Exclusive "Klingle Valley" trail opens, victory for NIMBYs. Sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree OP. DC is lacking in east west corridors. This was a victory for the nearby property owners at the expense of the rest of DC.

Thirty years ago, there wasn't as much in terms of restaurants, stores and services east of Rock Creek Park as there was (perceived to be) west of the park. All that has changed a lot, so the notion that people needed this cross-town link for essential services is bogus. Wags did call it the 'private school highway', as it provided a fast short cut for Mt. Pleasant parents to reach WIS, Maret and the Cathedral schools. It seems like spending huge sums to build a road to modern standards (with wide shoulders, concrete decking over the creek, etc.) wasn't worth it for a private school shortcut.

Wilson is not a private school. Cleveland park always had a commerical corridor, and there are a lot of medical practices WOTP.

I thought that Klingle completely bypassed the Cleveland Park commercial corridor on Connecticut Ave., rather than connecting to it.

[Anonymous]

The reality is that Klingle Valley Trail is built, open and beautiful. It makes the National Cathedral directly accessible to the regional network of bike trails. The road is never coming back. It would cost a fortune to rebuild to modern standards and can you imagine the political outcry to pave a woodland trail for a commuter road?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the path closed to the public?

The path is open to the public, but is easier to access from the western side than the eastern side. And it caters to dog walkers, joggers, cyclists and bird watchers, not those who need to use a vehicle to get a kid to a better school, go to work or drive a loved one to medical care. Get the picture?

You do realize people bike to work, don't you? https://www.biketoworkmetrodc.org

[Anonymous]

Can someone point to actual research showing that the lack of a road here causes significant transportation difficulties, especially impacting poorer DC residents? Because until you convince me of that, I am going to conclude that additional greenspace and trails in DC is a good thing (for EVERYONE).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree OP - and those protesting the Purple Line in Chevy Chase are doing the same thing. This was truly a case of the rich and connected making sure the undesirables lose access - and to insure that their leaf green neighborhood was sure to be priced even further out of reach. The repair would have been costly to do (but not unprecedented) but as OP mentioned - the wealthy enclave blocked the growth of the tax base, the opportunity lost (for those who relied on the access - not to mention keeping traffic) - and it was all disguised as some kind of do good environmentalism. I know its is long ago but I so remember that when this happened. Classic NIMBY that so many who live there would call out in other neighborhoods as racist, punishing poor, etc. DC truly has so much green space and the traffic this denial of access causes is classic haves/have not. The self satisfaction of those touting this new park is nauseating

There's a big difference between turning a road into open space open to the public, and protesting public transportation.

Another difference is that the EIS for the Purple line recommended the project, and FTA offered funding. IIUC the EIS for rebuilding Klingle as a road did not recommend the project, and FHWA offered only very limited funding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone point to actual research showing that the lack of a road here causes significant transportation difficulties, especially impacting poorer DC residents? Because until you convince me of that, I am going to conclude that additional greenspace and trails in DC is a good thing (for EVERYONE).

Ironically, IIUC, there are fewer poor residents in the most impacted EOTP neighborhoods now than there were when the controversy occurred.

I also wonder how many people complaining, are also people who oppose new dense "transit oriented" development "because all those yuppies are going to have SUV's anyway"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone point to actual research showing that the lack of a road here causes significant transportation difficulties, especially impacting poorer DC residents? Because until you convince me of that, I am going to conclude that additional greenspace and trails in DC is a good thing (for EVERYONE).

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone point to actual research showing that the lack of a road here causes significant transportation difficulties, especially impacting poorer DC residents? Because until you convince me of that, I am going to conclude that additional greenspace and trails in DC is a good thing (for EVERYONE).

After nearly 30 years of the roadway being closed, drivers adjusted and moved on (or never used Klingle because they are too young).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree OP - and those protesting the Purple Line in Chevy Chase are doing the same thing. This was truly a case of the rich and connected making sure the undesirables lose access - and to insure that their leaf green neighborhood was sure to be priced even further out of reach. The repair would have been costly to do (but not unprecedented) but as OP mentioned - the wealthy enclave blocked the growth of the tax base, the opportunity lost (for those who relied on the access - not to mention keeping traffic) - and it was all disguised as some kind of do good environmentalism. I know its is long ago but I so remember that when this happened. Classic NIMBY that so many who live there would call out in other neighborhoods as racist, punishing poor, etc. DC truly has so much green space and the traffic this denial of access causes is classic haves/have not. The self satisfaction of those touting this new park is nauseating

There's a big difference between turning a road into open space open to the public, and protesting public transportation.

Another difference is that the EIS for the Purple line recommended the project, and FTA offered funding. IIUC the EIS for rebuilding Klingle as a road did not recommend the project, and FHWA offered only very limited funding.

Moreover, the designs for the road required widening it to meet modern construction standards. As a result (when DC's initial decision was for road reconstruction), the DC government asked the National Park Service and the Zoo (whose properties abut Klingle for a lengthy stretch) to cede land for a wider road right of way. They said no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone point to actual research showing that the lack of a road here causes significant transportation difficulties, especially impacting poorer DC residents? Because until you convince me of that, I am going to conclude that additional greenspace and trails in DC is a good thing (for EVERYONE).

The roadway was too curvy and the grades rather steep for public transportation like buses. Crosstown buses never used Klingle for this reason when the road was open. And after snow or heavy rain, DC would close the road to traffic anyway, making Klingle unreliable as a public transit route even if buses could normally traverse it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am relatively uninformed but saw in the article that it isn't accessible to seniors and people w/ disabilities--can someone elaborate on this?

It is a steep hill. That is part of why it wasn't rebuilt as a car road.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am relatively uninformed but saw in the article that it isn't accessible to seniors and people w/ disabilities--can someone elaborate on this?

It is a steep hill. That is part of why it wasn't rebuilt as a car road.

No it isn't. We're in DC, not Colorado.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am relatively uninformed but saw in the article that it isn't accessible to seniors and people w/ disabilities--can someone elaborate on this?

It is a steep hill. That is part of why it wasn't rebuilt as a car road.

No it isn't. We're in DC, not Colorado.

Steep compared to ADA standards for gradient, I think. Which I think assume a non-powered wheel chair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The so-called Klingle Valley trail was dedicated today, a victory for NIMBYism in the exclusive enclaves of Cleveland Park and Woodley Park. Klingle was always a road, a vital cross town artery that connected east of the park to west of the park, bypassing busy Connecticut Avenue. Generations of parents ferried their kids on Klingle to reach better public schools in upper Northwest. When the road bed was washed away, NIMBY forces pounced, using their considerable influence to convince the D.C. Government not to rebuild Kilingle Road. Their invented "Save Klingle Valley" slogan camouflaged their real intent to turn their little area into essentially a gated community and to keep the "other" out. When Beach Drive is closed and Porter so backed up, a fast, pleasant cross town route is needed -- now more than ever. Closing Klingle Road also deprived D.C. of needed tax revenues from developing planned home sites just off Connecticut Ave. When these became landlocked and absorbed into a private park "conservancy," it cost D.C. significant revenue that could have gone to supporting social services and other needs. Instead, the privileged few, so-called liberals who cleverly wield conservation and historic protection to lock down their segregated enclaves from change (and seek to discourage out of boundary students from accessing "their" local schools), have won. I hope they enjoy their expensive, elite dog walking path through the "historic Klingle Valley" woods.

Another driver whining about how the world doesn't revolve around him or her anymore. Fucking yawn...

[Anonymous]

I put this nonsense directly at the feet of trump.