Thursday Morning Commute - early spring

Yesterday was groundhog day, when Punxsutawney Phil came out of his hole, saw his shadow and declared an early spring. Today is my sister's birthday when she gets out of bed, sees her reflection in the mirror and declares herself still 29.

• Who wants a trail in their front yard? Former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, that's who. He sold 275 linear feet of his property frontage to Fairfax County  for a trail along Spring Hill Road. At 6 feet wide it's more like a sidewalk really. The trail will "give pedestrians safe passage to Spring Hill RECenter, Spring Hill Elementary School, Tysons Corner and the future Metrorail Silver Line." Update: Apparantly he didn't really want it that much. Here is an article from 2006 (alluded to in the comments) about the long-running battle. The original offer was for $19,000, but he eventually got $81,000.
• Capital Bikeshare is turning non-cyclists into errand-by-bike regulars.
• More discussion, this time at City Paper, about "why CaBi isn't being used EOTR" (and the since removed statement that "African-Americans... are averse to colder temperatures"). One issue that hasn't been mentioned is that the street-grid EOTR is just awful. Each little neighborhood appears to be turned at it's own angle, many streets don't go through and it all looks kind of suburban. DC really dropped the ball when they let it develop like that.
• DC streets could be getting safer.
• I'm not sure how one would do this for DC, but we could add in a Capital Bikeshare profile.
• A more detailed description (including a map) of some of Alexandria's 17 grant-funded bike/ped projects.

Comments

[darren]

If DC's bike profile is a CaBi, Virginia's is a bike with a car fender looming within 3 feet.

[MB]

2 feet, Darren, 2 feet.

[Froggie]

Yep...2 feet.

[Bruce W]

It's only taken 7 years and $81,650 to get Mr. Brzezinski to agree to have a trail built in front of his property. Negotiations were started in 2004 by Supervisor DuBois and there's been a running battle since then to come to terms. It shouldn't take that long to build a trail on one piece of property. The Post wrote about this on April 9, 2006. From the article: "One resident said the push to build a sidewalk on Spring Hill Road was like 'negotiating a strategic arms treaty.'"

[satan]

"One issue that hasn't been mentioned is that the street-grid EOTR is just awful. Each little neighborhood appears to be turned at it's own angle, many streets don't go through and it all looks kind of suburban. DC really dropped the ball when they let it develop like that."

Let it develop like that?!!! oh man, satan is gettinga good laugh about this one!!

Richard LAymen im sure has lots of useful insight about what washcycle has correctly pointed out is the rather "suburban" (cue the howling laughter!) layout of EOTR! it wasnt always this way...and the history of EOTR and it demogrpoahics is interesting...

but it is a disaster now, and will be for generations to come...the people who live their are simply existing, not living as, for example, jefferson would have imagined enlightenment citizens to live...

[Jim Titus]

@BruceW. I agree that it ought not take $81,560 to build a trail in front of Brzeninski's trail.

But the account says that the trail will be built on his property. So the government needs to pay fair market value. Fair market value of a trail being put through your front yard is presumably a combination of the vaue of front yards in that neighborhood, plus or minus the impact of having a trail in your front yard on market value.

I can imagine a locality starting out by offering too little, a property ocounterofferring too high, and appraisers having no idea but having to come up with a number.

I'll take Brzeninski any day over the owners of land along the Potomac River south of National Harbor, where there already is an easement accoss their land--and they still are managing to block the trail and have almost persuaded the locality to donate the easements back to them.

[mary mcelroy]

Can someone tell why why NPS does not salt/plow. Just yesterday I was on the MVT. The trail past Belle Haven was dangerous I don't care what kind of tires you have. All it needed was some salt with very little plowing. I was so disappointed.

[darren]

@mary mcelroy, they told me last year that do not clear trails because they want to preserve snow for cross-country skiers (!), and the wood bridge sections allegedly can't support plow equipment. FWIW, voice your displeasure to the George Washington Memorial Parkway park superintendent.