Norwood Ln. residents take Arlington taxpayers for a $100,000 ride

There’s been a lot of interest in the “traffic calming” of Norwood Ln. between Fielder Rd.. and Abram St., and on South 2^nd St. between Fielder and Davis.

The city promptly answered our questions about Norwood, describing the changes made to the street as “traffic calming. ”  Corresponding changes to South 2^nd appear to be a further move toward traffic calming.

Traffic calming describes a variety of efforts to better manage vehicular traffic, mostly by creating road conditions that inhibit driving at higher speeds.  Traditional examples of traffic calming include stop signs, traffic lights, and radar guns. However, in Norwood’s case we believe there’s more to the matter than simple traffic calming.  Despite the bike plan being passed at a projected cost of less than $300,000, no funding has yet been approved so nothing bike-related should be happening.  But by funding bike lane features as street improvements—traffic calming, for example—there’s no limit to how much money intended for street improvements can be diverted to an aggressive bike plan build out.

Regarding Norwood specifically, we were told that the citizens along Norwood between Fielder and Abram complained about speeding on their street.  Working with city planners, property owners approved the restructuring of their street by the necessary 70% margin (at least 36 property owners out of 52) after viewing street schematics showing exactly what the city proposed.  100% approval was required and secured from every property owner who would lose their on-street parking due to street narrowing.

We commend city staff and council for listening to property owners, keeping them fully informed at every stage, and for finally giving them what they wanted, although we do question the solution they selected.

We wonder if the homeowners on Norwood understood that their dream street is costing Arlington taxpayers $100,000, given that a solution such as stop signs and/or traffic bumps would have been both far less expensive and clearly safer.

We hope you’ll drive Norwood and see how a perfectly good street is now a traffic hazard.  Putting a mini traffic circle in the middle of a residential intersection, and then adding four concrete “traffic pinch” islands creates a bizarre obstacle course where none should be. Even the best drivers under ideal conditions will be caught off guard now and then.  And for anyone in inclement weather and/or at night, and at any time for some elderly drivers, over-stimulated young people, and drunk drivers, Norwood is now a disaster waiting to happen.  Think not?  Just look at all the black tire scrapes everywhere on the newly-poured concrete.  Cars are already hitting these concrete caltrops on a regular basis!

And the city knows it. That’s why a growing clutter of reflective signs, flags and cones have been added as a rushed afterthought, in the process producing at once the most expensive and the ugliest residential intersection in the city.

If Norwood and South 2^nd represent the future of Arlington streets, God help us.

Be vigilant.  This traffic calming “solution” could be coming to your street next. If you don’t want it in Arlington, you need to make that clear to your city council.