Is it okay if I post about walking and biking?

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by Caladium

What I'd love to see is more posts about Annandale. Also the general area within 5-10 miles of Annandale. That area doesn't get covered nearly enough on this forum. People like Tiger Beer are moving here and are interested in learning about all the great little communities in your neck of the woods. You could provide a real service telling him (and us) all about walking, biking, and every other aspect of life there.

The pedestrian friendliness (as well as the general street layout of the commercial center) sucks. Fairfax county knows that. They actually have a plan to fix it. Its not funded though.

The biking sucks. For recreational, esp rough terrain type biking, there's the Cross County Trail which is nice. To get anywhere, there are the roads. There are some north south routes that are only semi-bad, and will get better when the county bike plan is implemented. The east west routes are awful, and I don't know of anything in planning that will make much difference. Getting back into biking has made me more frustrated with this neighborhood. About the best thing for cyclists in Annandale (other than those who love riding up the hills on Hummer and Annandale roads, those who just want to get on the CCT, and those who want to but their bike on a rack on their car) is, paradoxically, the buses. Both WMATA and FFX Connector buses have racks to put your bike on - its easy and handy. Service isn't THAT infrequent even on weekends. The FFX connector bus takes you to the W&OD. The 16 takes you to the 4MR trail, and to South Arlington in general, and to the MVT. The 29k takes you to Old Town Alex.

There are lots of different housing options around here. I can't really give good advice about specifics.

There are a lot of Korean restaurants, its cheap, the access downtown could be a lot worse, and the access to Tysons should improve dramatically in a couple of months.

I don't know what else to say about it.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

The reason I posted this - I AM very interested in topics related to urbanism, to policy, to development, to walking and biking. Thats why I'm here, for the most part.

I have been told that I am an urbanist, a liberal, and an elitist. And that the sum of my posting reinforces the notion that those categories naturally overlap.

I confess to being an "urbanist" though I do not think that entails not respecting the suburbs, even "non neo urbanist suburbs" as a perfectly valid choice for many.

I don't usually think of myself as a libaeral, but I guess I am libereral, at least by today's standards.

I don't think of myself as an elitist, but I guess I can see where some could see me that way.

I strongly believe that urbanism is not intrinsically liberal (I have read too many insightful things from libertarian leaning "market urbanists" to think that). I also strongly believe that it is not intrinsically elitist. I do not want my own personality or inclinations to lead people to think that urbanism is those things. I also do not want my own tendency to get sucked into long debates to detract from the things I support.

Ergo, I intend to pare down my posting, and in particular to reduce posting on politics (except as it relates to my key issues) and on topics involving any place more than 2 miles beyond the capital beltway. I find those are the areas where I tend to most get caught up in fruitless discussion. That will mean no posts on issues related to the outer part of the W&OD say - but its not like there are many policy questions coming up about that, and for narrower biking related topics on that, there are better forums than CD for discussing those. Ditto, I can pass on discussions of metro extensions to places more than 2 miles beyond the beltway, though I may find that harder.

You know - I enjoyed reading novels like "The Time Machine" when I was growing up. This is a bit like the Time Machine, except that it involves C-D forums. We got into a heated exchange on the DC forum because (1) I was rather tired of having you monitor my DC posts like a hawk to see if I was sufficiently pro-DC and pro-"transit-oriented development"; claim that I had an anti-urban "agenda" when my views diverged from yours or those of another poster; and imply that I should limit my C-D posts to posts about schools on the NoVa forum since I lacked your apparent expertise in economics; and (2) I thought it was poor form for you to go on the DC forum and criticize the "egregious * * * boosterism" of Loudoun posters on this forum over there. So now you've basically taken that discussion on the DC forum back over here. Where to, next? I think we should give it a rest but, then again, I've always wanted to visit Seattle.

Prior to seeing this post, I wasn't going to respond to this thread, because it seemed to me patently obvious that it would be appropriate for you to post about NoVa walking and biking on the NoVa forum if you want to do so. New threads about the best apple pie in NoVa are also always welcome.

