Bicyclist Killed @ Telegraph and Franconia

19 views
Skip to first unread message

Randy Cole

unread,
Jun 3, 2021, 11:17:32 PM6/3/21
to alexand...@googlegroups.com, Sonya Breehey
FYI:


- randy

--
           __
          /\ - \                  o
 \°/   _| | n |_.              |\ >,
 /ˇ\    ~^~^~^~^.     …( )/( )

E Wright

unread,
Jun 4, 2021, 4:23:50 AM6/4/21
to Alex BPAC, Sonya Breehey
OMG, Dave L and I passed the scene within a half an hour.  There were tons of police cars and I think a VDOT van.

Elizabeth

--
To sign up only for BPAC Action Alerts, including a monthly calendar with walks, rides and meetings, send an email to alexand...@gmail.com
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Alexandria BPAC Open Forum All Citizens" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to alexandriabpa...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/alexandriabpac/CALfTPOx5stR1Je336LweojrJ-4e%3DzeaogQq5QkcWtFRwrsoO5Q%40mail.gmail.com.

E Wright

unread,
Jun 6, 2021, 6:22:27 PM6/6/21
to Alex BPAC, Sonya Breehey
From NextDoor, I think the poster said the reference was The Kingstowne Patch,  Elizabeth

GROVETON/ROSE HILL, VA — A bicyclist died in a crash on Telegraph Road Thursday [June 3, 2021], according to Fairfax County Police. The crash happened after 11 a.m. at Telegraph Road and Franconia Road. Detectives believe the bicyclist entered a crosswalk to cross Telegraph Road on the south side of the intersection. The bicyclist headed east through the intersection while a 2020 GMC Savanna was heading north on a green traffic signal. The crash led to the bicyclist being pronounced dead on the scene. The victim was identified as Fatima Del Carmen Alvarez Romero, 24, of Alexandria. The GMC Savanna driver remained at the scene. Detectives do not believe speed and alcohol contributed to the crash. The investigation is active, and details will be presented to the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for review. Anyone with information about this crash can contact the Fairfax County Police Crash Reconstruction Unit at or submit a tip through Crime Solvers.

Alexis Glenn

unread,
Jun 6, 2021, 6:43:22 PM6/6/21
to alexand...@googlegroups.com, Sonya Breehey
The family has a GoFundMe set up here: 

Neighbors in the Jefferson Manor community put out a ghost bike on Friday night. We have ordered a sign for it, it’s being printed now. FABB will host a memorial ride for Fatima, details forthcoming.



Randy Cole

unread,
Jun 6, 2021, 9:26:37 PM6/6/21
to alexand...@googlegroups.com, Sonya Breehey
Does Anybody see the bias language in this report?

- It is unequivocal about the green light

- But equivocal about the ped in the xwalk

Does this state have any ‘Due Care’ laws that would apply here?  

Was the Savanna ( a big ban) moving above speed limit?  

How does this reporter know the light was green?   There are a few lights in quick succession there too.  How do we know driver was not confusing the lights? 

VDOT already knows cars speed all along Telegraph. It is clearly hostile to peds.  

My point: VDOT shouldn’t require someones death to fix roads where cars speed and bog radius intersections like this.  

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 6, 2021, at 18:43, Alexis Glenn <alexis...@gmail.com> wrote:


The family has a GoFundMe set up here: 

Neighbors in the Jefferson Manor community put out a ghost bike on Friday night. We have ordered a sign for it, it’s being printed now. FABB will host a memorial ride for Fatima, details forthcoming.

<image_50407681.JPG>

Larry D. Huffman

unread,
Jun 8, 2021, 7:17:04 PM6/8/21
to alexand...@googlegroups.com, Sonya Breehey

One point about this crash:

 

I go through that intersection on Telegraph going north.  A driver doing this can see the whole intersection from side to side, including the areas beyond the roadway.  The crash happened at 11:00 AM.  The report mentions no other vehicles.  If there were none, it was egregious negligence on the part of the driver not to see the bicyclist riding across in time to stop.

 

On the other hand…Telegraph has two lanes in each direction right there, and the characteristic pedestrian (and cyclist?) crash on a 35 MPH road in that situation is for a pedestrian to beat the vehicle in the left hand lane and pop out in front of the vehicle following to the right and behind.  The first vehicle hides the follower from the pedestrian, and the pedestrian from the follower.  A big reason for all the carnage on Richmond Highway in Fairfax County.

 

Larry

Randy Cole

unread,
Jun 8, 2021, 9:41:32 PM6/8/21
to alexand...@googlegroups.com, Sonya Breehey
The burden to fix this is on the traffic engineering discipline that built these roads where the vulnerable are left to deal with the deadly consequences of poor design.   The engineers maintain the road design standards in docs like MUTCD - standards that optimise for "free traffic flow"  over vulnerable users.  They are updating MUTCD now.  So many advocacy groups are weighing in.  Would be interesting to hear the VDOT comments to the draft and how or if they are putting ped/bike safety comments.  

There is one VDOT Traffic Engineer - Mark Cole (no relation to me) that was hired specifically to deal with safety issues.  Would be great to have him explain how this intersection (and so many others) could be improved and the speeding reduced through modern design standards like they've done in other nations.  Maybe also have the top brass of VDOT - NOVA discuss their plans to change designs to make it more speed compliant and forgiving.

- randy 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/alexandriabpac/045601d75cbc%2463371400%2429a53c00%24%40verizon.net.

Samuel Berbano

unread,
Jun 8, 2021, 10:33:57 PM6/8/21
to alexand...@googlegroups.com
These seem like good points for a Letter to the Editor or a press release. 

Alexis Glenn

unread,
Jun 9, 2021, 8:22:01 AM6/9/21
to alexand...@googlegroups.com
I live near Telegraph and Franconia. Traveling northbound on Telegraph, the direction the driver was going, south of Franconia, the lanes quickly go from 1 to 2 and then right after Franconia, to 3 lanes. In less than 500 feet, drivers get more than triple the amount of space they have further south. 

As you can imagine, as soon as they get that extra space, they hit the gas. 

I visited the ghost bike on Monday. In just the few moments I was there attaching flowers it felt like standing in the middle of a freeway. I was on my bike and some people were walking on the very narrow sidewalk so I had to take the right lane northbound to get back home. Talk about biking for your life 😔



liu.jo...@gmail.com

unread,
Jun 10, 2021, 11:54:19 PM6/10/21
to Alexandria BPAC Open Forum All Citizens
FABB will be hosting a memorial ride this Sunday at 10am for Fatima Alvarez Romero. See details at https://fabb-bikes.org/memorial-ride-this-sunday/. 
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages