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June 18, 2008
Church Street on LSD Comments (2)
Has anyone seen the traffic calming measures now in place on Church Street between East Street and Beulah Road? Can someone take some pictures? It is quite possibly the craziest thing ever done in this Town. It looks like a curvy racetrack for Formula One racing. It is off the wall in terms of function and appearance.
April 22, 2008
Can Someone Go Film This? Comments (0)
From the Town web site:
On Thursday, April 10, Beulah Road, N.E., was reopened to two-way traffic from Maple Avenue to the town limit, following lane striping which lasted until 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Final inspections are due to be completed April 16, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the reopening will be held at 11 a.m. April 29.
Can someone film the dinosaurs cutting their ribbon?
April 06, 2008
Beulah Road Benefit? Comments (6)
Now that Beulah Road is near completed can anyone explain what the benefit was to having the road in shambles for 9 months plus? We are sure Seeman and the Saurus will show up to cut a ribbon soon, but isn't basic road work supposed to be their job not an accomplishment to crow about?
February 17, 2008
Rail Insanity Comments (1)
From the Connection recently:
"The most robust comments from the audience were those critical of the Tysons rail proposals. The common feeling was that the project had become about making fortunes for developers and landowners in the Tysons area. "Metro," someone in the audience said, "is just going to benefit the Tysons landowners." Another citizen, supported by clapping hands, said it was better to have no rail to Dulles than to have it done incorrectly."
We need rail to Dulles whether it is below ground or above. Anyone who decries NO rail if it is above ground is out of their mind. There are trade offs in every negotiation. If we get it below ground that's the best option. That said, if we can't get it below ground above ground is better than nothing. And yes, someone will make money as rail extends to Dulles. This is America. Capitalism is not yet illegal.
January 15, 2008
Jane, Maud and Beulah Road Comments (3)
Doesn't just the thought of the Beulah Road project bring anger? This snail-paced disaster sits squarely with the two old ladies running Vienna. We are sure when it is done they will trot out and cut a ribbon proclaiming all is well. Pathetic and sad.
January 12, 2008
Too Many Signals? Comments (0)
Is there inspiration for Vienna here? Is our only answer terribly timed signals, speed humps and stop signs everywhere?
October 30, 2007
On Beulah: Incompetence Personified Comments (14)
From a new poster:
The real complaint here shouldn't be about sidewalks or trees but rather the mis-management of VDOT and the Town of Vienna not holding VDOT accountable. When was the last time you have seen a worker? They go days and weeks working intermittently because nobody is overseeing the project first hand. Beulah Rd is an accident waiting to happen. God forbid there is a medical emergency on Beulah. How does an ambulance or fire truck get up that 1 way Street? If Maud or any TC member lived on or off Beulah Rd the project would have been completed in May. It's less than a mile long. The problem is the workers don't know what there doing. They are asking residents where water valves, cable line and power lines are. Did they call Ms. Utility? I doubt that any of them can spell it. I invite any council member to visit Beulah Rd or try crossing it in any of their cars at Church or Ayrhill (enjoy the pot holes!!) This problem needs to be fixed now!!!!
We say: Go Maud!
October 16, 2007
More Speedbumps? Comments (20)
Anne Smith writes:
Has anyone noticed how unbearable it has become to drive through the Town with all these speed bumps? They might as well just tear up the streets & go back to dirt roads.
October 12, 2007
Traffic Lights In Vienna (Part 2) Comments (1)
We posted an article the other day about traffic light timing in Vienna. Someone responded:
At 5:30 AM, the lights are set so as soon as someone comes to Maple from a side street (I.E. Center, Park, Glyndon etc.) it will immediately cycle the light to Red on Maple, Green for the vehicle coming off the side street. Hence the reason you were stopped at 4 red lights coming down Maple. The lights change to the "morning rush" cycle at 6:00.
Thanks for that. Now for a new question. Why is there bottleneck traffic and light timing issues from hell in Vienna limits at 700pm on a Friday night? All the way from Mclean, starting at 123/Kirby Road, traffic moves with timed lights. Why does it become a horror scene right when you get into Vienna? Oh, we know, Maud will soon talk of her early years where lights were not needed for horse and buggy travel.
October 09, 2007
Traffic Lights in Vienna Comments (15)
Can anyone explain why if traveling from before Lawyers Road toward Tysons on Maple Avenue at 530am in the morning...that one needs to hit 4 lights? It sums up the Jane and Maud style of government for sure.
September 21, 2007
Safe Routes to School Seminars Comments (15)
From the Town:
The Louise Archer Elementary School PTA will conduct four Safe Routes To School safety seminars in the school library September 10, 18, 20 and 26 beginning at 7 p.m. The school is located at 324 Nutley St., N.W. Free of charge and open to the public. For more information, call 703-937-6200.
Just do not try walking to the meeting. You may get KILLED since we do not actually have sidewalks around Louise Archer. Good luck this year walking to school, kiddies. May the force be with you. Wear a helmet. Dive into that ditch.
