cars

UPDATED: Man Killed After Car Falls On Him

By ARLnow.com

A man was seriously injured after a car on which he was working fell on top of him in the Douglas Park neighborhood of South Arlington.

The man reportedly had the car propped up on a small jack when something when wrong and the vehicle fell on him. Police, firefighters and paramedics responded and managed to remove him from underneath the vehicle, a Toyota Camry sedan.

Police aren’t commenting yet on the man’s condition, but initial reports suggest his injuries were very serious. The incident happened in an apartment parking area off of the 1100 block of S. Thomas Street.

Update at 5:00 p.m. — Police have now confirmed that the victim died from his injuries.

The Arlington County Police Department is investigating the death of a man that occurred this morning.

At approximately 11:40 a.m., police and medic units were called to the 1100 block of South Thomas Street for a person injured while working on a motor vehicle. Upon arrival, it was apparent that the person was deceased. The victim has been identified as Miguel A. Interiano, 63, of Arlington. The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone who has information about this incident is asked to call the Arlington County Police Department Tip Line at 703 228-4242, or Detective Cynthia Garcia at (703) 228-4195.

Morning Poll: Pro-Car or Pro-Pedestrian?

By ARLnow.com

The issue is presented as a set of two mutually-exclusive options: either continue to support transportation policies that make it easy to own and drive a car, at the expense of bike and pedestrian safety; or support policies that make it easier and safer to walk and bike, at the expense of drivers.

Yesterday on the Arlington’s Commuter Page Blog, county Commuter Services Transportation Bureau Chief Chris Hamilton lauded Europe’s pro-pedestrian and anti-car policies, which have “reduced traffic and the number of cars in cities… re-conquering space for pedestrians.”

The policies, outlined in a New York Times article, include “making it harder and more costly to park… capping the number of parking spaces in new buildings rather than providing minimums… slowing cars down and closing streets to cars altogether and creating pedestrian plazas… synchronizing signal priority for people and transit, not cars… and giving people on foot the right to cross a street anywhere they like.”

“By following these examples we can make the Washington, DC region an even greater place to live,” Hamilton concluded.

Arlington’s stated transportation policy is to focus future street improvements on facilities for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders. One example of this in action is the the proposed improvements to the Meade Street Bridge in Rosslyn. The current plan, as outlined at a public meeting last week, calls for the addition of dedicated bicycle lanes, the conversion of a free-flowing off ramp from westbound Route 50 to a square intersection and the addition of two traffic signals on either side of the bridge

If the choice is limited to pro-car or pro-bike-and-pedestrian policies — as opposed to policies that attempt to benefit both cars and alternative transportation choices — which would you support?

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Board Approves Energy Plan Framework — Last night the County Board approved an ambitious set of goals to dramatically reduce energy usage and cut carbon emissions in Arlington over the next 40 years. With the goals set, a new county panel will now set out to figure out how to implement them. Speakers at last night’s board meeting — including members of the local business community — were generally supportive of the energy plan, although a few individuals criticized the additional regulations it will likely impose. [Sun Gazette, Arlington County]

Local Green Group Criticized — Arlington-based Conservation International is being criticized by environmental activists for helping to “greenwash” large corporations in exchange for donations. [Huffington Post]

The Concrete ‘Jungle’ of Clarendon — Are the roads tricky and drivers impatient in the Clarendon/Courthouse area? One writer thinks so. [Patch]

Flickr pool photo by BriankMKA

Lyon Villagers Press County Officials On Parking, Traffic Issues

By ARLnow.com

Residents of the quiet neighborhoods that surround Arlington’s urban villages have a very peculiar relationship with the automobile. At least, that’s the conclusion one could draw based on citizen input at a Lyon Village community meeting that focused on parking and street-related issues.

Residents are quite opposed to the county taking away parking on one side of narrow neighborhood streets to allow fire engines and garbage trucks to operate safely. But they also want more zone parking to keep outsiders from parking on the same streets. And at least one gentleman wanted folks who rent houses to have their street parking limited to just two cars.

