why are cars allowed in the National Arbortetum? Why? Why? WHYYYY?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

LOL. You remind me of the sad spinsters at work that try and equate aunthood with motherhood.

"Sad spinsters"? Is it 1890?

Is there 2021 terminology better apt to describe awkward, unmarried, childless women in their late 30s early 40s?

The point remains.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't wait for OP to walk into The Gap and bemoan that cheeseburgers aren't served.

It’s more like - walking into the Gap and wondering why all the clothes are only size 12.

It’s an open green space, not a giant parking lot.

No, you have it backwards. OP has walked into Gap, loves the tops and is bemoaning the fact that they waste so much space on dresses, pants and shoes when they should be offering a wider selection of tops in her size and screw everyone else who wants dresses, pants and shoes. They should be focusing on what she wants and ignoring what others want.

The point is that the arboretum is an agricultural research facility focusing on trees, shrubs, bushes and flowers. They have opened up the facility for the public to come and view and they have made it as accessible as possible for the widest range of people. OP is objecting that by making it more accessible to people, they have ruined the way that she wants to use the facilities for walking and enjoying nature.

She claims that if they restricted driving internally, that it would make the part more accessible by wheelchairs or scooters or strollers. But she obviously does not use wheelchairs or scooters. My father was in a wheelchair for most of the last 10 years of his life. We traveled as a family frequently and we pushed his wheelchair around a lot. Do you know how long it would take to travel around the arboretum with a scooter? Unlike a walking person, a person in a scooter travels slower and cannot always walk in a straight line. While an able bodied person can cut across the lawn of a roundabout, a person in a scooter is going to have to go around at a slower pace. You can't cut corners, you can't take shortcuts. And a wheelchair or scooter is going to travel slower. So a two hour trip to the arboretum means that that person is going to see so much less of the arboretum if you restrict the access as OP wants. I took my father there, we went to one garden, got him in his wheelchair and explored for a half hour. Got him back in the car and went to another part of the facility and again explore a half hour. In 2 hours we got to see 3 parts of the gardens and he was pleased. With OP's changes, we'd part by the entrance, we'd make it out to one part of the park, see it for a half hour and have to start turning back to head back to the car.

Likewise families with young kids who can't walk as far or as fast or they have to use a stroller. I took my kids when they were young. We went and hung out around the architectural pillars for a while while they ran around. Then we drove over to the vegetable garden so they could see the planted garden.

The arboretum currently works for the able-bodied and the mobility-restricted. It works for the the old and the young. But sorry to disappointed OP, the arboretum isn't only for the young able-bodied and shouldn't be focused purely for their pleasure.

Thank you for writing this. I'm sorry you're getting obnoxious responses from ableist people. I hope these people realize that it could be them with a mobility issue tomorrow, either temporary or permanent. My father also used a wheelchair for the last fifteen years of his life and I never could have imagined our struggles with accessibility until we were living them. I would hope people would be more respectful when others share their experiences. There are many stages to life and yes, it is perfectly valid to enjoy the azaleas, lilacs and other beauties from the window of a car.

My father too -- he is disabled in the last years of his life due to Huntington's. I remember going on drives with my mom in the last months of her life with cancer. The drives meant so much to her. We weren't even sure if we could take it. Once we accidentally went to an area where no cars were allowed. the guard looked in the window, saw my dying mother, and said carry on. It's a season of life for some people and for others, it's their whole lives. Learn to share the space.

You realize you can also look at pictures of flowers and trees in the comfort of your home , right? You don’t need to drive your dying oldster to a place where they can see them one last time, and in so doing, ruining everyone else’s experience and causing us to worry that you’re going to run us over.

You could do the same thing and then there wouldn't be cars driving past you.

Or you could walk on the grass and not in the road.

[Anonymous]

Real psycho stuff from the anti-car brigade in the last few pages. Just showing themselves for who they actually are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't wait for OP to walk into The Gap and bemoan that cheeseburgers aren't served.

It’s more like - walking into the Gap and wondering why all the clothes are only size 12.

It’s an open green space, not a giant parking lot.

No, you have it backwards. OP has walked into Gap, loves the tops and is bemoaning the fact that they waste so much space on dresses, pants and shoes when they should be offering a wider selection of tops in her size and screw everyone else who wants dresses, pants and shoes. They should be focusing on what she wants and ignoring what others want.

The point is that the arboretum is an agricultural research facility focusing on trees, shrubs, bushes and flowers. They have opened up the facility for the public to come and view and they have made it as accessible as possible for the widest range of people. OP is objecting that by making it more accessible to people, they have ruined the way that she wants to use the facilities for walking and enjoying nature.

