Langley HS PTSA Survey Results on VDOT's Proposed I-495 NB Ramp Closure

[Anonymous]

That “press release” cracks me up. Are declarations by the Langley PTSA supposed to be newsworthy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for sharing. Just once, it would be nice to see Langley families speak up for something that wasn't in their own interests or for someone other than themselves.

We're very glad we decided to buy in a different school district.

Oh, do tell us what school district you're in and just how you speak up for other districts and their interests. I'm so intrigued.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for sharing. Just once, it would be nice to see Langley families speak up for something that wasn't in their own interests or for someone other than themselves.

We're very glad we decided to buy in a different school district.

Oh, do tell us what school district you're in and just how you speak up for other districts and their interests. I'm so intrigued.

+1

[Anonymous]

Real estate in Langley HS neighborhoods are not doing well. Too hard to get to Langley (or anywhere else)?

"The trend, especially among millennials, toward a walkable urban lifestyle has already turned Great Falls into more of a buyer’s market, says Halm."

"Halm says sections of McLean that are outside the Beltway are also shifting to a buyer’s market for the same reason."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/nva-housing-market-shows-signs-of-balancing-out/2018/10/16/4011525e-c58f-11e8-9b1c-a90f1daae309_story.html?utm_term=.d80904fe6389

[Anonymous]

Possibly closing an off ramp because it makes it difficult for kids to get to extracurricular? Really? There are a number of inside the beltway schools that have traffic issues - should we just start closing roads to benefit school traffic? What am I missing?

I live on the McLean High School side of McLean. We are seeing enormous traffic on Westmoreland and Great Falls streets between the hours of 5 and 6. Backups are roughly one mile. Commuters trying to avoid the 66 tolls are using our surface streets and Waze is routing people through neighborhoods. It's become very frustrating, not to mention dangerous when people are driving WELL above posted speed limits to try and cut a minute off their commute.

So, to answer your question, yes, I would imagine that these backups are causing people to miss extracurricular activities. Maybe even adding 20+ minutes to getting kids there.

The larger issue is that we need to slow down the volume of traffic using neighborhood streets and smaller surface roads. How we do that, I'm not sure. But the volume of traffic using McLean as an alternative to the Beltway and 66 has clearly become an issue.

[Anonymous]

Well for a start the McLean Citizen's Board could stop green lighting every Tysons development that comes online while spending a ridiculous amount of time fighting a senior living facility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well for a start the McLean Citizen's Board could stop green lighting every Tysons development that comes online while spending a ridiculous amount of time fighting a senior living facility.

The MCA is a small group with no authority to "green light" or halt development in Tysons or anywhere else. At best they can bend the ear of a few indulgent county officials.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Possibly closing an off ramp because it makes it difficult for kids to get to extracurricular? Really? There are a number of inside the beltway schools that have traffic issues - should we just start closing roads to benefit school traffic? What am I missing?

Why does Langley high school convenience get to dictate access and ramp closures on a major highway?

This is completely unreasonable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well for a start the McLean Citizen's Board could stop green lighting every Tysons development that comes online while spending a ridiculous amount of time fighting a senior living facility.

The MCA is a small group with no authority to "green light" or halt development in Tysons or anywhere else. At best they can bend the ear of a few indulgent county officials.

I don't know. One of the supervisors stated they spent more time on that Sunrise Living development which would have added no students than any other new development in the county and this was primarily due to MCA's involvement. I have yet to see an MCA resolution that doesn't support a Tyson's redevelopment project.

They also were successful in shifting the flight patterns of planes headed to National....to another area of the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Possibly closing an off ramp because it makes it difficult for kids to get to extracurricular? Really? There are a number of inside the beltway schools that have traffic issues - should we just start closing roads to benefit school traffic? What am I missing?

I live on the McLean High School side of McLean. We are seeing enormous traffic on Westmoreland and Great Falls streets between the hours of 5 and 6. Backups are roughly one mile. Commuters trying to avoid the 66 tolls are using our surface streets and Waze is routing people through neighborhoods. It's become very frustrating, not to mention dangerous when people are driving WELL above posted speed limits to try and cut a minute off their commute.

So, to answer your question, yes, I would imagine that these backups are causing people to miss extracurricular activities. Maybe even adding 20+ minutes to getting kids there.

The larger issue is that we need to slow down the volume of traffic using neighborhood streets and smaller surface roads. How we do that, I'm not sure. But the volume of traffic using McLean as an alternative to the Beltway and 66 has clearly become an issue.

Woukdn't a more sensible solution to be either stagger the times of the activities and sports so they are not ending between 5:00 & 6:00?

Or renovating the parking lots so the students exit from a different way?

Or rezoning Langley students to a different high school so students no longer need to travel that way?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Possibly closing an off ramp because it makes it difficult for kids to get to extracurricular? Really? There are a number of inside the beltway schools that have traffic issues - should we just start closing roads to benefit school traffic? What am I missing?

I live on the McLean High School side of McLean. We are seeing enormous traffic on Westmoreland and Great Falls streets between the hours of 5 and 6. Backups are roughly one mile. Commuters trying to avoid the 66 tolls are using our surface streets and Waze is routing people through neighborhoods. It's become very frustrating, not to mention dangerous when people are driving WELL above posted speed limits to try and cut a minute off their commute.

So, to answer your question, yes, I would imagine that these backups are causing people to miss extracurricular activities. Maybe even adding 20+ minutes to getting kids there.

The larger issue is that we need to slow down the volume of traffic using neighborhood streets and smaller surface roads. How we do that, I'm not sure. But the volume of traffic using McLean as an alternative to the Beltway and 66 has clearly become an issue.

Woukdn't a more sensible solution to be either stagger the times of the activities and sports so they are not ending between 5:00 & 6:00?

Or renovating the parking lots so the students exit from a different way?

Or rezoning Langley students to a different high school so students no longer need to travel that way?

PP was talking about two streets near McLean HS between 5-6 PM. IME, it's not hard to get there at most hours, with separate entrances off Westmoreland Street, Davidson Road, and Sea Cliff Road. Langley HS may be a different situation because it sits directly on Georgetown Pike. There are several exits from the school's parking lots, but they all put you on Georgetown Pike.

[Anonymous]

Another data point exemplifying why I am so grateful we spent extra money to live in a walkable neighborhood.

I can't even imagine the daily hell of having to involve the beltway in our child getting to school - what an awful way to live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Possibly closing an off ramp because it makes it difficult for kids to get to extracurricular? Really? There are a number of inside the beltway schools that have traffic issues - should we just start closing roads to benefit school traffic? What am I missing?

Why does Langley high school convenience get to dictate access and ramp closures on a major highway?

This is completely unreasonable.

They aren't dictating anything. They are providing input as part of the decision-making process. It's a public school used by 2000 families and it was built inside the Beltway. Their interests should certainly take precedence over the interests of Maryland commuters looking to skirt tolls. And property values in the area aren't high due to private schools. They are high due to the quality of our public schools. They are a resource that should be protected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another data point exemplifying why I am so grateful we spent extra money to live in a walkable neighborhood.

I can't even imagine the daily hell of having to involve the beltway in our child getting to school - what an awful way to live.

Huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Possibly closing an off ramp because it makes it difficult for kids to get to extracurricular? Really? There are a number of inside the beltway schools that have traffic issues - should we just start closing roads to benefit school traffic? What am I missing?

I live on the McLean High School side of McLean. We are seeing enormous traffic on Westmoreland and Great Falls streets between the hours of 5 and 6. Backups are roughly one mile. Commuters trying to avoid the 66 tolls are using our surface streets and Waze is routing people through neighborhoods. It's become very frustrating, not to mention dangerous when people are driving WELL above posted speed limits to try and cut a minute off their commute.

So, to answer your question, yes, I would imagine that these backups are causing people to miss extracurricular activities. Maybe even adding 20+ minutes to getting kids there.

The larger issue is that we need to slow down the volume of traffic using neighborhood streets and smaller surface roads. How we do that, I'm not sure. But the volume of traffic using McLean as an alternative to the Beltway and 66 has clearly become an issue.

Woukdn't a more sensible solution to be either stagger the times of the activities and sports so they are not ending between 5:00 & 6:00?

Or renovating the parking lots so the students exit from a different way?

Or rezoning Langley students to a different high school so students no longer need to travel that way?

Sports are staggered at Langley beginning directly after school into the evening. Nearly 1500 Langley students participated in sports last year. There are only so many gyms and fields to accommodate all the teams. Importantly too, many coChes are teachers elsewhere in the county and they drive to LHS after work for practices and games. As for the parking lot, the school was built on Georgetown Pike. That is the only way in and out.