Arlington Vision Zero

[dbb]

There is a VZ survey for Arlington on the web. The staff asked for the bike community's input.

"I am following up now to ask for your organization’s assistance in promoting our online engagement form at https://engage.arlingtonva.us/collec...rlington-safer. We’ve gotten a good response so far, but want to make sure we do everything we can to get as many responses as possible. We’re particularly interested in getting more input on the following questions, so share these direct links if possible.

Do these 6 draft Vision Zero goals reflect your safe transportation priorities?
https://engage.arlingtonva.us/conten...ion-priorities

What does the future of safe transportation in Arlington look like?
https://engage.arlingtonva.us/conten...arlington-look "

Please let Arlington County know what you think.

[Steve O]

I was annoyed by the constant use of "will strive to...." It made me feel like they were providing themselves with an out if they failed at one thing or another.

In particular, when the statement was something like "will strive to collect and provide data..." Whaddya mean "strive?" How else would one even know if VZ is progressing or not? Seems like that should be imperative, not just striven for.

I put that in my comments.

[dbb]

I may have channeled my inner yoda with a response like "do or not, there is no strive"

[huskerdont]

I mentioned that a lot of their language was vague to the point of uselessness. That and enforcement of traffic laws; I always mention enforcement since it seems we've largely given up on that.

Oh, and my latest pet peeve of putting orange flags up so pedestrians can beg to cross without being killed at a crosswalk. People are dying, and instead of putting in effing 4-way stops or enforcing the law, their solution is to have people wave orange flags.

[arlcxrider]

Vision Zero is largely rhetorical and aspirational, therefore "strive" is perfect. But I am glad they've deemed traffic deaths and severe injuries are not "acceptable." Glad that's settled...

Example: new Lubber Run Center. Lots of new parking, lots of new traffic. But DES is going to wait for it to open and *then* do a "study," and who knows how long to actually do any implementation. The intersection of Park Dr. and George Mason is already a cluster...can't wait to see what it's like when the shiny new Lubber Run Center opens. (One of the design options contemplated closing Park Dr. between 3rd St. and George Mason. That didn't make the first cut.) The sight lines are horrible, and the 30-mph limit on George Mason is a joke.

[sjclaeys]

I mentioned that a lot of their language was vague to the point of uselessness. That and enforcement of traffic laws; I always mention enforcement since it seems we've largely given up on that.

Oh, and my latest pet peeve of putting orange flags up so pedestrians can beg to cross without being killed at a crosswalk. People are dying, and instead of putting in effing 4-way stops or enforcing the law, their solution is to have people wave orange flags.

My understanding is that the orange flags is actually a private citizen's (IMHO misguided) effort.

[huskerdont]

Okay, I cheerfully withdraw that portion of my cranky rant. It thought it must have been the county because I've seen them in many different neighborhoods, but it looks like civic associations reached out to the individual who started it locally.

https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/a-...sswalks-safer/

Whether it's a good idea or not, it's an idea, and if it makes some people feel safer, I'm fine with it. (As a county solution, I felt it would have been a Bandaid on a gaping fleshwound.)

[rcannon100]

"Goal 5: Safety first"

Okay that's just jargon. But does Arlco really want to go on record that it has a policy of NOT considering safety foremost? That safety is not considered in county work? Is that a reality in Arlington? (Cause I am pretty sure some Personal Injury attorneys would love to get that statement on the record")

"Goal 6: Treat all citizens equally"

Checks constitution: No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the US; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within the jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

1868 called. A war was fought. The outcome was a constitutional amendment. Are you just hearing about this now??

[Dewey]

I always mention enforcement since it seems we've largely given up on that.

The County budget for next year mentions Arlington PD hiring six traffic and enforcement control officers so this might be changing. Source page 9 of https://arlingtonva.s3.amazonaws.com...021-Budget.pdf

[peterw_diy]

The County budget for next year mentions Arlington PD hiring six traffic and enforcement control officers so this might be changing. Source page 9 of https://arlingtonva.s3.amazonaws.com...021-Budget.pdf

That doesn't sound like much. How many are there now?

Alexandria City fairly recently began to admit that traffic enforcement positions are basically budget neutral - they generally generate enough revenue from fines to cover their salary, benefits, etc. So if the goal is Safety First you'd think the county would hire as many as they could, up until they can't write legitimate citations fast enough to pay for themselves. My guess is that the local jurisdictions could each use 3-5 times as many traffic enforcement officers as they have today and still generate the same average revenue per officer.

BTW Alexandria has also posted budget proposals online; after a quick skim I don't see any proposed increase in traffic enforcement positions.
https://www.alexandriava.gov/budget/...aspx?id=113700