She claims that if they restricted driving internally, that it would make the part more accessible by wheelchairs or scooters or strollers. But she obviously does not use wheelchairs or scooters. My father was in a wheelchair for most of the last 10 years of his life. We traveled as a family frequently and we pushed his wheelchair around a lot. Do you know how long it would take to travel around the arboretum with a scooter? Unlike a walking person, a person in a scooter travels slower and cannot always walk in a straight line. While an able bodied person can cut across the lawn of a roundabout, a person in a scooter is going to have to go around at a slower pace. You can't cut corners, you can't take shortcuts. And a wheelchair or scooter is going to travel slower. So a two hour trip to the arboretum means that that person is going to see so much less of the arboretum if you restrict the access as OP wants. I took my father there, we went to one garden, got him in his wheelchair and explored for a half hour. Got him back in the car and went to another part of the facility and again explore a half hour. In 2 hours we got to see 3 parts of the gardens and he was pleased. With OP's changes, we'd part by the entrance, we'd make it out to one part of the park, see it for a half hour and have to start turning back to head back to the car.

Likewise families with young kids who can't walk as far or as fast or they have to use a stroller. I took my kids when they were young. We went and hung out around the architectural pillars for a while while they ran around. Then we drove over to the vegetable garden so they could see the planted garden.

The arboretum currently works for the able-bodied and the mobility-restricted. It works for the the old and the young. But sorry to disappointed OP, the arboretum isn't only for the young able-bodied and shouldn't be focused purely for their pleasure.

I guess we should pave all the beaches, then.

What a ridiculous over-exaggeration. The arboretum currently seems to be a happy medium. There are enough roads for people to get from one section to another. Other than for about 2-3 weeks of azalea season, there isn't an overwhelming volume of traffic in the arboretum. People who want to drive can drive. People who don't, can walk around. It's this one time of year when it is crowded. And OP wants to change the design of the arboretum to suit the able-bodied so that for 3 weeks out of the year, the park is better suited to able-bodied walkers than to mobility-challenged seniors and families with small children. If OP just tried not going at the busiest time of the year, then she would realize that the park is has the lower attendance and fewer cars that she wants.

OP is like those who complain that Disneyworld is too busy during the week between Christmas and New Years and they need to let fewer people in (as long as the prioritize people like her).

[Anonymous]

This thread seems insanely mean. OP has a point: trails/roads that require cars and humans to share the same path do not feel safe for pedestrians.

Those of you who are rightfully pointing out that accessibility in this space relies on cars are correct, but you are also equating the experience of a wheelchair (small, generally moves at walking speed, not dangerous to pedestrians) with the use of a car here. Whatever your use of a car (lazy or unable to move regularly), it does not change that a lot of people are bad drivers and once they’re in their car, they’re the king of the road.

A ring road would indeed be a better design, but then more space has to be given over to parking accessibility. A tram would be great.

[Anonymous]

This is precisely why I pass bicycles on the road by about 6 inches. I love terrifying the egotistical pricks.

[Anonymous]

Well, the whiners won and now the cars are restricted and there's only a handful of overcrowded parking lots, meaning if for example you want to see the Asian collection you're probably going to pass a few full lots and end up at the big lot by the State Trees and have to walk a mile plus to see them.

:/

[Anonymous]

Whatever keeps the suburbanites and their cars out of the District is a win in my book!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whatever keeps the suburbanites and their cars out of the District is a win in my book!

Suburbanite? I live in DC and think the car restrictions are just a pain in the ass. They didn't keep anything out of the district, just concentrated all of the cars in a couple of spots in the Arboretum and now instead we just have bigger hordes of people ambling longer distances with their kids whining because it's too far to walk and everything else. And it also doesn't stop the asshole spandex cyclists who think it's their personal race track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, the whiners won and now the cars are restricted and there's only a handful of overcrowded parking lots, meaning if for example you want to see the Asian collection you're probably going to pass a few full lots and end up at the big lot by the State Trees and have to walk a mile plus to see them.

:/

Jesus. Millennial cranks are going to rule us with their capricious bs.

[Anonymous]

Well the website says the restrictions are through mid-May, so hopefully it will be back to normal soon.

[Anonymous]

Now they need to ban bicycles too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whatever keeps the suburbanites and their cars out of the District is a win in my book!

Yes, all those “suburbanites” — many of whom lived in the District for generations— until they got displaced for multiple reasons that cater to the newbies. So much winning!

[Anonymous]

Is there anything more cringey than seeing adults brag about living in a certain zip code. Pathetic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well the website says the restrictions are through mid-May, so hopefully it will be back to normal soon.

Hope so. Current arrangement sucks.