County Pipes, A Bakery Fire, and ATE Data
Cheers RVA!
Today will be mostly sunny with a high of 66, a light breeze, and a low of 49. Warm temperatures are likely to continue through tomorrow, but expect rain and chillier weather this Thanksgiving holiday.
the juice:
Henrico County is currently creating an inventory of all pipes in homes to see if they are made of copper, plastic, galvanized steel, or may contain lead, via the RTD.
The County has stated that all of its public water utility lines are lead-free.
Roughly 50k Henrico residents received letters with cautionary information on the detrimental health effects of lead exposure, and the County plans to visit each home to check the pipes on the homeowner side.
About 150 homes are being visited per week, with the inspections expected to be finished ahead of the 2037 Federal deadline for all lead pipes to be replaced.
Here is a map of the County’s water service inventory:
The City of Richmond is also going through the same process, but with many older buildings is more likely to have lead pipes in homes.
the pulp:
A cyclist was killed Sunday afternoon after being struck by a train at the rail crossing on Hungary Road near Oakview Avenue.
Sub Rosa Bakery in Church Hill is closed for the foreseeable future after a fire damaged the building on Sunday morning. No one was injured, and Pizza Bones halted its pizza production for a few hours and baked Sub Rosa loaves to support their neighbor.
RICToday has compiled a list of 30 new and soon to open restaurants in Richmond. RVAMag has compiled a current list of local dive bars and also included its 2014 list, with few duplicates.
The winner of the Richmond Marathon, Rob Mazzanti, breaks down his perspective on the race in a lengthy reddit post.
the dive:
A recent article in Greater Greater Washington dives into the Automated Traffic Enforcement (ATE) data of the DC area, and addresses the efficacy of traffic cameras to make roads safer.
With over 200 locations in the DC area, author Pete Rodrigue explores the risks and limitations of ATE.
The cameras do tend to issue less tickets over time, meaning there is a reduction of speeding.
But most cameras, including the ones in both DC and in Richmond, do not issue citations for those going 1-10 mph over the speed limit.
Rodrigue says that while traffic cameras can be a useful tool, they do not change the design of a road, and drivers can still seriously injure or kill pedestrians while driving the speed limit (or less than 10 over).
ATE cameras cause some people to drive slower on stroads, roads too wide and fast to be safe for pedestrians while having too many driveways and intersections for the efficient movement of cars. But cameras can’t turn those stroads into pleasant places to walk and relax. And if a street is still the width of a highway, some people will still drive fast, whether a camera is present or not. It’s hard to blame these drivers: DDOT is telling them, via the street design, that it’s acceptable to drive fast. The street itself is accommodating the behavior the cameras are trying to punish.
Regarding the cameras as a source of income for the district, he notes having more cameras does result in more revenue, but in less revenue per ticket.
Individuals who have received multiple tickets are significantly less likely to pay, with an overall average of 60% of tickets paid. (The Richmonder recently reported that Richmond has collected roughly one-third of payments from citations issued from cameras in school-zones).
He concludes by stressing the limitations of traffic cameras:
ATE cameras reduce speeding above certain thresholds. They likely prevent some drivers from hitting or killing other people. But cameras alone will not refashion badly designed stroads into more humane, livable streets. They will not prevent the many crashes that occur within posted speed limits.
Read the full article here.
the vibe:
Have a full-hearted day RVA!
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