Initial boundary options for Woodward study area are up

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:With KSAC closed, we drove from the Tilden area to the aquatic center in DTSS for swim all year. It is a 45 minute drive every time. It was miserable and we won't be signing up to do it again in the Fall.

Traffic in MoCo is miserable - whether west to east or vice versa. I don't know why people are arguing that this is not the case. And obviously a bus ride is much longer because of the stops.

Are you trying to argue traveling from one part of the county to another will always take 45 minutes? Obviously that's absurd but I can't think of any other way your little anecdote is relevant to this thread. If anything it highlights a commute that Option 3 isn't proposing (with good reason, that particular route is a disaster).

No, with traffic it can be longer even in the back roads.

You are absolutely right, that area is terrible, I agree with you. I get stuck in traffic in that area weekly. I am so glad Option 3 doesn't involve having to go from Tilden to DTSS.

Randolph Road is equally bad. Major tie ups at intersections as well as the train crossing. Total nightmare to get from this side of the county to the other.

Some of you may recall that Montrose Parkway (now Josiah Henson Parkway) was supposed to be built on the East side of Rockville Pike to alleviate that traffic. It was not built, of course, when they ran out of money.

But I bet there are a ton of studies about how bad and dangerous that traffic is on Randolph East of Rockville Pike. And that was years ago.

It is really not. I take Randolph Rd all the time in rush hour. Yes there is a stretch around the train tracks where you might get stuck behind traffic lights or a MARC train for a few minutes (rarely have I seen freight trains there at rush hour). It is not remotely like going from Tilden to DTSS.

Btw they did not "run out of money" for Montrose crossing, Elrich simply decided not to do it.

There is no denying that the county, prior to any of this talk of bussing kids across county, was planning to spend millions on alleviating the horrible traffic on Randolph Road. I don’t fully understand why they didn’t continue Montrose Parkway East but there was a determined need, that they also spent a bunch of money studying.

You cannot seriously in good conscience say that traffic is not an issue on Randolph. It is a dangerous road, with a lot of traffic, with pedestrian crossings etc. The county should have fixed it at the time but they did not.

To ask our kids to commute to school, back and forth on that road, is absurd and doesn’t take into account safety or the increase in traffic on an already overused road, in addition to the 45 minute trip (an hour and a half both ways).

And I don’t think it’s fair to ask students and their families to pay to drive to school on the ICC.

of course traffic is an issue on Randolph Rd., but it is not nearly as bad as traveling southeast from North Bethesda.

Decisions about capital projects are often made by elected officials listening to the loudest constituents. Projects get placed on the CIP and taken off based on politics. Elrich has made several questionable decisions regarding the CIP.

Who on earth is asking students and families to go on the ICC? That makes zero sense.

If my kid was bussed to Kennedy and I had to get there on time for a meeting, concert, game or just to pick up after practice. I likely would take the ICC and double back rather than take Randolph with the stop and go traffic etc.

Nobody would be making you take the ICC.

The other alternative is the beltway to Colesville Road. Also absurd.

You are acting like Randolph is impassable lol

Yes if you avoid the direct route, you may have to take a roundabout approach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t like how they have singled out particular neighborhoods in the islands for the bussing and long distance drives rather than walking. It could by anyone. Why our neighborhood?

Isn't it like a 40 minute walk from Farmland ES to Woodward? My guess is most families would just drive.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I really don’t like how they have singled out particular neighborhoods in the islands for the bussing and long distance drives rather than walking. It could by anyone. Why our neighborhood?

Isn't it like a 40 minute walk from Farmland ES to Woodward? My guess is most families would just drive.

No it’s not that far at all and this is a very walkable, bike friendly neighborhood. In fact, we have a well-used bike lane and trail to Pike and Rose (just up from Woodward). People use scooters all the time here too. Back when the basketball court, fields, and track were open at Woodward (then Tilden MS), people and kids walked up there all the time to use the outdoor space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t like how they have singled out particular neighborhoods in the islands for the bussing and long distance drives rather than walking. It could by anyone. Why our neighborhood?

Isn't it like a 40 minute walk from Farmland ES to Woodward? My guess is most families would just drive.

No it’s not that far at all and this is a very walkable, bike friendly neighborhood. In fact, we have a well-used bike lane and trail to Pike and Rose (just up from Woodward). People use scooters all the time here too. Back when the basketball court, fields, and track were open at Woodward (then Tilden MS), people and kids walked up there all the time to use the outdoor space.

Now there’s just a giant pit where the fields used to be. Not sure when they plan on finishing the fields.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t like how they have singled out particular neighborhoods in the islands for the bussing and long distance drives rather than walking. It could by anyone. Why our neighborhood?

Isn't it like a 40 minute walk from Farmland ES to Woodward? My guess is most families would just drive.

No it’s not that far at all and this is a very walkable, bike friendly neighborhood. In fact, we have a well-used bike lane and trail to Pike and Rose (just up from Woodward). People use scooters all the time here too. Back when the basketball court, fields, and track were open at Woodward (then Tilden MS), people and kids walked up there all the time to use the outdoor space.

Why encourage all the biking and walking (and put in bike lanes on Tilden and Old Georgetown) to bring in buses to ship kids across the county?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t like how they have singled out particular neighborhoods in the islands for the bussing and long distance drives rather than walking. It could by anyone. Why our neighborhood?

Incompetence. They have no idea about the area.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Nobody is really opposed to getting feedback from low income people.

Of course they are. They will find any reason to oppose any method that will actually reach them. They will insist it won't work. They want to be able to get their own voices heard and drown out everybody else's. The best is when they act like they know what boundaries will be best for low income people.

This is a straw man that you are generating.

Literally there are several posters here that have outright rejected the notion that MCPS should canvas low income neighborhoods.