August 30, 2007
A Smashing Good Time! Comments (9)
From the Vienna Times on 08/29/2007:
Police remove a window frame from the front of the Vienna Alfa Shoe & Luggage Repair shop after a Lincoln Town Car crashed through the store's front wall. Before police began winching the vehicle free, only the very end of the car's trunk protruded from the smashed shell of the store. A Vienna man has been charged with reckless driving after crashing his Lincoln Town Car into a local shoe repair store. Witnesses say that shortly after noon on Aug. 29, an older Vienna man was traveling southbound on Park Street in Vienna at around 30 miles per hour when he abruptly made a right hand turn into the parking lot of Alfa Shoe and Luggage repair, located at 105 Park St SE. The vehicle crashed through the glass front wall of the store and traveled all the way inside, crushing interior walls, shelves and a large machine used in the store's business before coming to a stop. Although the store was open for business and the owners were inside, no one was hurt in the incident. Lauri McGee, owner of the laser hair removal shop above Alfa shoe repair, saw the crash and said the large car was traveling at least 30 miles an hour when he hit the store. "It was so loud, there was a big cloud of smoke, and glass flew everywhere. ... People had just walked out of the store when it happened," McGee said. Brothers Greg and Sarkis Mousessian, the owners of Alfa shoe repair, were in a back room of the store when it happened. "The building shook. I thought a bomb had gone off in the store," Greg Mousessian said. "I'm happy actually, happy that no one was hurt," Sarkis Mousessian said. Judging by the fate of a large machine that was thrown across the store by the force of the car crash, the Mousessians said they have little doubt that anyone in the room when the car hit would have been seriously injured. Still, they fear the accident could still claim a casualty. "This will kill our business," said Greg Mousessian. "People will be afraid to come here when they see what happened."
A picture:
July 30, 2007
The Ticking Timebomb Comments (8)
The worst intersection in Vienna, Lawyers and Church, got closer to death on Friday afternoon as this "fender bender" shows:
Sadly, Maudasaurus won't "fix" this intersection because to fix it sets off a chain reaction of other needed fixes (And of course, this ain't a new problem). Why again is an 85-year old lady running Vienna?
However, to not fix a problem like this takes more than Maud. Take for example Sharon Baum (Vice Chair, Transportation Safety Commission) and Tara Voigt (Chairperson, Transportation Safety Commission). These two busy bodies are so in love with "power" (yes, even the table scraps of a Town board excites some to no end) that they are blinded to the problems with this intersection. They lead studies, hold meetings, talk with people and in the end do nothing. Small town cronyism at its finest.
June 07, 2007
Fear Mongering on Rail Comments (2)
Clearly, a tunnel in Tysons Corner for rail is preferred. It is the best option. That said, there seems to be a group of nuts out there who want no rail unless it is underground. That is mindless. From the Connection:
"If Dulles rail passes through Tysons Corner above ground instead of below, the economic engine of the Virginia will deteriorate, said Robert Coleman, a Tysons Corner resident. Coleman stood in the foyer of the Fairfax County Government Center with a disgusted look on his face. He said he had not talked to one person in his 314-unit apartment building, The Regency, who didn’t want metro to be underground. "It will destroy the look of the corridor. My whole concern is the elevated rail will make Tysons look like a slum," said Coleman, president of The Regency board of directors."
This guy apparently has not ventured outside of Fairfax County. Elevated rail is used across the world in numerous cities - many of which are economic engines that blow Virginia away. Yes, we support a tunnel, it makes the most logical sense. However, if a tunnel is not doable for whatever reason, we still need rail.
May 31, 2007
Traffic in Vienna: Welcome to 85 Year Old La La Land Comments (36)
Feedback in:
"Traffic in Vienna is a joke because Maud thinks and acts like she is 85 years old all the while living in 1954 (actually she is 85, but her last campaign positioned her as "80"). And not to only blame her, the larger problem is that Vienna has a voting block of octogenarians who most likely don't leave their house except 2 p.m. in the afternoon to go to Magruders on side roads. Well, 9:30 a.m. in Vienna is gross. It's gross on 123. It's gross on Church Street. It's gross on Lawyers Road. Someone has to accept responsibility for this, don't they Maud? For those people feeling upset that someone just picked on the over 80 set, tough. There are millions of accomplished citizens in this country over 80, but the ones mindlessly voting for Maud year after year, while she refuses to solve the most basic of problems, are lost sheep. Guess what Maud voters, you will get a chance to leave your house next spring to vote for the Maud machine one more time. And we bet you can't wait to stop those mythical 50 story towers from being built all over again! In the mean time, the rest of us will be stuck in traffic that you couldn't plan for or solve while you were in your fifties and sixties. Thanks!"
Waiting to Vote for Maud Can Be Tiring
May 05, 2007
Beulah Road Project Detours Comments (1)
From a reader:
This VDOT map suggests the likely detours via Glyndon or Creek Crossing/East Street. I wonder if they installed all-way stops at Tallisman/Beulah and at Creek Crossing/Old Courthouse? Those appear to be the likely detour intersections.
