Speeding on Vestals Gap!

For what it's worth, I find the minivan moms, driving large vehicles, speeding and talking on their phones tend to be the worse offenders.

I glanced through your post history and saw that you had been arguing about this for years. It would be pointless to rehash it. I also drive safely through the neighborhood as a rule. I also don't think people should be walking "in the middle of the street". They are two separate topics.

 

I'm not calling out large vehicles as being problematic. I'm saying that there appears to be a profile that includes *all* of the details of the description that seems to be problematic. This is probably due to the fact that the profile is very common in general, therefore statistically, it's going to seem like there are more of them speeding down the road.

 

I agree. This will forever be an argument that's regurgitated over and over. There are those of us who do not allow our kids to play in the streets. There are those who believe the streets are a perfectly safe place for their children to play. Many kids are not supervised. Some parents don't lose sight of their kids while they're outdoors. People will constantly complain about the speeding. And forever and ever, these forums will be ceaseless barrage of finger-pointing.

Regardless of which side of the fence you're on, everyone needs to take a moment to reread the post about the poor kid who got hit by a car and died. It doesn't matter who's right or who's wrong, or if mini-van driving moms are the culprit. The safety of children should be the number one concern on this forum.

 

Well said.

 

BTW, this was not my original post. I was merely agreeing with the poster: Thank god some folks have actual common sense. You minivan driven moms' out there crying about driver safety; when did you guys start owning the street. I am starting to see more and more of these cones or road blocking devices that say, "children at play, slow down" in the middle of the street!!! Some advice, you, THE PARENT, stand at the bottom of the drive way so just in case precious decides to bolt, you can catch them before they get to the street.

 

Unfortunately, the original post was poorly worded and designed to generate incitement. In a thread titled "Speeding on Vestals Gap" the opposing post appears to state "I'll drive as fast as I want" and takes jabs at parents. By not acknowledging the shared responsibility it's going to generate more debate.

 

Agreed - that is the ultimate concern. In contrast to others' personal upbringing, some of us were raise in neighborhoods that looked out for one another and it was commonplace to kick a soccer ball or play street hockey, or ride our big-wheels around. No-one sustained injury or died from that, and good times were had by all. There are places where kids really dont have any other option and it works out OK. So when folks who have this background read something to the effect of 'when did you guys start owning the street.' supported by a two-thumbs up, it's a little offensive. They are 'our' streets, not just the driver who was raised a certain way and wants unfettered access.

Again, I'm not advocating toddlers running amok while unsupervised, but 8-10+ year olds who can watch for cars and do the right thing shouldn't have to live in fear in front of their own home or be frowned upon for rolling around on a big-wheel on the pavement.

As to the previous comments on the fact that a child jumping out 35 feet or so in front of your car wouldn't have a chance... I disagree with that. I've read reports where cars at 15 mph can come to a halt in under 20 feet when proper focus is applied. The culprit is reaction time... which directly correlates to lack of attention (cell phones, texting, etc.) I keep the same attitude and vigilance on a residential street as I do a parking lot...for the same reasons - high pedestrian traffic and higher risk of unexpected encounters.

I applaud your actions here. I feel that this is the most effective form of problem resolution and fosters a sense of community... thank you for that.

Seriously? There is a 'child at play' sign that is 'completely' preventing your ability to get through? Well, call in the 5.0 and round up the swat team to take that parent down because of a highly dangerous safety sign. Capricorn - are you pulling our leg? Or are you are trying to stir the pot a bit? Yeah, lets all take part in making sure that every single letter of every single law is followed to a T, shall we - what a fun world it would be to live in... or not.


How's this for an alternate solution, next time you back out of your garage, put away the devices, turn on the radio and find a good song, lie back in your seat a bit, and enjoy a nice slow trip out of your beautiful neighborhood. Take the time a to look at the smiles on multitudes kids as they play, marvel at the diversity here that was practically non-existent in the recent past, and feel the positive vibes as people look upon you with respect in return. I mean, we are only talking a mile or so of calm, cool, collected behavior.

 

Au Contraire...Actually, I was just asking a question per se on whether it was legal or not. I believe that non-VDOT approved signs are not permitted in the MIDDLE of the road as I see in one of the posts here. If it was in the middle of the road, I believe the police would remove it because its impeding the flow of traffic. (I've seen the police remove such signs in other neighborhoods in Fairfax County probably because it was, I would believe that its not permitted per law?)

Why would someone want to put it out on the road to "block" traffic that may be going the legal limit? Since the person is not the authority figure, he/she doesn't have the legal right to put them out in the middle of the road, imho. If you disagree with my observation, I suggest you call the sherriff's office to find out if that is legal to do so? Lastly, I wouldn't be the one removing the stuff or callin' the cops on this...Just pointing out what my observations about the "legality" of the stuff being put in the middle of the street for one's own benefit. Just sayin'.

 

I think what the original poster meant to say is that these signs are not a replacement for the watchful eye of an actual parent. Additionally, they are in fact illegal when placed in the street. No one on these forums can honestly say they know what's going on in every nook and cranny of Broadlands. So when some of us tell you we've seen some pretty dangerous stuff with kids playing in the street, you'll either disagree or have take our word for it. Bottom line, when a kid gets killed by a car, every parent needs to drop their defenses and admit our kids are not invincible.

