional easement. The county has lined up some good arguments to support that step. There’s ample evidence that the sidewalk/road pose a threat to school children. They previously closed -as a temporary measure - a lane and saw how enormously disruptive that was to traffic. A lot easier to deepen the sidewalks and maybe adjust/add some traffic lights than to revert to single lane traffic (which it used to be 50 years ago).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They could enforce the speed limit, widen the sidewalk, and add traffic lights with dedicated turn signals. If they make it a less attractive option to use as a cut through, fewer people will use it. This will push more cars onto other roads, but they don’t have elementary and middle school kids walking through.

What other roads would offer an alternative to Carlin Springs?

S George Mason from HWY 50 and S Glebe Rd from the same.

I drive S Carlin Springs road every morning for school drop off and it is a horrible road!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They could enforce the speed limit, widen the sidewalk, and add traffic lights with dedicated turn signals. If they make it a less attractive option to use as a cut through, fewer people will use it. This will push more cars onto other roads, but they don’t have elementary and middle school kids walking through.

What other roads would offer an alternative to Carlin Springs?

S George Mason from HWY 50 and S Glebe Rd from the same.

I drive S Carlin Springs road every morning for school drop off and it is a horrible road!

Don't people already use the N/S roadway that's most convenient/closest them? I only use Carlin Springs when I need to go somewhere on Carlin Springs or near there. Just like I use Mason and Glebe. I just don't think people go out of their way to use Carlin Springs; but you want people to go out of their way NOT to use Carlin Springs.

[Anonymous]

That area is the worst!