Speeding in cul-de-sacs

here's the solution: holograms of children running into the road causing the speeder to slam on the brakes, spill their starbux and drop the phone they were texting on. followed by a booming god-like voice that says "WHAT IF THAT HAD BEEN A REAL CHILD? SLOW DOWN AND WATCH THE ROAD."

That might cost more than signs... but it would work! lol

 

Your original post didn't say that kids should be taught not to play in the middle of the road... You were clearly judging others that aren't as "eagle-eyed" as yourself, because they are allowed to walk in/out of their prison, I mean front door, without an alarm chiming. [sarcasm] And thank goodness you took the precaution to make sure they don't sneak out a window in order to play in the street! [/sarcasm]

 

The silver honda CRv had/has a habit of running that 4 way stop intersection for sometime now.

If I remember correctly it was around 2pm-ish - my hubby and I watched the entire thing (called 911 immediately) and absolutely that honda ran the stop sign.

Glad to hear your family members are ok - it was a pretty bad accident.

It's pretty sad that folks drive like nuts on residential roads/ cul-de-sacs kids don't have the "time" needed to get out of the roadway - pardon the pun but it is an accident waiting to happen.

 

This is true. When I first moved into Ashburn Village, I was told to never speed. At least once a week I would see a speed trap set up and they always got more than one car. The limit is 35, but I admit I never went over 40.

 

Ah yes, the good old days. Playing any game in the street and when a car came someone would yell, "Car" and we would all move to the curb. When the car was gone someone would yell, "Game on". It was very simple.

I agree with the second part of your post completely.

 

Hmm. People speed quite a bit down Ashburn Village Blvd. I have seen the sheriff's department out with the radar detector but people definitely still go whatever speed they want on that road. If you all think that Ashburn Village Blvd. is good in terms of fewer speeders, then Broadlands must be pretty bad, because it isn't so great here. And I don't mean that in a sarcastic, obnoxious way.

I'll tell you where the speed limit is viewed as a liberal suggestion: Riverside Pkwy. going from Loudoun Hospital to River Creek Pkwy. The limit there is 35 and rarely do I find anyone going less than 45. I look like the annoying moron if I'm driving 40. Although on the positive side, at least it isn't a residential street with houses facing it.

 

Not meaning to nit pick, but perception of speeding is also interpretive. My brother, who has a sporty car, got stared down intensely by several parents, given dirty looks, etc. in a residential neighborhood as if he were speeding. His speed? 15 mph. Yup. I was in the car with him and it was just ridiculous. He had made an extra effort to go below the speed limit because we saw children playing in their yards (not even the street). I'm not saying that people don't speed, but I'm also saying that not all people who are perceived to be speeding are actually speeding.

 

That is very true. My husband has had several dirty looks going up Ridgeway...in fact one woman yelled at him. His speed? Same as your brother - 15 mph. It's definitely interpretive and I for one appreciate your brother's efforts to be responsible!

 

Have you ever seen the way that a mama duck watches over her brood? She knows that if she takes her eyes of a single chick for a second, that a predator will swoop in. People need to know that there are some predators that will swoop in on their children in just the same way.

I guess I am just a little sensitized to this. When I was growing up, a little girl in my second grade class was abducted and killed. Her mother was sitting on the porch watching her play in the front yard/street and only took her eyes off the little girl for a matter of seconds. Unfortunately, that's all the time it takes... To this day, I remember Jessica and how I used to pushh her on the swings on the playground at school.

 

when i was in the 7th grade a kid in my home room class- Danny Eberle, was abducted, raped and brutally killed by a serial killer named John Joubert- an Air Force guy stationed at the base we lived near. small little Bellevue Nebraska. he lived 2 blocks from me. he was targeted and Joubert knew his schedule and committed a horrific crime, which he HAD gotten away with at other duty stations.

it's awful, but no parent would have thought they had to follow their 7th grader on his paper route to protect him.

mama ducks let their babies fly eventually, and sometimes they are shot by hunters, and sometimes they live to be old ducks that raise more ducks. like you said a split second is all it takes. yes you stack the cards in your favor by watching them- but you also teach them to fly... it's all about balance.

 

Redon1 - I like your answer! You are so right...you teach your kids right from wrong and you raise them to be able to think for themselves and be independent....you can't be there all the time...and yes, it's a balance, but you have to let them fly!

 

I guess I should correct myself! This morning someone drove past as I was about to turn onto AV Blvd. They appeared to be going faster than the speed limit, but not so much that I noticed more than a little as I waited for my chance to turn. A short distance down a police officer saw him go by and followed him with lights flashing. Sure enough, he was pulled over.

So maybe AV Blvd. is better than I perceived - people definitely speed, but perhaps it's better enforced here than on some of the Broadlands streets.

:drive: =

 

At one time or another I thought we had a discussion about trying to lower the speed limit through Broadlands (like the Villiage does) adding the extra fine. What was the outcome? To hard to do, not enough support? Who gets the extra money - the cops? Just curious. I am not perfect, but I can tell you one place I never speed, Ashburn Village. Never.

 

It is something I am trying to work on through NW but the big hold up is VDOT has not taken over maintenance of all the main through fares.
Parts of Claiborne, Broadlands Blvd, Turro Parrish are still developer controlled. It is much harder to go through the process piece mealing the roads together then it is to just wait until we can do the whole thing at once. I am hopeful that we are talking about less then 2 years until all the major roads are done but working with VDOT is a long process. This is another reason I am running to get on the HOA board having the HOA behind me and not just the NW puts me in a stronger position to petition VDOT.

Staci

 

Thanks Staci - I knew it was talked about and being worked but then there has been no mention of it. Does the HOA get the extra fine above the amount the County collects or am I wrong in that assumption?

 

I do not believe so it is my understanding that this is the money just goes back into the county coffers but I have been told several different things so I am not sure where the truth lies in there. I am hoping to meet with one of the traffic division Sergent here soon and be able to hammer out all those details. That way when everything does go to VDOT maintenance I can get the ball rolling immediately.

Staci

 

The HOA definitely DOES NOT get the money.

 

I have to say that I think 35MPH in Ashburn Village is ridiculous and speed trap. I would not be in favor of doing that on Claiborne. NO ONE LIVES ON CLAIBORNE. Its a throughway. And it would do nothing to resolve the issue of speed on the streets where people actually live.

What I think is really insane is a 25MPH speed limit in the Courtyard neighborhood of Southern Walk where we live. The road here is literally just over two car widths wide. One car parked on the side of the road and you have to sneak by it. The speed limit in here should be 15MPH if you ask me. Its basically like driving on a neighborhood sized driveway--not road.

 

There are townhomes that face Claiborne actually right past the Safeway shopping center and across from the elementary school.

 

All this talk about NOT increasing this limit or that. What's everyone in such a big hurry for. All the roads in and around a housing community IMO should be moderate speeds. As for side streets inside the bypass roads - I think they should be 15mph. So you shave seconds off a trip by going faster (why - what's the point)