Residents expressed indignation that their streets weren’t plowed during snow storms, making navigation treacherous. Then some asked if there was any way streets could be closed to through traffic. One man earnestly suggested quadrupling the number of speed humps and lowering the speed limit to 15 miles per hour.

In short, when it comes to cars, some residents want things their way and want others to stay on the highway.

Lucky for them, Arlington County seems perfectly willing to listen and respond to their requests.

Last night Arlington County Director of Transportation Dennis Leach and Traffic Engineering and Operations Chief Wayne Wentz sat down for a 90 minutes discussion with about 30 residents at the Lyon Village Community House. Although the meeting was ostensibly about street parking, all manner of street-related issues were brought up. The meeting was attended by Lyon Village residents and by representatives of other local civic associations, who are worried about the county’s recent move to restrict street parking on certain narrow streets.

Wentz and Leach explained that while the county is not actively looking for narrow streets, one complaint about a street’s width — from the fire department, a garbage contractor or an anonymous resident — is all it takes for county staff to be sent out with measuring tapes. They will visit a street several times, on different days and at different times, to study parking utilization. If the street is less than 28 feet wide and heavily parked on both sides, parking restrictions will likely be recommended — although first the county will notify residents and initiate a neighborhood discussion about the changes.

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Crime Report: Unlocked Vehicles Edition

By ARLnow.com

Apparently there are quite a few people who leave their cars unlocked at night. Otherwise the next two crime report items would not be possible.

LARCENY FROM AUTO (SERIES) 03/18/11, 3500 block of N. 3rd Road and the 200 block of N. Irving Street. Between 9 pm on March 17 and 6:30 am on March 18, an unknown subject entered at least nine unlocked vehicles and rifled through each. There are no known suspects.

LARCENY FROM AUTO (SERIES) 03/18/11, 4400 blocks of N. 16th and N. 17th Streets. Between 6:30 pm on March 17, and 9 am on March 18, an unknown person entered at least four unlocked vehicles in the same area. There is no suspect description.

The rest of this week’s Arlington County crime report, after the jump.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Cycling Through Arlington National Cemetery — The one-month closure of the Wright gate to Fort Myer will affect some cyclists who travel through Arlington National Cemetery. One blogger argues that the closure should be used as an opportunity to expand cycling privileges in the cemetery. [Greater Greater Washington]

Yorktown High Students Advance to National History Bowl — Not one but two Yorktown High School teams are advancing to the National History Bowl Championship after finishing third and fourth in the Virginia competition. A total of eight Yorktown students will compete at the championship in the District next month. [Arlington Public Schools]

Car-Free Diet Skeptics Found — Arlington County found five individuals who were skeptical about ditching their car for 30 days, but who were willing to try it anyhow. In the end, only two Skeptics will be chosen; the public will be able to vote for their favorite through the end of the month. Disclosure: Arlington County Commuter Services is an advertiser. [Car-Free Diet Skeptics]

Flickr pool photo by Rukasu1

Authorities Warn of Car Break-Ins

By ARLnow.com

Officials are warning residents about a rash of car break-ins in Arlington.

Last week, according to the Ode Street Tribune, police told members of the Radnor/Ft. Myer Heights Civic Association that thieves have been smashing car windows in the Rosslyn area to steal GPS devices.

Yesterday, management of the Archstone Ballston Square apartments sent the following email to residents, suggesting that the number of break-ins is on the rise.

Dear Residents,

Within the past week, there has been an increase in reported thefts from cars garaged in the Ballston/Arlington area.  Recently, we have experienced several incidents where items have been reported taken from automobiles garaged at our community.  While we do not wish to alarm you, we did want to make you aware of the situation.  We share your concern regarding these incidents and are fully cooperating with local authorities.

