Comments on: Falling Branch Elementary, Megabus stop are uneasy pair

By: daryl

daryl — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 17:39:03 +0000

mmm duh put in a fence!!!! get everyone to chip in and put in a nice fence, most of them would be too lazy to walk around it.

By: Love it here

Love it here — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 15:45:53 +0000

Also, remember that many people who us the park and ride are your friends and neighbors, members of the community who commute to Roanoke and beyond for work. These are not hooligans or sinister creatures – they are nice people who’d rather ride the bus than white knuckle their way along 81 every day.

By: Love it here

Love it here — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 15:45:34 +0000

Also, remember that many people who us the park and ride are your friends and neighbors, members of the community who commute to Roanoke and beyond for work. These are hooligans or sinister creatures – they are nice people who’d rather ride the bus than white knuckle their way along 81 every day.

By: Love it here

Love it here — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 15:41:01 +0000

Today’s paper reports that they are looking into solutions so let’s all be polite and respectful of each other. We need public transportation and we need schools – both obvious.
“Here first” and whatever aren’t valid points to any discussion. The majority of people remember the days when a school was a welcoming place in the community, not a fortress. Think about if you’ve ever arrived someplace you aren’t familiar with – you naturally seek an “established and safe” point of reference. That’s a school in this case. Sadly due to irresponsible gun laws, etc (an entirely different discussion) our schools now find themselves wanting to become fortresses. That’s the societal situation behind the anxiety of Falling Branch parents. Neither right nor wrong, just the perception we have to grapple with today. So – start with respecting each other in this discussion area. One part of a possible solution is to develop a “physical and visual” barrier between the park and ride lot and the service road leading to the school. VDOT could partner with Montgomery Co. and as we see at many of our local apartment and condo complexes – erect a five to seven foot grass sloped firm which for a walking pedestrian essentially obscures the view of the school from the lot; then add dense planting of pine trees and hedge plantings and you shift the perceived entry way away from the park and ride. Simultaneously, VDOT builds a permanent restroom facility; local information wall with map, contact information, etc. adds a pay phone and simple human nature shifts its focus to that facility.

Personally, I’d reach out the amazing resources we have in this community and make the VT Architecture and Landscape design program take this on as a project. Design it and then have VDOT do it. It isn’t that difficult of a solve.

By: Derek

Derek — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 03:00:59 +0000

Also, before you respond to my comments, remember this is a community discussion and there are a lot of community members who have opposed this “progress” from the start.

They are just usually drowned out by the drum of “you need to progress” and “don’t be scared of the bus” proponents.

By: Derek

Derek — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 02:55:14 +0000

Hahahaha LMAO…I thought the Burgs were all about public transportation??? Christiansburg funding BT, the smartway and allowing the Megabus to use the spot all “help the enviroment!”

The shear hypocrisy of Montgomery County has increased exponentially over the last decade. Now it seems all people who ride the bus are scary criminals…oooohhhh….

Yet we continue to hear over and over and over how MontCo/burgs are progressive in transportation, open to all walks of life. Well, get this…when you built a bus service up, people may in fact decide to ride the bus.

Perhaps the school, county and residents should have thought about these matters (including tying a low wage industrial park to the adjoining property) before they decided to move forward.

As to the idea to move the stop, people in the residential districts surrounding 81 have the right to live in peace without people approaching them, they paid for their property with the realization that no “bus stop” was in their front yard. Instead all parties UNDERSTOOD that the decision to build a park and ride/bus stop adjacent to the interstate was decided upon years ago in its current location. Property owners should not have to suffer for the bad decisons of leaders past and the all but blantant disgust exhibited by a vocal minority for “persons who ride the bus.”

It is time for the residents of Montgomery County to deal with what they have built and stop trying to pass off their bad decisons on other property owners when it threatens their picket fence affluent non reality.

This, folks, is progress…if the town wants to be progressive they are doing a fine job. Common sense dictates that it could be a bad idea to house a school beside a public transit system that is multijurisdictional.

But tthen again…it is “progressive.” I’ll continue to drive my car to places I need to go and teach my children to stay away from strangers. Personal responsibilty is actually benefical to some.

In short, deal with it, teach your kids and vpbeef up securit, but do not whine about. The spot now, when evryone had a voice earlier.

By: Angela

Angela — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:23:12 +0000

‘Safety First’, I was referring to the doors other than the front door, which is unlocked. The only solution is to move the park n ride to a different location. Everyone seems to forget that the school was there first! Maybe VDOT and the other powers that be should have thought about that before they put in the interchange AND the park n ride!

By: Safety First

Safety First — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:59:04 +0000

My child also attends Falling Branch and I have never seen those doors locked. I must respectfully disagree with Angela on that point. Additionally, to just move the park and ride is not the only solution, it is a solution, but not the only one. To flip the perspective to reflect the larger community, maybe the school board should have planned a fence and relocating the entrance to the school when they knew the highway was coming that way. Only making the point because there are more than one solution and one point of view. We obviously want the school safe, but it needs to be a community discussion.

By: On Topic

On Topic — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:55:03 +0000

The comment about the school not being in Blacksburg has nothing to do with the discussion as:

The School is located in Christiansburg.
The School Board is located and meets in Christiansburg.
The Bus Stop is in Christiansburg.
So that has nothing to do with Blacksburg.
Please – keep on topic.

By: Love It Here

Love It Here — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:52:41 +0000

All good comments, all valid comments, the discussion will lead to a solution. Roanoke Times did its job.