‘Slow Streets’ is stupid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:We live near a slow street and now kids are always playing stickball in the street and the boy next door has set up a cute lemonade stand and we’ve met neighbors we’ve never met before.

Kidding!

No one uses the slow streets near us for anything but driving and parking their cars. It’s exactly the same as it was before except now there’s a big awful sign you have to drive around. I wish someone would do us a favor and steal the slow street signs.

That's a shame. What is preventing people from using the streets for other, non-car purposes?

I think the main issue is that people are not interested in using streets for other, non-car purposes.

They want to use streets for driving and parking their car and that’s it.

People who? People aren't interested in walking (with or without dogs), running, skating, talking to neighbors, riding a bike, jumping rope, playing hopscotch...? People are only interested in driving their cars on the street and storing their cars on the street? That's really sad.

Drive around. Look at the slow streets. The proof is in the pudding. No one uses them for anything but driving and parking. Turns out roads are a terrible substitute for yards and parks and sidewalks. My kids have plenty of places to play.

Nobody has dogs in your neighborhood? Or does everyone put their dogs (and kids) in the car to drive them to the park?

DC has so many parks that virtually everyone in the entire city is within walking distance of a park.

[Anonymous]

I didn't think Slow Streets was intended for people to use the streets for non-driving purposes. It's not like when Bowser closed Georgia Avenue last year. I thought it was just supposed to slow down traffic so that pedestrians are safer. I drive on one of the Safe Streets in Petworth every day (never more than the permitted 2 blocks), and I've never seen anyone do anything but drive and park on it. People walk on the sidewalk, which is not congested. These are residential streets, and with few people walking to Metro, there's hardly anyone outside.

[Anonymous]

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We walk our dogs on the sidewalk to the park.

There must not be a lot of people and dogs walking, then, if you all fit on the sidewalk, especially these days during covid. And you live in DC?! You might as well move to Urbana, except that there's actually more life on the streets in Urbana.

What kind of weed do you smoke that makes you think the sidewalks of DC are so choked with people that they have to spill out into the street in overflow capacity?

You must be the only person that believes your BS. Because no one else in this thread does.

The sidewalks of suburban single-family-house Montgomery County have enough people on them that people walk in the street to keep distance. Are there fewer people walking in DC? That's hard to believe.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:“Slow Streets” is just another example of how DC refuses to accept that it’s a car-centric city in a car-centric metropolitan area in a car-centric country.

This post is just another example of how some people believe that "[Circumstance] currently exists, therefore it must exist that way without change forevermore" is a rational belief.

We’re talking about a lot more than mere circumstance. Nice try, though.

I don’t know where you live in DC but where I live people walk, bike, and take transit. If you want to live in a car dominated hellscape, move to Houston.

Where I live in DC people walk, bike, and take transit. They also have automobiles and drive when they need to leave their neighborhood. Why? Because the DMV is a car-dominated hellscape, and unless you want to live in a small bubble, you need a car. We're not New York. We're not London. We're not Toronto. We're not Chicago. We're more of a big town than anything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Slow Streets” is just another example of how DC refuses to accept that it’s a car-centric city in a car-centric metropolitan area in a car-centric country.

This post is just another example of how some people believe that "[Circumstance] currently exists, therefore it must exist that way without change forevermore" is a rational belief.

We’re talking about a lot more than mere circumstance. Nice try, though.

I don’t know where you live in DC but where I live people walk, bike, and take transit. If you want to live in a car dominated hellscape, move to Houston.

Where I live in DC people walk, bike, and take transit. They also have automobiles and drive when they need to leave their neighborhood. Why? Because the DMV [b]is a car-dominated hellscape, [/b]and unless you want to live in a small bubble, you need a car. We're not New York. We're not London. We're not Toronto. We're not Chicago. We're more of a big town than anything else.

Correction: The suburbs of DC are a car-dominated hellscape, but not the inner core of DC itself. Please don't mix up the two, just because you insist on living in that far-flung McMansion while also being able to cut through small residential streets to race to work in downtown DC.

And yes, DC should absolutely impose a congestion tax on commuters driving in from VA and MD.

[Anonymous]

Put me in the camp of cars and people can coexist. I have zero issues with driving slower through slow streets. Heck make all side roads that are not designed crossovers slow streets. Engineer them to be such. And if I am on a faster street and see a lady walking a dog in it, I'll still slow down. Do you want me to flip her off... For walking a dog or chasing a baseball into the street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Where I live in DC people walk, bike, and take transit. They also have automobiles and drive when they need to leave their neighborhood. Why? Because the DMV is a car-dominated hellscape, and unless you want to live in a small bubble, you need a car. We're not New York. We're not London. We're not Toronto. We're not Chicago. We're more of a big town than anything else.

I'm just going to repeat the statements, above, that a lot of people in DC do not have cars. And do have jobs. So evidently you do not NEED a car - though it's possible that a car would make your life more convenient, presuming you are able to drive and can afford a car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Where I live in DC people walk, bike, and take transit. They also have automobiles and drive when they need to leave their neighborhood. Why? Because the DMV is a car-dominated hellscape, and unless you want to live in a small bubble, you need a car. We're not New York. We're not London. We're not Toronto. We're not Chicago. We're more of a big town than anything else.

