‘Slow Streets’ is stupid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree. Smash the cars of people who violate traffic laws and put us all at risk.

This. We’ve put a bag of river cobbles (rocks about the size of a roma tomato) outside in our front yard where have our distancing chairs for visitors. When people with Maryland tags come flying down our street taking a shortcut to River Road, we throw them at them. We’re probably 4-for-20 in hitting cars. Usually they’re going so fast we can’t even throw a rock fast enough to hit them. But we’ve landed a few!

How cute. It's not a question of if you'll eventually cause an accident and go to jail, it's a question of when. You're no better than people who throw rocks off highway bridges.

PP, just as a quibble, if the person throwing river cobbles caused a driver to crash into something, "accident" would not be the right word for it. Avoid linguistic difficulties; use "crash" not "accident" for road collisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Instead of rocks use tennis balls

What about bicyclists? They are the most lawless people on the road.

Not just lawless but also kind of stupid. If you ride a bike on a busy road in DC, there is a decent chance you’re going to die. It is extremely dangerous.

That's not true at all. Just look at the statistics. You're probably at greater risk driving on the highway in your car. Lots of people die that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Instead of rocks use tennis balls

What about bicyclists? They are the most lawless people on the road.

Not just lawless but also kind of stupid. If you ride a bike on a busy road in DC, there is a decent chance you’re going to die. It is extremely dangerous.

That's not true at all. Just look at the statistics. You're probably at greater risk driving on the highway in your car. Lots of people die that way.

Driving is definitely more dangerous than bicycling in terms of the number of crashes that occur. (I will note, though, as a frequent cyclist, that if I had to pick which vehicle I'd rather be using if I get into a crash, I'd go with car.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People in my neighborhood don’t even slow down for stop signs. Has anyone in DC ever been stopped by a cop for a traffic violation? Of any kind? Maybe the city government should focus on enforcing existing laws before inventing new ones

+1

[Anonymous]

Isn’t a street that’s closed to through traffic basically a publicly funded shared driveway?

[Anonymous]

I love the ‘closed‘ streets. The lack of traffic makes them perfect cut throughs on my school run from Bethesda to our private school in NW DC, and back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love the ‘closed‘ streets. The lack of traffic makes them perfect cut throughs on my school run from Bethesda to our private school in NW DC, and back.

Wow you're so edgy and cool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t a street that’s closed to through traffic basically a publicly funded shared driveway?

+1. Love all the privilege here. Your neighbors one street over likely "love" the fact that all of the traffic that was previously distributed across several blocks are now concentrated on their block, now that yours is "safe" and off-limits to other taxpaying drivers.

Just a stupid, ill-planned idea. In my mom's Brookland neighborhood, all three of the streets that provide drop-off access to the Metro station are designated as "safe streets." Great planning there! Granted, one could drive around the neighborhood to figure out how to approach the drop-off point to stay under the two-block limit, but I wonder how this makes sense.

I think of all of the older drivers who were accustomed to driving their "route" to and from points A and B and who now have to learn new ways of getting to their destinations.

I, for one, would rather stay within the speed limit rather than attempt to negotiate around these "safe street" havens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People in my neighborhood don’t even slow down for stop signs. Has anyone in DC ever been stopped by a cop for a traffic violation? Of any kind? Maybe the city government should focus on enforcing existing laws before inventing new ones

I live off a slow street and love it! I feel much better letting the kids bike in the street.

Glad it’s working for you. The one by me is also a street with a DPR rec center and playground on it. Out of curiosity I have loosely tracked the cars while sitting at the playground with my kids on multiple different days. All but 1 car had Maryland plates and zero of the cars gave a crap about the speed limit and “no through traffic” signs at either end of the block. If we want streets to be kid and pedestrian friendly I agree with previous folks who mention enforcement (and I don’t mean cameras), or actually blocking off all traffic and making them fully open. I realize that’s a whole other conversation but my point is that the “slow streets” initiative is just a way for Bowser to check a box without doing anything meaningful or effective.

You're only going to see people who ignore it, though. My usual drive home from daycare includes a one block stretch on a no through traffic street by a DC rec center, but since the sign went up I go a different way. You're never going to see me abiding by the law though, because you're watching the street I'm avoiding. I'm also a Maryland FWIW.

There is one on my commute that I have been doing for 20 years. I ignore it. If you moved onto a through street, that is onyou. It's one of the stupidest thing I have seen DC do. I ignore everyone one of them. In fact, today, I may alter my route just to go down a couple more.

[Anonymous]

This thread has brought out the loons. Just illustrates the worst of DCUM. Not sure it is even possible to get it back on topic which seemed fairly reasonable out the gate whether you agreed to it or not. Trolls come in all shapes and sizes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love the ‘closed‘ streets. The lack of traffic makes them perfect cut throughs on my school run from Bethesda to our private school in NW DC, and back.

Wow you're so edgy and cool.

Awwww, is it your ‘slow street’ that I drive on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People in my neighborhood don’t even slow down for stop signs. Has anyone in DC ever been stopped by a cop for a traffic violation? Of any kind? Maybe the city government should focus on enforcing existing laws before inventing new ones

I live off a slow street and love it! I feel much better letting the kids bike in the street.

Everyone just ignores the signs against "through traffic" and just uses them like always. I know I do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t a street that’s closed to through traffic basically a publicly funded shared driveway?

+1. Love all the privilege here. Your neighbors one street over likely "love" the fact that all of the traffic that was previously distributed across several blocks are now concentrated on their block, now that yours is "safe" and off-limits to other taxpaying drivers.

Just a stupid, ill-planned idea. In my mom's Brookland neighborhood, all three of the streets that provide drop-off access to the Metro station are designated as "safe streets." Great planning there! Granted, one could drive around the neighborhood to figure out how to approach the drop-off point to stay under the two-block limit, but I wonder how this makes sense.

I think of all of the older drivers who were accustomed to driving their "route" to and from points A and B and who now have to learn new ways of getting to their destinations.

I, for one, would rather stay within the speed limit rather than attempt to negotiate around these "safe street" havens.

None of the slow streets are closed. You are just supposed to not drive on them unless you live on them. Everyone ignores that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is what DC does. Pile on ever more laws. Enforce nothing. Laws are almost symbolic in DC.

Bowser in a nutshell

[Anonymous]

I would settle for the cops citing people who double park on the wrong side of major thoroughfares.