Jessie!!!!! I know you like Ron, but do you really want to look like him?

"A**" is profanity? We'll try again: Dave's Laws of Physicis: 1) Your 2 feet can stop waddling across the street long before my 2 ton SUV; 2) You can see my 2 ton SUV and headlights long before I can see your skinny (insert here), especially at night where black seems to be the color of the day; 3) My 2 ton SUV traveling the speed limit will cause far more damage to YOU than you will to it; 4) I will use you as a speed bump long before I careen into a ditch or tree trying to avoid you. NOTE TO JOGGERS JOGGING AT 5 A.M. ON Mt. Vernon Highway: There is no shoulder and I understand your need to make the rest of us look like lazy bums as well as your God given right to run wherever the heck you please, but could you at LEAST not wear a black sweatsuit. I also loved the crack reporting by WTOP quoting the popo as saying "police urge drivers to slow down" in response to pedestrians being struck. Perhaps the popo should have said "Hey knuckleheads stop trying to outrun motor vehicles across the street."

If Costco does finally arrive, there is a chance (so I am told by insiders) that barriers of some sort would be installed along the median to discourage pedestrians from adding to the local roadkill stats by injudiciously playing torreador. That would be a good start.

You seem to imply that Hyland had no say in the matter of the installation of the signs. Not sure how you served Hyland or us, but presumably you weren't in his inner circle, at least not as far as the flashing signs go. I quote from an article by Michael Lee Pope which appeared on 04/02/09 in the MV Gazette:

"This innovative approach to improve pedestrian safety is new to Fairfax County, and will alert drivers that extra awareness of pedestrians is required," Hyland wrote in the March 30 board matter. "The installation of these signs is expected to improve pedestrian safety for those crossing Richmond Highway to access homes, businesses and bus stops."

Funding for the $235,000 project is expected to come from a state transportation safety fund. Hyland said that if the new warning signs are successful, he hopes continued state funding could be expanded to other locations throughout Fairfax County. Earlier this week, the Board of Supervisors endorsed the installation of the pedestrian warning signage and directed staff to coordinate and expedite permitting and installation of the new signs."

Link to the Gazette item follows: http://beta.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=327324&paper=69&cat=104

Working on this highway for the last 20 years...I can tell hundreds of stories about the pedestrians crossing Rt 1. A few days ago at 630 pm, a group of 10 pre teens were crossing the road one at a time, daring each other to dodge cars. Two of them actually decided to do a gymnastics routine across the road. I was sick to my stomach with fear that one of them was going to get hit. I did call the police, I did yell at them although I am quite sure because of the road noise they heard nothing. The police did try issuing warning tickets to jay walkers a few years back. Maybe that program needs to be done on a regular basis.

Yes crossing on Rt 1 IS a problem and those ridiculous warning signs are useless. In the military that amount of money being spent on them is referred to as "waste, fraud and abuse". Regarding crosswalks...I regularly see kids trying to cross Old Mt. Vernon Rd. at the crosswalk in front of the school at 7AM to no avail. Cars just zoom by not stopping which they are required to do if someone is in the crosswalk...it is the law folks! Saw a cop there with a speed gun recently but he was there at 2PM when it isn't a problem. He needs to be there at 7AM.

One of the problems is pedestrians continue to believe they have free reign anytime and anywhere. I work in DC where I play frogger with pedestrians everyday. They just wander out in traffic and expect you to stop for them. The law states "No pedestrian shall enter or cross an intersection in disregard of approaching traffic," which I interpret as they have to wait until it is safe to cross. If the kids are in the crosswalk, of course, you have to stop, but otherwise I take it to mean they have to wait until it is safe to cross. I know for a fact that if I'm crossing a street I'm making sure I have plenty of time to waddle across. Pedestrians are just like bicyclists: if you don't want to be on the wrong end of someone's bumper obey the law and be defensive.

Actually, ALL pedestrians have the right of way in a cross walk (unless there is a pedestrian walk light--and again, ALL pedestrians have to obey--as do drivers). Quite honestly, pedestrian light or not, crosswalk or not, a dead pedestrian is still a dead pedestrian, no matter who has the right of way. I'm going to do my best to stop. Dave, the cultural norm around here is becoming like you witness in D.C. It breaks my heart to see mothers and their babies in strollers (or holding hands) and dodging traffic. Ticketing the jaywalkers will not work. There are tooo many inherent flaws; 1) if they can't afford a car, what are the chances they can afford to pay the ticket? 2) if they don't have a driver's license, what are the chances they are carrying a walker's I.D.? 3) with the large foreign population we have, even the courts have a hard time tracking down those who owe them (they use different variations of their names on different identification cards--which seriously jeopardizes prosecuting the bigger crimes due to positive identification), 4) With Route 1 becoming more and more of a parking lot these days, it's simply too easy to cross wherever one feels like is most convenient.