I'm just going to repeat the statements, above, that a lot of people in DC do not have cars. And do have jobs. So evidently you do not NEED a car - though it's possible that a car would make your life more convenient, presuming you are able to drive and can afford a car.

+1. Yes, a lot of people in DC have cars but really only use them on the weekend or for the occasional errand out in the burbs.

That's a huge difference from the daily road rage you see from angry VA and MD commuters who think DC streets are their personal speedway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Where I live in DC people walk, bike, and take transit. They also have automobiles and drive when they need to leave their neighborhood. Why? Because the DMV is a car-dominated hellscape, and unless you want to live in a small bubble, you need a car. We're not New York. We're not London. We're not Toronto. We're not Chicago. We're more of a big town than anything else.

I'm just going to repeat the statements, above, that a lot of people in DC do not have cars. And do have jobs. So evidently you do not NEED a car - though it's possible that a car would make your life more convenient, presuming you are able to drive and can afford a car.

+1. Yes, a lot of people in DC have cars but really only use them on the weekend or for the occasional errand out in the burbs.

That's a huge difference from the daily road rage you see from angry VA and MD commuters who think DC streets are their personal speedway.

Funny. Most of the road rage I see around town involve cars with DC tags, but whatever.

[Anonymous]

The Slow Streets program is a bust because it turns out that roads are poor substitutes for sidewalks, parks and yards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Where I live in DC people walk, bike, and take transit. They also have automobiles and drive when they need to leave their neighborhood. Why? Because the DMV is a car-dominated hellscape, and unless you want to live in a small bubble, you need a car. We're not New York. We're not London. We're not Toronto. We're not Chicago. We're more of a big town than anything else.

I'm just going to repeat the statements, above, that a lot of people in DC do not have cars. And do have jobs. So evidently you do not NEED a car - though it's possible that a car would make your life more convenient, presuming you are able to drive and can afford a car.

+1. Yes, a lot of people in DC have cars but really only use them on the weekend or for the occasional errand out in the burbs.

That's a huge difference from the daily road rage you see from angry VA and MD commuters who think DC streets are their personal speedway.

Funny. Most of the road rage I see around town involve cars with DC tags, but whatever.

At least they're fellow DC residents, as opposed to out-of-state commuters who only burden us with their polluting cars but pay no taxes. That's why DC needs a hefty congestion charge on all bridges leading into downtown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Slow Streets program is a bust because it turns out that roads are poor substitutes for sidewalks, parks and yards.

Because everyone on your street goes walking, running, and bicycling exclusively on sidewalks and in parks and yards? That's (a) hard to believe and (b) really really sad, if true. I'm sorry you live in such a sad neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Where I live in DC people walk, bike, and take transit. They also have automobiles and drive when they need to leave their neighborhood. Why? Because the DMV is a car-dominated hellscape, and unless you want to live in a small bubble, you need a car. We're not New York. We're not London. We're not Toronto. We're not Chicago. We're more of a big town than anything else.

I'm just going to repeat the statements, above, that a lot of people in DC do not have cars. And do have jobs. So evidently you do not NEED a car - though it's possible that a car would make your life more convenient, presuming you are able to drive and can afford a car.

+1. Yes, a lot of people in DC have cars but really only use them on the weekend or for the occasional errand out in the burbs.

That's a huge difference from the daily road rage you see from angry VA and MD commuters who think DC streets are their personal speedway.

Funny. Most of the road rage I see around town involve cars with DC tags, but whatever.

At least they're fellow DC residents, as opposed to out-of-state commuters who only burden us with their polluting cars but pay no taxes. That's why DC needs a hefty congestion charge on all bridges leading into downtown.

The last time I drove into DC from Maryland (2009), I don't remember crossing any bridges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Where I live in DC people walk, bike, and take transit. They also have automobiles and drive when they need to leave their neighborhood. Why? Because the DMV is a car-dominated hellscape, and unless you want to live in a small bubble, you need a car. We're not New York. We're not London. We're not Toronto. We're not Chicago. We're more of a big town than anything else.

I'm just going to repeat the statements, above, that a lot of people in DC do not have cars. And do have jobs. So evidently you do not NEED a car - though it's possible that a car would make your life more convenient, presuming you are able to drive and can afford a car.

+1. Yes, a lot of people in DC have cars but really only use them on the weekend or for the occasional errand out in the burbs.

That's a huge difference from the daily road rage you see from angry VA and MD commuters who think DC streets are their personal speedway.

Funny. Most of the road rage I see around town involve cars with DC tags, but whatever.

At least they're fellow DC residents, as opposed to out-of-state commuters who only burden us with their polluting cars but pay no taxes. That's why DC needs a hefty congestion charge on all bridges leading into downtown.

The last time I drove into DC from Maryland (2009), I don't remember crossing any bridges.

Cool. What other state abuts DC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Put me in the camp of cars and people can coexist. I have zero issues with driving slower through slow streets. Heck make all side roads that are not designed crossovers slow streets. Engineer them to be such. And if I am on a faster street and see a lady walking a dog in it, I'll still slow down. Do you want me to flip her off... For walking a dog or chasing a baseball into the street.

The issue is not that you have to drive more slowly on slow streets. It’s that you’re not supposed to drive on them at all unless your destination is within a couple of blocks.