Speeding on Broadlands Blvd - I took action!

I would like to see more effort go into getting motorist to slow down on the residential roads. Glebe View in particular. I see people I know live in the neighborhood go 15-20 mph over the speed limit going down Glebe View in the mornings and afternoon.

 

While I agree speeding is bad on that stretch of road, but maybe rumble strips would be better, might slow people down a bit without inhibiting emergency vehicles. Just a thought.

 

Glebe View is tough - I have a hard time getting out of the driveway about half of the time. Even when it's clear when I start backing up, by the time I'm halfway out, often there's a car coming up. I'm in the habit of coming to a full stop at the top of the driveway to check for pedestrians (all those dog walkers!) on the sidewalk and then again at the bottom to check for cars. Add to the mix the long board skateboarders who are all over both sides of the road in the afternoon (also on Broadlands).... It's not a four lane divided road like Broadlands where I don't have an issue.

 

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071128105739AAr7t4L

Most people in NOVA drive 5-10 mph over the speed limit. I do NOT exclude myself from this group!

 

How often do you take the right from Chick to Broadlands? I do at least once a day. I have to pull my nose well beyond the thick white line for the stop sign to have ANY CHANCE to see more than about 100 yards to the left. Try stopping there next time. And I will repeat, not everyone owns a super-cool sports car.

The speed limit is also 45 next to Safeway. The left turn out of there is crazy.

 

I did an Ironman in 2011. I run an average of 30+ miles a week. I'm pretty sprightly for 195 lbs.

I have been nearly run over twice in this crosswalk in the past couple of months. While jogging across.

 

Maybe that is because the speed limits are 5 to 10 mph lower than what people feel is a safe and comfortable speed. I believe that most people are able to judge what speed they can safely drive.

 

Then can I drive 25-30 over the limit?

 

Are you a libertarian? Have you driven in DC? Have you met a teenage boy? Do you know what percentage of accidents are caused by excessive speed?


30% of fatalities in car accidents involve a speeding car

 

Its a regional thing. Nobody goes 5-10 over in MA- they all go 25-30 over.

I don't even know what to say to that. If you try stopping at the white line then there is your problem.

For nearly every comfortable driver in Ashburn, there is ample time to make a turn. There is also rarely a steady stream of cars, so at worst you'll wait a minute.

The left turn out of Safeway can take awhile but there is always a break in the action. You just have to be patient.

While then either

a) you are the slowest jogger in the world
b) you have been going when cars are pretty close

People can easily walk across and I have seen many do so. If you have to wait a few minutes to let cars go, then wait a few minutes.

Your argument is falling apart.

 

A) You have the debating skills of a presidential candidate
B) The white line is there for a reason. You are supposed to stop before it. Yes, then you can creep forward, but by the time that you have enough room to see around the curve of the road more than 250 feet, your front bumper is already in the way on Broadland Blvd.
B) i) A car travelling at 52 mph (7 mph over the current speed limit) would cover the 250 feet in a little over 3 seconds. In that time, my car Subaru Outback would only accelerate to approximately 30 mph.
B) ii) At 42 mph (7 mph over my recommended speed limit) the car would cover the 230 feet in 4.25 seconds. During that time, my car would accelerate to 40 mph, and probably NOT be a problem for the car on Broadlands.
C) When walking/jogging, I don't start crossing if I can see any cars. Because it is a 4 lane, divided highway, the width of the road is about 40 yards. That would take an NFL running back almost 5 seconds to cross. As I have already stated, until you are in the road, you only have about 3 seconds of visibility. I cannot even cross to the median in under 2 seconds, and I am uncomfortable with playing chicken with a multi-ton box of steel.
D) I am in the best shape of my life. I am not the fastest runner, but I can knock of a 440 in about 75 seconds and run a sub-6 minute mile.
E) I am guessing that you are one of the drivers who would NOT stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk. Just a guess.

I anxiously await your insightful and scientific counterpoints.

 

Actually, I am. I believe on spontaneous order.

I don't believe propaganda.

I said MOST people. The others will not care about the speed limits anyway.

 

Responses in bold.

 

Hmm, not sure why I was bleeped out. Now I can't even remember what that word was supposed to be.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Rogers
A) You have the debating skills of a presidential candidate
B) The white line is there for a reason. You are supposed to stop before it. Yes, then you can creep forward, but by the time that you have enough room to see around the curve of the road more than 250 feet, your front bumper is already in the way on Broadland Blvd. That is not true- I specifically checked today. The right turn lane provides you with an extra 7-10 feet to pull out. That should be more than enough. The Broadlands right turn lane going INTO Chick is irrelevant when I am turning right. That lane ends at the western end of Chick.
B) i) A car travelling at 52 mph (7 mph over the current speed limit) would cover the 250 feet in a little over 3 seconds. In that time, my car Subaru Outback would only accelerate to approximately 30 mph. If your scientific calculations are correct, and you can really only see 250 feet, then any car that is traveling can either simply
*** you or slow down and wait for you to speed up. A car traveling on Broadlands can see pretty far ahead so they would have plenty of time to make a decision.

• If I cannot see them, they cannot see me. Yeah, that is what line of sight mean.

B) ii) At 42 mph (7 mph over my recommended speed limit) the car would cover the 230 feet in 4.25 seconds. During that time, my car would accelerate to 40 mph, and probably NOT be a problem for the car on Grasslands.
I'm curious to how many accidents have actually happened in this intersection.
C) When walking/jogging, I don't start crossing if I can see any cars. Because it is a 4 lane, divided highway, the width of the road is about 40 yards. That would take an NFL running back almost 5 seconds to cross. As I have already stated, until you are in the road, you only have about 3 seconds of visibility. I cannot even cross to the median in under 2 seconds, and I am uncomfortable with playing chicken with a multi-ton box of steel. If you are starting to cross and see a car, you can easily stop or backpedal a few steps to allow cars to cross.
D) I am in the best shape of my life. I am not the fastest runner, but I can knock of a 440 in about 75 seconds and run a sub-6 minute mile.
E) I am guessing that you are one of the drivers who would NOT stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk. Just a guess.
Stop, no. Slow down, yes. If I stop some idiot driver will either change lanes to pass me and cream the walkers or ram into me, pushing me into you and killing you. I will slow down if people are already crossing, but I would never stop to allow people to cross like some do to bikers on Belmont

So you would plow over me rather than let the car behind you hit you?
I anxiously await your insightful and scientific counterpoints.

 

I'm just jealous!

 

Drivers are required by law to stop for pedestrians that are in a crosswalk. They aren't required to stop if the pedestrian is on the side of the road, waiting for the roadway to be clear in order to cross safely. I've seen people stop on Belmont Ridge Road because they see somebody waiting for the chance to cross the road. This is dangerous behavior by the driver because of the speed limit and limited visibility on that road.