Maybe it would be a good time to just hit the reset button and post about local topics that interest us. I would be interested in updates about plans to improve public transportation along the Route 244/236 corredors in Falls Church and Annandale, and perhaps you can shed light on this as well.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by JEB77

You know - I enjoyed reading novels like "The Time Machine" when I was growing up. This is a bit like the Time Machine, except that it involves C-D forums. We got into a heated exchange on the DC forum because (1) I was rather tired of having you monitor my DC posts like a hawk to see if I was sufficiently pro-DC and pro-TOD, and then claim that I had an anti-urban "agenda" when my views diverged from yours or another poster; and (2) I thought it was poor form for you to go on the DC forum and criticize the "egregious * * * boosterism" of Loudoun posters on this forum over there. So now you've basically taken that discussion on the DC forum back over here. Where to, next? I think we should give it a rest but, then again, I've always wanted to visit Seattle.

I wasn't going to respond to this thread, because it seemed to me patently obvious that it would be appropriate for you to post about NoVa walking and biking on the NoVa forum if you want to do so. New threads about the best apple pie in NoVa are also always welcome.

Maybe it would be a good time to just hit the reset button and post about local topics that interest us. I would be interested in updates about plans to improve public transportation along the Route 244/236 corredors in Falls Church and Annandale, and perhaps you can shed light on this as well.

I am taking seriously your claim that the mix of my posting in here is detracting from the issues I wish to advance, and attempting to change. I hope that does not bother you. As for monitoriing people in the DC forum, I suppose I cannot stop you from monitoring people there for "liberal urbanist elitism". Bluefly can manage, I suppose. As for my mention of LoCo there, before anyone here gets upset, it was simply a response to what I perceived as JEB's monitoring of DC boosterism over there.

I have chosen to let go of that thread and post positively. I hope everyone else will choose to do so, but I can only own my own behavior.

And if discussion of urbanism inside and along the beltway is now the equivalent of discussing apple pie, I can only say I am pleased. Actually if even walking and biking have achieved that, I am pleased. I have been told that my posting about that means I have concerns that are different from those of most people in the metro area - apparently such posting makes me appear urbanist (or liberal, or elitist, I'm not sure)

As for improvements to bus service on 244 NE from Annandale, and on 236 east from annandale, the density is too low to justify higher service. That is not likely to change till developers build new density using the form based code, which IMO is unlikely to happen till the County implements the street reconstruction in the annandale transportation plan (including improvements to pedestrians friendliness and linking up of roads to create more grid type "parallel" streets) THAT, as I have said, will depend on funding. There is currently no funding in FFX county plans for the Annandale Transport Plan. The widening of Rte 7 from Tysons to North Reston seems to be taking priority.

[brooklynborndad]

BTW, the form based code and the "urbanisation" of the commercial center of Annandale IS supported by the Annandale Federation of Civic Associations (I think thats what its called). They oppose densification within the residential blocks (things like 12 houses where 8 had been zoned in exchange for a proffer) with their main expressed concern being stormwater, IIUC. However they do support new development using the form based code in the commercial heart.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

I'm always up for more threads on biking and walking - two of my favorite activities. I thought the post about the new bikeshare was very helpful. I wish we could get more discussion going on how to revise existing zoning to allow small businesses to open within shorter distances of residential neighborhoods so more folks had something to walk or bike to.

I wish I knew more about the FFX county zoning code and its regulation of corner stores. Thats been a big issue in DC lately, though I think there may be more obstacles in FFX.

[geekocaster]

you should see some parts of Ashburn. I work here and there's a shopping center less than a mile from my office. Sometimes I walk there for lunch but I have to (probably illegally) walk in the concrete median of a divided 45 mph hwy and then cross Waxpool without a ped-signal (no sidewalk the whole way either). But it just kills me to Drive less than 1 mile each way to grab lunch when I can walk it in 12-15 minutes and get some exercise.

[brooklynborndad]

I intend to keep my comments on walking as far as possible to places inside the beltway - and in general to places where there is some consensus among local govt and at least many local residents for the vision of ped friendliness that interests me.

If comments on places I will not be commenting on (for my own mental health and the good of the forum) are necessary, I would certainly be happier if they were in other threads.