We take great pride in providing you with a great living environment. To that end, it is important that we all understand that the protection of person and property is the sole responsibility of each resident.  As a reminder, and as specified in your Lease Agreement we encourage you to report any illegal or suspicious behavior. Please take a second look if something or someone appears out of place, or seems odd or curious. If you suspect troubling activity or suspicious individuals, call the concierge desk immediately or the Arlington County Police nonemergency number at 703.598.2222 703.558.2222. If there is clear and present danger, call 911. In addition, we ask you to be mindful of the following:

Please use safety measures when parking your car – lock all car doors and activate your car alarm if you have one

Do not allow unknown individuals to follow you into the community

Do not leave valuables such as laptops, GPS systems, cell phones, iPods, tools, etc in plain sight in your car

Report any suspicious or criminal activity immediately to the Arlington County Police Department (call 911)

Again, we certainly do not want to alarm you, but felt it was important to let you know of this activity.

There were 11 break-ins listed in the latest Arlington County crime report. The crime report typically only lists incidents in which more than one car was broken into.

GW Parkway Reopened As Crews Clear Abandoned Cars

By ARLnow.com

Closed since it was the scene of a “bumper-car graveyard” last night, one lane of the northbound George Washington Parkway has finally reopened near Spout Run.

The road was closed for most of the morning as crews worked to clear snow, fallen trees and abandoned vehicles.

G.W. Parkway drivers spent up to 14 hours in their cars, from yesterday afternoon to early this morning, as fallen trees and collisions blocked the roadway in both directions.

“I have a friend who has been there since 5pm. She says cops are walking up and down, people are huddling together in cars,” a Twitter user told us just before 11:00 last night. There were reports of cars running out of gas and of people simply getting out of their cars and walking.

U.S. Park Police spokesman Sgt. David Schlosser tells WTOP that the Parkway was jammed due to a “cascading effect – crashes, trees coming down, people abandoning their vehicles.”

One woman who had been stuck on the Parkway told NBC Washington that she made it home at 5:30 this morning, after leaving her Crystal City office at 4:45 p.m.

Abandoned cars are being towed to the parking lots at the scenic overlook and Roosevelt Island.

Dr. Gridlock has more information on how to retrieve an abandoned vehicle.

Photo courtesy Steve Buttry.

VDOT Preparing for “Very Difficult Rush Hour”

By ARLnow.com

By 3:00 this afternoon, VDOT expects to have 2,000 trucks helping to keep Northern Virginia roads clear of snow. Still, the agency is bracing for “rapidly deteriorating weather conditions” and warning of a “very difficult rush hour.”

VDOT started pre-treating bridges and ramps and other trouble spots on state roads and highways yesterday, according to spokeswoman Joan Morris. Spots on I-66, I-95, I-395 and I-495 were treated with liquid magnesium chloride, while parts of major roads like Route 50 and Route 1 were pre-treated with salt brine.

Now, crews are in position to tackle snow that’s expected to fall at a rate of 1″ to 2″ an hour later this afternoon.

“Treatment trucks and plows are pre-positioning along interstates, major roads and in subdivisions throughout Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties for quick response,” VDOT said in a statement.

The agency is asking Northern Virginia drivers to stay off the roads tonight, if at all possible.

“The Virginia Department of Transportation urges motorists to plan ahead for their evening commutes, and to limit travel after 4 p.m. today,” VDOT said. “If motorists must travel, they are encouraged to check current weather, road conditions and traffic cameras before traveling by visiting www.511Virginia.org or by calling 511.”

VDOT also issued the following winter driving tips:

  • Ensure that your vehicle is winter-ready.
  • Slow down, and keep a five-second distance or more behind other vehicles. Do no pass trucks applying chemicals unless absolutely necessary.
  • Be aware of areas prone to freezing such as ramps and bridges.
  • When driving on ice, do not slam on brakes. Turn gently and slowly.
  • Keep an emergency winter kit in your car.
  • Always wear your seatbelt.
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