safety

Park Closure Update

By ARLnow.com

Work is getting underway on the upper fields of the Thomas Jefferson Community Center, to address a problem with the light poles.

The fields will be closed from sunrise to 3:00 p.m. for at least three weeks due to the light pole problem, which we first reported on March 9.

Work is already underway at Utah Park, in Fairlington. The park has also been closed due to light pole issues, but is expected to reopen by April 15, the start of the county’s sports season.

Meanwhile, the Powhatan Springs Skatepark will be closed from April 11 to May 27 for repairs to the concrete. The light pole and concrete issues were all found during routine inspections, according to Parks Department spokesperson Susan Kalish.

Parks Closed Due to Light Pole Concerns

By ARLnow.com

Utah Park, in Fairlington, and the upper fields at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center, in Arlington Heights, will be closed for at least a three weeks due to problems found with the light poles at each.

“During a regular inspection, it was found that the light poles… need to be replaced to maintain a safe environment for our community,” said Arlington County Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Susan Kalish. “Our goal is to start as soon as weather provides a couple weeks of no rain and 50-degree weather.”

The work will take two to four weeks depending on the weather, Kalish said.

“The goal is to have the fields available in time for the sports season beginning April 15,” she said.

Police to Issue Tickets in Rosslyn for Pedestrian Safety

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 7:45 a.m.) Police will be out in force in Rosslyn today to promote pedestrian safety. They’ll be issuing citations to cars that don’t yield to pedestrians and warnings to jaywalkers and cyclists who ignore traffic laws.

The enforcement will be taking place in the area of North Lynn Street and Wilson Boulevard between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 and 1:00 p.m.

Citations for failure to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk carry a hefty fine of between $100 and $500 in Arlington.

Although police will only be issuing warnings to pedestrians, a citation for failure to obey signs and signals wouldn’t take too big of a chunk out of your pay check — the maximum fine is $5.

The enforcement is timed to kick off the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s Street Smart fall pedestrian safety campaign. The campaign encourages “proper yielding to pedestrians and drivers alike.”

In 2009, there were 78 pedestrian and cyclist-related deaths in the Washington area, which is more than one quarter of all traffic-related fatalities in the region. Local police departments are trying to decrease that number.

Arlington’s police chief, three Arlington County board members and representatives from other local jurisdictions will hold a press conference about pedestrian safety at 12:30 this afternoon in Rosslyn.

Safety Tip: Don’t Load Your Bike Onto a Moving Bus

By ARLnow.com

A safety tip for those who take their bike with them on public transit: don’t try to put your bike on a bus as it’s moving.

That’s apparently what happened Friday afternoon on Columbia Pike.

Police originally received a call for a man lying injured in the roadway near the Pike and South Oakland Street. A bike was also lying nearby. It was then reported that a Metrobus, which was no longer on scene, might have been involved.

Metro investigated the incident using surveillance video from the bus. From spokesperson Ron Holzer:

After an investigation, which included examination of video from the Metrobus camera system, it was determined that the bus never made contact with the pedestrian, who put himself in harm’s way by attempting to load his bicycle onto the moving bus.

The bike appears to be damaged in the photos, but a police source told us that was the same condition the bike was in before the accident.

The man was treated for non-life threatening injuries at a local hospital.

Power Could Be Out In Fairlington Until Sunday

By ARLnow.com

Update at 5:10 p.m. — Dominion reports that 3,583 customers in Arlington are still without power.

Power in the hard-hit Fairlington neighborhood could be out until Sunday, Arlington County warned today. With temperatures reaching into the 90’s on Sunday, this could present a dangerous situation for residents who try to wait out the power outage in their homes.

Arlington advises that residents could use Central Library as a cooling shelter. Central Library is open until 5:00 today, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sautrday, and from 1:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Other cool places to kill time include the Pentagon City mall, Ballston mall and the Crystal City underground. Click here for more heat safety tips from the county.

Food safety is another concern. A refridgerator can only keep food at a safe temperature for four hours during a power outage, assuming the door is not opened. One way to keep food from spoiling is to bring in blocks of ice or dry ice.

Freezers can stay cooler longer, but only 24-48 hours. Again, bringing in some sort of ice could prevent your frozen food from thawing.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a guide for which foods to throw out and which ones to keep when the power goes out for an extended period.

Transportation Safety This Weekend

By ARLnow.com

WMATA has announced that aboveground Metrorail service will shut down when snow accumulation reaches eight inches, as it did on Dec. 19. Don’t try to use Metrorail when the accumulation totals are nearing 8″ — there’s a real likelihood of the system shutting down as you’re in transit, stranding you halfway to your destination.

Some hardy souls may try to drive this weekend, despite pleas from local governments for drivers to stay off the road. If you absolutely, positively must drive, you’re likely to encounter a few salt trucks along the way. For many drivers, the exact rules of engagement around slow-moving salt trucks is unclear. Do you pass? How close to you get? To help shed some light, here are some salt truck safety tips, as emailed to arlnow.com from the county’s Department of Environmental Services:

Snow Operations Tips: Roadway Safety

  • If you are behind a snow plow, stay at least 100 feet back to allow the truck adequate room to maneuver and see you in the rearview and side mirrors.
  • Do not attempt to pass snow plows working in tandem on major roadways. Working together in a staggered pattern allows the plows to quickly clear more of the roadway.
  • A snowplow needs a minimum roadway width of 15 feet to maneuver safely, and on many streets a snowplow cannot operate when cars are parked on both sides of the street.
  • If you see a plow on a narrow, two-way road, consider an alternate route or wait for the plow to pass to ensure that both vehicles can safely navigate the road.
  • Prior to a storm, work with neighbors to move as many cars off the street and into garages or driveways. Park all remaining vehicles on one side of the street – the ODD numbered side, if possible. With fewer parked cars, streets can be cleared more completely, safely and quickly. Your car is also less likely to be covered with salt and sand.
  • Use extra caution when driving during, and shortly after, winter weather events. Roads can remain slippery for some time after trucks have plowed and treated them, especially when the temperatures remain low.