 

I doubt the intention or the sign's implementation is designed to 'block' traffic.. how about a simply a high-visibility indicatation that there are kids in the vicinity and to use caution. Or better yet, perhaps it's out there to simply garner the attention of the idiots at whom this thread is directed, to simply get them down to the 'legal' speed limit and/or to properly obey the stop signs. I suppose it 'could' be a conspiracy to bleed the time out of everyones day... or to wield some much desired traffic authority.

I don't know, I have never put a sign or cones in the street, but when I see them I think 'kids are out' and not 'how dare they, let me call the cops because my life was interrupted by 3-4 seconds.' But I'm sure that we'll have LCPS around gathering the signs soon enough and this mission will be accomplished. A few less nagging, annoying safety measures in place that detract peoples attention from the important things like email or phone calls and 'freedom' will ring once again.. good work and cheers!

 

Understood but there are OTHER ways of getting people to slow down and parents shouldn't, in this day and time, allow kids to play in the streets when they have backyards or front yards. Too many people are going too fast for the roads nowadays and we have idiotic drivers as well...so its just a matter of time before someone gets hurt. Additionally, putting cones or other traffic calming devices is just going to force people to swerve around the signs, etc. Im thinking this is just an invitation for a confrontation between the homeowner / driver, which is not the thing to have in our community.

I would think some VDOT signs like "slow dow, Kids at play" may be a good bet but but but I know there always will be some folks who don't give a hoot and still speed. This is where a sheriff's presence in the neighborhood may be warranted if frequent speeding and running stop signs are occurring....Again, just my observations.

 

I'm pretty sure that most of Broadlands' residents already know that "kids are at play" throughout the development. The sign should not be used as a replacement for adult supervision. Kids of all ages need a parent outside, unless they're old enough to be left at home without supervision. Even an 8 or 9 year-old is going to be concentrating on the ball or puck, rather than focusing on oncoming traffic. Again, God forbid one of those cars happens to be speeding with a driver on his/her cell. It's a disaster waiting to happen, agaain, sadly.

 

Exactly...Aside from this, Broadlands is a kids-heavy development anyhoo.

 

..agreed on most counts except the avoidance piece. My tendency is to not back away from the real wrongdoers and give them more latitude to operate while the majority of us get pinned into a box fighting amongst ourselves about the disparate measures that are attempted in good cause. It's more along the lines of raising awareness within the community (sans police except where absolutely necessary) and spurring thoughts that arc across different tangets. As mentioned, there are two schools of thought.. those who grew up where it was OK to play in the streets and would like to see that continue, and those who experienced the opposite or have bad experiences around that. I don't feel the good solutions lie in simple withdrawal, as they don't do anything but constrain already tightening spaces. Not exactly the same scenario, but cyclists have been coexsiting with cars for a while now and, while not perfect, I think it's safe to say that motorists in general can show appropriate respect and safety given a 'shared' space - I"m a couple years out of the saddle, but when I riding these roads back then, I felt safe.

Efforts by our neighbors such as Andy who is out there demonstrating 'real' discontent, direct confrontations such as BzyCookn's earlier post, even the annoying signs that parents put out to alert motorists (legal or otherwise), are the actions that I feel say 'we care' and 'we want you to slow down'.

To those who are truly respectful and are simply on the other side of the fence about being in the streets, my rants were not for you...but if the shoe fits and you simply want free reign to act like a jerk, the sentiment stands stronger than ever.

 

Understood...but like I said--putting out these signs just, imho, invite a potential confrontation between a driver/homeowner that we all don't want to see happen. Granted, we do live in a kids-heavy community but times are different today than say back in the old days. We had a lot less cars back then than we do today and people, I would think, have different driving habits than long ago in the late 60's - early 70's.

I wouldn't permit (and it would be irresponsible for me to do so) my kid to play in the street under any circumstances. Too dangerous nowadays.

 

Technically any sign that is withing 15ft of a VDOT right of way (unless provided or approved by VDOT and the county) is in violation of VA Code 33.1-369.

Loudoun county zoning technically enforces this law.

If something is "blocking" the street, then that is a different issue and that fact it is a sign is irrelevant.

I think the whole point of this thread is that people need to be responsible and respectful of each other and the laws. Should little kids be in the street - no. Should people be speeding and running stop signs - no. Should people use their head when in a neighborhood full of kids - yes - this goes for parnets and drivers.

The fact is that kids are kids and sometimes they do not think and could follow a ball in to the street. They have a much better chance of avoiding an accident if a car is doing the speed limit and paying attention. There are stiff laws in VA for reckless driving that easily end up with license suspension, and even jail time (it is technically a criminal offense). The worse situation is that someone would have ot live with the fact that they killed a child to try to save 2 minutes of time.

 

While I wish I could agree with this, in my case, the legal system did not work. My daughter was 10 years old when she was struck and killed while trying to cross the road. The driver was speeding (per many witnesses) and had marijuanna in his car. The only thing he was charged with was possession, not reckless driving or involuntary manslaughter. And he did NO jail time. And believe it or not, when I approached him at the scene, he just laughed. So I don't think he even lives with any guilt.

So, yes, I am a firm believer of keeping your children out of the street. And when driving, ALWAYS pay attention, because you never know what's just ahead.

 

Napper- I am TERRIBLY sorry this happened to your daughter and I appreciate your comments here. This guy's attitude and lack of remorse sickens me. I am just SHOCKED that he wasn't even charged with anything more than possession and no jail time? This really is perverse of him to even "laugh" as you put it. He'll have to explain to his maker when his time comes. Again, accept my sincere sympathies.