April 16, 2007
Preparing for Beulah Road Construction Comments (4)
From the Connection:
Area residents and school officials are getting ready to adapt to traffic slowdowns and street access nearly one month before the probable start of a more than $4 million reconstruction of a three-quarter mile stretch of Beulah Road that will likely last until the summer of 2008.
Beulah Road will definitely be a transportation nightmare for some time.
February 22, 2007
Long Time Resident Thinking Outside the Parking Box Comments (3)
A long time resident sent this link in regarding automated parking. Clearly, food for thought right up Vienna's alley.
Vienna Town Council Trapped In The Box
January 06, 2007
What Does the Resume of a Maud Political Piglet Look Like? Comments (1)
Howard Springsteen is one of Maud's pet political piglets. Here is his resume (PDF). Why so harsh you say? Read.
November 10, 2006
Raised Median on Maple Avenue Between Lawyers and Nutley: Why Lie About This? Comments (4)
Last week the Sun Gazette's Brian Trompeter reported:
Moved forward with planning for Phase 4 of the Maple Avenue Enhancement Project, which will improve that road between Lawyers Road and Nutley Street. Improvements on the previous three phases have included undergrounded utilities, brick sidewalks, paver crosswalks and park benches. Because only the end areas of this stretch of road have signalized crossing areas for pedestrians, town officials are considering a raised median down much of what is now the center turning lane. Such a median would provide a safe area for walkers, but remove some left-hand-turn options, officials said.
This news sounded "odd" so we started a freedom of investigation to find out how this "proposal" started. Before we could report on it another resident addressed the issue at an unrelated post. That resident was responding to the Trompeter reporting:
Now they want to install raised planter medians in place of the center turning lane on Maple from Lawyers to Nutley... BEFORE they decide how that section of the commercial corridor might be redeveloped. Not only will this clutter an already impossibly congested roadway, but any such median installation will likely get rip out to allow turning access to future developments. Nevermind that losing ANY of the useable roadway will only worsen the driver's experience in Town.
What have we found out about this new raised median proposal? The Town Information Officer Marie Kisner informed us:
According to Cathy Salgado, who is managing the Maple Ave. project, there is no such proposal, therefore no records exist.
We asked the Town if they saw this reporting. They responded:
Yes, Cathy did too and will be in contact with Brian concerning a correction.
Now most people would say. "Why don't you listen to the tape of the meeting and find out what proposal was offered and who said it?"
In Vienna it doesn't work that way. This was a work session. There is no recording of the meeting. No audio, nothing. The Town has plausible deniability to say, "What proposal?" even though it is clear that someone proposed something about a raised median in the middle of Maple Avenue. What they are really doing is calling reporter Brian Trompeter a liar.
Some will argue this is a fine point. We say BS. We say this is systemic corruption. It happend last year when this group wanted to keep secret the Council member who proposed banning video. They hid behind the notion that there was no record even though Brian Trompeter was there and reported on it. Tropeter to this day has refused to reveal who on Council proposed to ban video.
October 18, 2006
Howard Springsteen: Political Crony Endangering Children Comments (1)
Howard Springsteen serves on the Vienna Transportation Safety Committee. We recently reported on his actions with the intersection of Lawyers Road and Church Street, but there is a bigger issue at play with Springsteen. Howard is a poster boy for Maud's political patronage system.
What could possibly cause Springsteen to ignore this problem with the potential of someone being killed?
Springsteen is so infatuated with his crumb of power (that is sitting on a Board at Maud's leisure) that he would never dare stand up and do the right thing - that is protect citizens from danger. The moment he stands up and says "Maud you are wrong, this needs to be fixed" - he will be relieved of duty just like Deborah Brehony was berated by Maud behind closed doors and then pushed off the Commercial ARB.
Spines in Vienna are hard to come by, but we do have plenty of weenies. Howard Springsteen better pray no one is hurt or killed at this intersection.
It's Only A Matter of Time in Vienna If Problems Are Not Fixed
October 03, 2006
Church Street Saturday Afternoon Accident Comments (0)
September 30, 2006
Richard Denbow & Howard Springsteen: Incompetent Comments (8)
Vienna Politicians 'Receiving' Approvals
Richard Denbow and Howard Springsteen serve on the Vienna Transportation Safety Commission. For the intersection of Church and Lawyers, they should both be relieved of duty. How many more accidents have to happen at that intersection for these busy bodies to do something? They should both stop kissing Maud's butt and propose a solution for the intersection - an intersection the Vienna Police will flatly admit is the worst in Vienna. Stop sign, stop light - do something please. And yes, there was another accident there today. What will it take? A dead child on the sidewalk for you to act? That will be too late of course and given the known problems not fixed - lawsuits will cost the Town plenty when the worst happens.
Why is this not fixed? Denbow and Springsteen don't care about safety, they care about what Mother Maud wants. Maud doesn't want the intersection fixed, so her political piglets Denbow and Springsteen keep ignoring the problem. Pathetic isn't? Vienna needs leaders, not twits.
