School has started – be careful out there, driving around town! Let me start with a helpful fact about the laws requiring cars to stop for a school bus, as set forth in the Police Department’s “Back-to-School Transportation Safety Campaign.” Did you know that on a multi-lane paved road with no divider, vehicles traveling in both directions must stop. For those of you traveling on a “multi-lane paved road,” such as Langston Boulevard near Lyon Village, everyone must stop. That is my PSA for the day. 

The good news is that Arlington County pays a lot of attention to safe driving, with its Vision Zero project, defined as “a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.” The bad news is that, with the human element involved, fatalities and severe crashes still occur. August was a particularly difficult month, with two pedestrian deaths in the area (one being technically in Fairfax, at the intersection of Columbia Pike and Carlin Springs Road, and the other on Glebe Road, near South 14th Street.) In mid-August, there were two motorist crashes along Wilson Boulevard (cars crashing into a cyclist and an e-scooter rider). Investigations are ensuing, though I would note there was no citation issued for the e-scooter crash. I guess the bottom line is, indeed, “be careful out there”, whether driving, walking, cycling, or e-scooting. 

The beginning of the school year also reminds me of another transportation challenge for our current culture, described by the acronym, “PUDOs”. For years our schools have had to deal with the ongoing complexities of “Pick Ups/Drop Offs” every school day (and many neighborhoods have had to deal with the traffic lines of cars meandering through their streets). This concept of PUDOs has migrated to the planning process for new developments in the County. The North Rosslyn Civic Association has been very focused on the need for new residential and mixed-use buildings to provide on-site features for rideshares, drop-offs, deliveries, and moving trucks. The Association has urged the County to require development applicants to show that vehicles servicing a building can operate on a daily basis without blocking the street. I appreciate their cogent points to the County, such as “Stop treating public streets as loading docks.” As noted by the Association, when building operations get pushed into travel lanes, the whole community absorbs congestion and the risk. 

These transportation issues are related to the general topic of public safety. Staying with the theme of public safety in the latest news cycle, in August there were significant fires at two Arlington apartment buildings in the Ballston area. A two-alarm fire on the sixth floor of the Hyde Park condominium building was brought under control, displacing twelve residents in six of the units. Then there was a fire at the apartment building across from the Central Library; one resident and one firefighter were taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. These incidents highlight the importance of a capable Fire Department. My recent columns looking back to 1926 noted the strong community support for volunteer fire companies. Fortunately, we now have dedicated professionals providing fire and emergency medical services, with over 400 uniformed and civilian employees, led by Fire Chief David Povlitz. There are nine fire stations, staffed 24 hours a day with a minimum of 75 personnel. The Fire Department also provides back-up aid to the airport, the Pentagon, and Fort Myer, along with mutual aid to our neighboring jurisdictions. 

The Fire Department website provides interesting information about their work that could prove helpful to you. Their website includes an incredibly detailed “After-Action Report” describing the activities of Arlington County and supporting jurisdictions, agencies, and organizations in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the Pentagon. This month marks 25 years since those attacks. There are several County events that will commemorate the anniversary, including a Fire Department event on September 11 at Fire Station 5, honoring those who responded. This is a time for reflection, and for gratitude. Perhaps the least we can do is to say a simple “thank you for your service” to our Fire Department and EMS personnel this month.