things that upset you about nova (Arlington, Alexandria: to rent, townhouse, hippest)

[Joke Insurance]

Originally Posted by phrekyos

Only thing I can think of for #1 is they don't want to block a driveway or something like that. Sometimes that is mandated by a street sign.

Where did you get driveway out of this?

Originally Posted by Joke Insurance

Two things that upset me:


1. When you come up to a traffic light stop and there are cars that are 2+ car spaces behind the car in front of them. This one totally baffles me.

2. When a car pulls out in front of you at an intersection when there isn't anyone else behind you. They couldn't wait a mere 5 seconds?

[Flamingo13]

This thread has gone all over the board - some/many are too long to read (please don't quote many people and have a half page of that and responses) - It's probably time for this one to go away as well.

[phrekyos]

Originally Posted by Joke Insurance

Where did you get driveway out of this?

There are places around here where there is a driveway or alley that is just before a traffic light. You aren't supposed to block the entrance while you're sitting at the traffic light. It might result in one car being stopped at the light, then a gap (where the driveway or whatever is) then the rest of the cars behind that.

It's the same idea behind not blocking intersections ('do not block the box').

[Joke Insurance]

Originally Posted by phrekyos

There are places around here where there is a driveway or alley that is just before a traffic light. You aren't supposed to block the entrance while you're sitting at the traffic light. It might result in one car being stopped at the light, then a gap (where the driveway or whatever is) then the rest of the cars behind that.

It's the same idea behind not blocking intersections ('do not block the box').

I don't know how clearer I could have made my original post. I'm sorry that you can't understand it.

[TheseGoTo11]

Great area. #1 gripe is the lack of innovation in the business community.

[phrekyos]

Originally Posted by Joke Insurance

I don't know how clearer I could have made my original post. I'm sorry that you can't understand it.

I understand it just fine. You're the one that doesn't "get it". Sometimes people have a reason to be farther behind the car in front of them than usual. That's all. Get over it.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by JEB77

I like the way Fairfax - or at least most of Fairfax - looks today, and I like the hard-working, family-oriented values that most of its residents possess. If I wanted to live in Brooklyn, I'd move there, not complain about how NoVa is not walkable enough.

1. I like the way some parts of Fairfax look, but I think much of it (especially the commercial areas) looks unattractive due to planning decisions made in the past, when people were not concerned about "walkability".

2. I do not think being hard working or family oriented is incompatible with the concerns you say you have heard expressed that drive you to the hills.

3. I appreciate that if you wanted to live in Brooklyn you would move there. Very interesting. As someone who is interested in living in greater Washington, but in a more walkable place, I am continuing to take steps toward moving to DC, Arlington, or the City of Alexandria (these last two of course are in Northern Virginia)

But meanwhile, while I live in Fairfax, I will advocate for making it more walkable. I believe that will help many people who live here, without harming most of those who are less interested in walkability. It also seems to be the view of the FFX BOS that improving walkability in general, and especially in select locations, will be good for the county's budget, as well as for its quality of life. And, of course, if the increase in walkability leads to actual shift in modes, it will reduce green house gas emissions, which I think is a good thing.

Of course my POV may not be sharred by the folks you were referring to. Did they live in your neighborhood? I suspect if they chose to live in McLean, they may not have been aiming to live in Brooklyn, or in, say, Del Ray. Perhaps they wanted to live in McLean, but have it be a bit more walkable. I don't know. Do you have any reason to think they were hostile to families? AFAICT there are lots of people who love families, who whether for environmental or aesthetic reasons might have expressed those things.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by JEB77

One might think that people would be seeking to learn more about the new pope over the next few days than immediately using him as a pawn to score rhetorical points in discussions about the quality of bus service in NoVa.

to quibble it wasn't about the quality of bus service, but the willingness of people to use it. Second, its interesting to me that this has gone in the direction it did - I wonder if I had suggested that if we were like Pope Francis, there would be less reason to build a street car on Columbia Pike rather than improve bus service, what the reaction would have been - somehow rather than a discussion of bus stigma, this has gone on to some other hot buttons.

I have continued to read about the Pope the last few days (thanks WaPo for good coverage) and my sense is that his lack of bus stigma is no anomaly wrt his general outlook on life and society.

You may now return to the discussion of things that upset people about NoVa, which is clearly less disturbing than the notion that there are things that could make NoVa better.

[FC Merrifield]

Originally Posted by sweet_kiss1

1) Thanks for the anal grammar lesson. I don't think my university teacher is grading me on this forum though.

2) I agree with you on this.

3) I think everyone is racist. There was always one time or another when a person was critical or prejudiced to another based on their ethnicity. It's the same as having a racial preference when dating. At a specific time though, it's hard to know a person's true motives.

Back on topic... another thing that annoys me of NoVa are the arrogant and righteous people and the summers are so humid.

See, that's the thing. You can help solve the "arrogant and righteous people" problem by not being so arrogant and righteous. Your initial post demeaned government workers for buying $5,000 bags for their kids and all of those racist cops that never pull anyone over, etc. Maybe you shouldn't judge large groups of people with rash and unrealistic generalizations if you don't like arrogance and righteousness.

But yes, the humid summers are annoying.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

I wonder if I had suggested that if we were like Pope Francis, there would be less reason to build a street car on Columbia Pike rather than improve bus service, what the reaction would have been - somehow rather than a discussion of bus stigma, this has gone on to some other hot buttons.

It is upsetting we've not had a pope from NoVA.