Category: transportation

via Albemarle’s A-Mail –

Continue reading “Crozet Sidewalk Update – 24 May 2016”

In February we had  a good conversation about buses from Crozet to Charlottesville.

Brandon Black from Lenoir Limousine has asked me to ask you –

“Looking to get some input on what people think about a bus service from Crozet to Charlottesville.

• Would you ride it?
• What times should it depart in mornings and evenings?
• How much would you pay per week?
• What areas in Charlottesville would you want to go?

Just throwing around ideas want to hear community input.”

This used to be a narrow shoulder. Then they paved it and made it a wider shoulder, which served as a wonderful bike lane.

Then they rumble-stripped it.   As someone who rides a bicycle and drives there frequently, I hate this new “feature.”

I posted the question on Facebook;  the consensus is that the rumble-stripped the road because people driving cars keep running off the road.

Alison’s response wins, and I encourage folks to act as they see fit: (bolding mine)

The driver who ended up in our yard actually passed two breathalyzers. She was sober, there was no bad weather, it was light out, nothing in the road. We assume she was looking at her phone as it was in her hand when my husband got to her car seconds after she crashed. She had two fence posts go through her windshield on either side of her head. She was lucky to have nothing more than a couple gashes. She went through two back fences, took out several mature trees, missed our kids play structure by literally inches, and broke through our side fence, stopping feet from our neighbor who was unloading groceries in her driveway. That same neighbor had a car go through their yard a few months earlier.

So we and several others on our street have been begging VDOT for a guardrail since this happened and they have repeatedly shot it down as too dangerous for the drivers. We also asked them to lower the speed limit to match the section of 240 near Western Ridge and they refused to do that as well. What they did do is pave the shoulder (because the drop off was soft and didn’t allow drivers the opportunity to self-correct) and put in the rumble strips. We told them it was not enough but after 11 months of asking that was what we were given. Anne Mallek even spoke up for us and they didn’t budge.That being said, I would urge anyone who is unhappy with this situation to call VDOT and tell them! There are houses on our street where the drop off from 240 is very steep and any car going off the road would be in their living room in seconds. People regularly drive too fast and we have spent many nights watching them swerve in and out of the lane lines for no apparent reason. So we are not giving up.

If you’re willing to help, you can reach our Charlottesville Residency Administrator at VDOT at 434-422-9373. Express your safety concerns/unhappiness with not having a bike lane/frustration with wasteful spending… If enough people speak up maybe they will reconsider. We won’t get what we don’t ask for. Thanks!