§ 46.2-924. Drivers to stop for pedestrians
"The driver of any vehicle on a highway shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian crossing such highway at any clearly marked crosswalk, whether at mid-block or at the end of any block; at any regular pedestrian crossing included in the prolongation of the lateral boundary lines of
the adjacent sidewalk at the end of a block; and at any intersection when the driver is approaching on a highway or street where the legal maximum speed does not exceed 35 miles per hour... No pedestrian shall enter or cross an intersection in disregard of approaching traffic.
The drivers of vehicles entering, crossing, or turning at intersections shall change their course,
slow down, or stop if necessary to permit pedestrians to cross such intersections safely and
expeditiously. Pedestrians crossing highways at intersections shall at all times have the right-of-way over vehicles making turns into the highways being crossed by the pedestrians."

The language in this law sounds as if pedestrians almost have free reign when it comes to crossing streets. Of course, we know that's not the case. Here's another important law...

§ 46.2-926. Pedestrians stepping into highway where they cannot be seen.
No pedestrian shall step into a highway open to moving vehicular traffic at any point between
intersections where his presence would be obscured from the vision of drivers of approaching
vehicles by a vehicle or other obstruction at the curb or side. The foregoing prohibition shall not
apply to a pedestrian stepping into a highway to board a bus or to enter a safety zone, in which
event he shall cross the highway only at right angles.

So what do these laws mean to you? Simple - when crossing a street, make sure you're at a properly marked cross walk and are capable of being seen by on-coming traffic. Do not just run out and begin crossing the street. This is common sense, but far too many people get seriously injured or killed by ignoring this simple principle.

If you're walking with your children to or from school, be sure to inform them of these laws and illustrate how to properly cross the street. Any one getting hurt in a cross walk accident is bad, but it's even worse when a young child gets hurt or killed.

Fact of the matter is this: If you are stupid enough to just stroll out into traffic without looking then you sure the h*** have the right to have my car parked on your chest.

"those silly crosswalk buttons"
Ron, why are they "silly"?

They are "silly," Glenda, cause they really dont work very well. If they did,at certain crossings the traffic lights would be changing every two minutes. And I do find it amusing watching pedestrians tap, tap tapping them frenetically.

Pedestrian walk buttons do not automatically trip the lights to change just after tapping them. That would be insane. They are set to react to touch just as some of our lights are motion sensored when we approach a red light. It's is traffic-engineered to keep all traffic flowing in the best way possible. Sometimes that means we get lucky and get the "green" right away, other times it means we have to sit there for awhile.

Please note that VDOT tried to reduce the Richmond Highway speed limit from 45 mph to 35 mph in part to give pedestrians priority when crossing. Pedestrians crossing Richmond Highway now do not have priority except at intersections with traffic signals, hence the warning lights at problem crossings with no traffic signals.

I am sickened every time I see a woman with a stroller or a small child, trying to cross US1 without using crosswalks. They're teaching such incredibly bad habits to their children -- they should be charged with child endangerment.

That flashing light by the Jiffy Lube makes pedestrians invincible, dontcha know. I routinely travel southbound and turn left onto Forest Pl/Gateshead Rd. There is a left-turn lane there, so I can get out of the way of southbound traffic while I wait for a safe crossing opportunity. But more than once I have seen women with small children STANDING IN THE TURN LANE. I can't help but think it will be worse now the laundromat is there.

In my experience, motorists TRY not to hit pedestrians, but the pedestrians do not seem to think their lives are worth a few extra seconds or a bit of inconvenience.

Reducing the speed limit is NOT, repeat NOT, the answer. Perhaps we need elevated crossing bridges (not that pedestrians would be likely to use them).

Richmond Highway north of the north end of Buckman now has a median refuge for pedestrians that cross between or at intersections. The 4 lanes south of that point have been planned since the 70's to have the same.
Funds for that construction have been redirected by Fairfax County for "more urgent" needs elsewhere. The consequence of not being the economic engine that propels Fairfax County.

For those of you who do not know him, Earl Flanagan is our local Planning Commissioner. We certainly welcome all of his insights. And, yes, Earl, I do remember VDOT trying to lower the speed limit. When initially briefed, our state delegates at the time did not voice any strong objections. Then, Hyland and Jeff McKay intervened and stopped it dead in its tracks.

I'm afraid any time the government tries to legislate the subsidizing of IQ points to those in the population who need them, it is always an epic fail. For example, smoking, texting and driving - you'd think these behaviors would be obvious as risky and dangerous, yes? Unfortunately, short of building a towering wall along the highway, Darwin's laws will always win out vs county laws that prove difficult to enforce.

I tend to agree with you on this one, Moms...

When does controlling pedestrians lives by government stop and pedestrian responsibility for themselves and offspring start? I think I know Dave's answer.

Earl, very true...very true.

it is a New York thing, Moms. you take your life in your hands if you jaywalk!