Fairfax County Blog:
Summer has arrived in Fairfax County, ushering in a time when kids can run wild and cause problems, but also a time when commuters do not have to put up with school buses during the morning commute. The summer of 2013 also marks the first summer of the federal sequester, which should also bring some much needed relief to commuters. I’ll discuss some of the highlights of the summer so far.
Cicadas:
These massive insects which appear only once every 17 years, were supposed to swarm over Northern Virginia as part of their mating cycle. However, despite all of the hype many residents didn’t see any cicadas this year. Some media outlets blamed overdevelopment in the County, noting that new construction may have killed off the insects, which lie dormant underground for most of their lives.
Transportation:
As noted above, the end of the school year, the start of furlough days for federal employees are all contributing toward a moderately better commute for many travelers, but don’t expect it to last. On the plus side though, the 495 Express Lanes are up and running, and the new Silver Line of the Metro is nearing closer to completion. Also, the State of Virginia has finally decided to cough up much needed money for regional transportation projects, and the County is bracing itself for an influx of state funding. Whether any of these developments will do anything to ease traffic congestion in the long term however remains to be seen.
New Laws:
The start of July means that all of the new laws passed by this session of the General Assembly will go into effect today. This means that the Police can now pull you over for texting while driving and give you a traffic ticket for this offense. As if motorists don’t have a difficult time enough on the roads out there as it is.
Crime:
And speaking of Police, it wouldn’t be summer without a crime wave. A number of violent armed robberies have occurred throughout the County as the criminal element takes advantage of more people venturing out of their homes to enjoy the warm weather. Fortunately, Northern Virginia has a well armed populace that can defend themselves if need be, provided they don’t accidently discharge their legally owned guns first.
Schools:
Even though the school year is officially over, that doesn’t mean the County school system is lying completely dormant. Recently, the school board voted to give County teachers a raise … even though the Board of Supervisors didn’t want to give a raise to any employees this year. Also, the school board is looking into whether the school system should start their day earlier, going so far as to hire an independent research to study the issue. It remains doubtful however that any real changes will be made, as any delay in the school schedule could disrupt after school activities and the 5:00pm evening commute.
