Longtime readers of this fancy "web log" know that we latched onto this image of fanciful concrete bollards, submitted as part of the interminable paperwork associated with the
proposal for the Reston Station development, and have since
run the joke into the ground used it as visual shorthand for all the midrise development a'comin down the pike in our beloved earth-toned community, much as we've been accused of using a
beloved carb-intensive eatery as a metaphor for the pervasive midscale chain goodness that's filled our
fake downtown gritty urban core. However, on a recent jaunt to a purportedly "transit-oriented" development in neighboring Herndon that happens to be
nowhere near any transit but happens to share the
annoying naming conventions of our own TOD projects, we stopped dead in our tracks:
ZOMG, as the kids today no longer
say text. Fanciful concrete bollards, in vaguely pleasing proportions, as far as the eye can see, keeping harried commuters from driving straight across the one traffic circle that somehow managed to
sneak its way into Herndon. The legends are true!
"One way," indeed. Do we even need to point out that prophetic sign is pointing towards Reston? No we do not, the end.
Flashbacks:
The RNGC Caddyshackpocalypse
Bollards!
And exactly how does one navigate the walkway around those lovely bollards?
ReplyDeleteSilly rabbit, no one's expected to walk! Did you miss the 97-story parking garage in the background?
DeleteLike so, how else:
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w40ushYAaYA
Kind of creepy. It looks like a rolling army of bollards come to take over.
ReplyDeleteOh that is absolutely hilarious, they managed to simultaneously prevent cars, AND people from accessing the walkway. Perhaps it’s supposed to be some form of art.
ReplyDeleteTo be somewhat fair, that isn't really a walkway.
DeleteI'm pretty sure this is the view from the Generous George. If that's the case, this is a centerpiece of a traffic circle, entirely decorative, purely to lighten the soul and delight the eye.
Also, while it's possible GGP&P has improved at that location, it isn't likely. As the not-so-ancients used to say, itway isway ittyshay.
Those are NOT bollards, silly rabbits. They are the balloon-type sentinels from the 1960s TV classic "The Prisoner" that chase down anyone who tries to leave Reston...I mean The Village.
ReplyDeleteIf you think about it, Reston really is like The Village. To quote one reviewer from the IMDB entry on The Prisoner:
"The Village is a prison camp, but with all of the amenities of a vacation resort. Attractive dwellings, shops, restaurants, etc. exist side by side with high-tech methods of keeping order and extracting information from those who won't give it up willingly."
Now is that alternate universe Reston or what?
Extras starring in World War "B"?
ReplyDeletePerhaps that isn't a walkway, but I don't even think the bollards are spaced close enough to prevent a car from going between.
ReplyDelete