Waxpool was closed Thurs. Nov 6 @ 6pm

anyone know why? the stretch of Waxpool when you turn left before the Icehouse- just past the front of MCI and RedRum- totally closed off during rush hour.

hope no one is seriously injured...

 

Around 5 pm I came upon the seen of a motorcycle accident. The accident occured where two lanes become one of off Waxpool Road. There were several cars with their flashers on pulled off to the side of the road. The driver of the motorcycle was lying in the road with what appeared to be a compound fractured leg. There were several people milling around and attending to the man lying in the road. There was also two people on cell phones. I assume they were calling 911. With so much chaos I decided to keep moving instead of adding to the accident scene.

 

My sister in law was one of the first cars there as she was coming to have dinner with my wife and I. I guess what happened is the guy on the motorcycle passed several cars on the left and ended up wrecking. From the description my sister in law ave me and my knowledge as an EMT when I lived in NY it sounded to me like he had a compound fracture of his leg and a very large open wound around the fracture. The reason it was shut off is I guess they ended up having to air lift him out of the area.

 

Well I live right there. Saw the helicopter.

What gets me people want the speed limit raised right there and that is absolutely stupid. The road is dangerous especially at rush hour with a zillion people going in and out of verizon and the trucks into the flex. and the curve.

Of course this person just impatient had to pass on a dangerous section and paid a huge price for being in a hurry. They should double the fine for speeders here and on all the roads. Shellhorn is also heavily patrolled by the police and I just can't believe the amount of people stopped there for speeding which seems to be every other day.

Further let me clue you all in about DUI's my neighbor is a sheriff and patrols this area and he says the section of waxpool between the skating rink and broadlands gets a high percentage of DUI's compared to other roads. I know where the favorite spot for the police to hide to catch the DUI people and you would be surprised how clever they are in doing it and how they can tell if a driver is a potential DUI. Probably not what you think how they can spot people drinking and driving and not just the way they drive that is just the obvious ones. Even if you are driving well they have other ways to get an idea if the driver has been drinking.

So if you are drinking don't drive which of course is obvious. ANd if you do they patrol waxpool shellhorn and farmwell quite extensively looking for that and other things. I am not going to even say how they hide or can tell a potential DUI driver but many of you would be very very surprised how the police go about it, most likely not what you all think. they are very very clever.

Lee j

 

Well....Unless you tell us, we won't be surprised.

 

Lee, I can't believe that people want the speed limit there higher. I have gotten to the point that I don't use that section of Waxpool because of the speeders. There have been numerous times where I was almost rear ended because I was going the speed limit and that wasn't fast enough for people. Well that's just too dam bad I guess. The final straw for me to stop using that section was I was almost rear ended when I had my son who is now 10 months old in the car with me. I have seen some bad drivers in my life and though living in Atlanta was bad, til i got here. I am not saying everyone is a bad driver here, but to me there seems to be more than any other area I have ever lived in.

 

You can waterboard me and I would not tell. Well maybe then ha ha ha ha

Lee j

 

Ask Cliff he has always thought that waxpool needs a higher speed limit. ha ha ha ha Sorry Cliff to reveal one of your pet peeves ha ha wait you have actually posted a long time ago right here on these forums. And even at lunch yesterday OK I will shut now Cliff. I can tell you our police dept does not want the speed limits raised especially on waxpool.

Lee j

 

I actually think that stretch of Waxpool between the Ice House and running along MCI should have a higher speed limit. MOST of the time, there is no one on that road. I get that it's busy during rush hour.

The one thing that changes my mind is Lee's comment about it having a high number of DWI's there. I don't see the rationale for that nor have I seen police there much during times when people would have been drinking. Usually, I see them there in the morning and during afternoons.

For the most part, I've considered it a cheap speed trap on a wide open space with no residential and little traffic. But alas, I'm a more calm person these days, I have no commute and I don't mind going slow even in my fun car

 

Unfortunately I was rear ended on that stretch but some guy on his cell phone. I was stopped and he hit me at full speed. The impact was so bad that I had to have neck surgery to repair a shattered disc! Yeah, I avoid it like the plague now!

 

It's a date! hahaha!

 

I'm sorry, I didn't realize it has gotten that bad now. I am never out during rush hour anymore, so perhaps that's why I don't see the traffic there. Plus it seems like such a speed trap I am surprised people speed there. Hope your neck is healed up.

I used to come home on Waxpool/Farmwell, then turn left and go past Broad Run to avoid the 2 4-way stops...that always seemed quicker to me.

 

This section is 35 mph right now and it's only 45 on the section between Wegman's and the Ice House. Is 10 mph that much of a difference??

 

Silence I can tell you they are there and you would never never noticed them the way they hide believe me. When my neighbor told me how they go about it on DUI,s I was shocked how clever and simple it is for them. My neighbor lives right there. Anyway just be careful and call a friend or cab if you think you had a little too much. You know as little as two drinks can put some people over the limit. Remember also DC has zero tolerance any amount of alcohol and you can get an DUI. Not worth it.
Anyway last night and what other have said here that stretch is very deceiving and they can't have two sped limits one for the non rush hour and one for rush hour. Anyway I see people driving nuts on that stretch all the time. And I will tell you something else the little people around 8 to 12 years old I think fly across waxpool without looking to get from our neighborhood to play at the big mountains of dirt by the flex and even cross when it is dark without looking. So be careful, god forbid you hit one of these kids.

Lee j

 

Can we do it during happy hour so everyone can watch????

Lee j

 

Why can't they do two speed limits? Don't they have two speed limits in your beloved Texas? I seem to remember signs all along I-45 in Houston that stated 70mph day and 65mph night. I think I've seen similar in other states as well.

 

Again, I'm in no big hurry these days. But on that stretch, 45mph is NOT too fast. My problem with 35mph in the past is that it is difficult to go that slow in such a wide open area...meaning you have to purposefully watch your speed there because you'll naturally be going 45mph there without looking at your speedometer...and then see the blue lights pulling you over for a 10mph over infraction...when going 45mph is perfectly safe.

One speed limit is fine and I'm okay with 35mph. Just as when I'm on the street that runs past Broad Run, I put my cruise control on 35 and leave it there to avoid getting trapped.

 

If a speed limit needs to be raised it is ashburn village dr.

From 35 to 40 or 45

And there they even have a special fine.

Lee j

 

It doesn't help that many people who clearly drive the road westbound every day, wait until the very last minute to get out of the rightmost lane right before the light for Smith Switch road (where that lance becomes a right turn only onto Smith Switch). I've seen a few drivers do crazy merges/etc at that spot.

It's one thing if you're not a regular on the road, and don't realize until the last minute that the right lane becomes a right turn only, it's another thing to play chicken at the last minute.