Read the thread, it is filled with people justifying their positions by projecting their own opinions onto low income people. It is directly against their interests to have low income people's voices heard.

You are equating disagreeing with a proposed process to gather feedback with disagreeing with gathering feedback.

[Anonymous]

MCPS isn’t going to do anything more than stated to gather feedback. If you want that to change go bother them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t like how they have singled out particular neighborhoods in the islands for the bussing and long distance drives rather than walking. It could by anyone. Why our neighborhood?

Isn't it like a 40 minute walk from Farmland ES to Woodward? My guess is most families would just drive.

No it’s not that far at all and this is a very walkable, bike friendly neighborhood. In fact, we have a well-used bike lane and trail to Pike and Rose (just up from Woodward). People use scooters all the time here too. Back when the basketball court, fields, and track were open at Woodward (then Tilden MS), people and kids walked up there all the time to use the outdoor space.

In other words, you benefit from some really nice taxpayer-funded amenities! That's fantastic and I am glad for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t like how they have singled out particular neighborhoods in the islands for the bussing and long distance drives rather than walking. It could by anyone. Why our neighborhood?

Isn't it like a 40 minute walk from Farmland ES to Woodward? My guess is most families would just drive.

No it’s not that far at all and this is a very walkable, bike friendly neighborhood. In fact, we have a well-used bike lane and trail to Pike and Rose (just up from Woodward). People use scooters all the time here too. Back when the basketball court, fields, and track were open at Woodward (then Tilden MS), people and kids walked up there all the time to use the outdoor space.

In other words, you benefit from some really nice taxpayer-funded amenities! That's fantastic and I am glad for you.

Yes we do and I would argue that all neighborhoods do or should at their neighborhood schools as well.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Nobody is really opposed to getting feedback from low income people.

Of course they are. They will find any reason to oppose any method that will actually reach them. They will insist it won't work. They want to be able to get their own voices heard and drown out everybody else's. The best is when they act like they know what boundaries will be best for low income people.

Nope. Not all of us. I am umc, live in west county and want to hear from low income people on how the options will impact them and their kids directly. MCPS should use community organizing tools to get this feedback.

What I am opposed to is people who are not low income imagining what low income people want and speaking for them, usually on social media where they can get praised for being a champion.

I am in west county and opposed to long bus rides for my kid. Full stop. Hate long bus rides. Agree that property values are not a factor in all this.

I am however open to different ideas, including somewhat longer busrides IF people who are low income really want something like option 3 and think kids who have been hurt by the status quo
will benefit from a change.

I am not open to something like option 3 if low income people also don’t want it and the only ones in favor of it are other umc white people who want ease their guilt and feel morally superior.

Fantastic. I would love to hear how you think MCPS should reach low income people and whether you support them investing time and money into this.

DP. I would love to hear how much time, effort and money you think MCPS should invest in trying to reach families who are not responsive. I am personally supportive of some reasonable level of effort, but I think some very progressive saviors would allocate unlimited time and resources with no acknowledgement that time, manpower and funding is, in fact, finite, and that this time, manpower and funding could also be directed to other important needs.

Sounds like you blame low income families for not being responsive and don't believe in investing resources to reach them. I disagree with both of those opinions.

That is the opposite of what I said and you have made incorrect assumptions and accusations. I didn’t even mention anyone’s income. Your bias assumed that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody is really opposed to getting feedback from low income people.

Of course they are. They will find any reason to oppose any method that will actually reach them. They will insist it won't work. They want to be able to get their own voices heard and drown out everybody else's. The best is when they act like they know what boundaries will be best for low income people.

Nope. Not all of us. I am umc, live in west county and want to hear from low income people on how the options will impact them and their kids directly. MCPS should use community organizing tools to get this feedback.

What I am opposed to is people who are not low income imagining what low income people want and speaking for them, usually on social media where they can get praised for being a champion.

I am in west county and opposed to long bus rides for my kid. Full stop. Hate long bus rides. Agree that property values are not a factor in all this.

I am however open to different ideas, including somewhat longer busrides IF people who are low income really want something like option 3 and think kids who have been hurt by the status quo
will benefit from a change.

I am not open to something like option 3 if low income people also don’t want it and the only ones in favor of it are other umc white people who want ease their guilt and feel morally superior.

Fantastic. I would love to hear how you think MCPS should reach low income people and whether you support them investing time and money into this.

DP. I would love to hear how much time, effort and money you think MCPS should invest in trying to reach families who are not responsive. I am personally supportive of some reasonable level of effort, but I think some very progressive saviors would allocate unlimited time and resources with no acknowledgement that time, manpower and funding is, in fact, finite, and that this time, manpower and funding could also be directed to other important needs.

Sounds like you blame low income families for not being responsive and don't believe in investing resources to reach them. I disagree with both of those opinions.

That is the opposite of what I said and you have made incorrect assumptions and accusations. I didn’t even mention anyone’s income. Your bias assumed that.

I said, "I would love to hear how you think MCPS should reach low income people and whether you support them investing time and money into this."

and you responded "I would love to hear how much time, effort and money you think MCPS should invest in trying to reach families who are not responsive"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS isn’t going to do anything more than stated to gather feedback. If you want that to change go bother them.

Or feel free to spend your own time helping people understand the options and communicate feedback if you don’t think they are able to do so without assistance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t like how they have singled out particular neighborhoods in the islands for the bussing and long distance drives rather than walking. It could by anyone. Why our neighborhood?

Same here

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t like how they have singled out particular neighborhoods in the islands for the bussing and long distance drives rather than walking. It could by anyone. Why our neighborhood?

Same here

It feels very impersonal and that our children are just being used for a box checking exercise. They are reduced to their demographics and then placed where it best serves MCPS.