Intersection of Doom Upgrades…

[rcannon100]

Intersection of Doom ~ soon to be renamed the Intersection of Pigs Flying

[Terpfan]

I don’t actually cross it (turn right off MVT onto Key Bridge), but I have seen a much more noticeable police presence these last two weeks or so. I didn’t realize they made it a no turn on red there, but that makes perfect sense. Hopefully they continue enforcement until it’s a rare occurence.

[dasgeh]

@rcannon100 95703 wrote:

Intersection of Doom ~ soon to be renamed the Intersection of Pigs Flying

I totally get the “proof is in the pudding” and we don’t have pudding yet, but a lot of people here and on the BAC have worked really hard for a long time, these sounds like real changes. No turn on red + 10-15 seconds is real change. Maybe not pudding, but maybe “dipping yogurt” (non-dessert dessert in our house).

[lordofthemark]

I would like to point out that this will benefit cyclists from Falls Church, Fairfax, Alexandria, and DC as well as Arlington. Kudos to BAC, to BikeArlington, and to ArlCo.

[rcannon100]

So I have a question that never really occurred to me before….

Is the Intersection of Doom problem caused primarily by traffic FROM Washington DC going TO Washington DC? Is the problem caused by traffic coming across the TR, onto 66, onto the ramp, turning right, going across Key into GTown? Is the problem caused more than anything by DC’s failure to move its own traffic around???

Take that traffic load out of Doom, and the problem would all but be solved????

Say it a different way – they has been a hesitancy I think on VDOTs and Virginia’s part to fix Doom because of the traffic volume that goes through there. The shiny metal boxes have to get where they are going after all. But what if… but what if its not our problem in the first place. What if this is DC’s problem. Shit – why not just eliminate that right turn all together. Why permit traffic to come across TR, to 66, to turn right into GTown. That’s not our problem.

Right?

[KLizotte]

@rcannon100 95712 wrote:

So I have a question that never really occurred to me before….

Is the Intersection of Doom problem caused primarily by traffic FROM Washington DC going TO Washington DC? Is the problem caused by traffic coming across the TR, onto 66, onto the ramp, turning right, going across Key into GTown? Is the problem caused more than anything by DC’s failure to move its own traffic around???

Take that traffic load out of Doom, and the problem would all but be solved????

Say it a different way – they has been a hesitancy I think on VDOTs and Virginia’s part to fix Doom because of the traffic volume that goes through there. The shiny metal boxes have to get where they are going after all. But what if… but what if its not our problem in the first place. What if this is DC’s problem. Shit – why not just eliminate that right turn all together. Why permit traffic to come across TR, to 66, to turn right into GTown. That’s not our problem.

Right?

As a long time Pentagon City resident, I can tell you that I go through that intersection if I’m heading to Georgetown by car or to GW Parkway (I try to avoid that route if I’m heading to the latter but I sometimes miss the exit for the parkway by Memorial Bridge – that spaghetti network of roads is even difficult to navigate for long time residents). Sigh.

[KLizotte]

I’m disappointed, and rather perplexed, that the Custis trail extension (yeah!) doesn’t segregate ped and cycle traffic (boo!) given that there appears to be enough room to do so.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@rcannon100 95712 wrote:

So I have a question that never really occurred to me before….

Is the Intersection of Doom problem caused primarily by traffic FROM Washington DC going TO Washington DC? Is the problem caused by traffic coming across the TR, onto 66, onto the ramp, turning right, going across Key into GTown? Is the problem caused more than anything by DC’s failure to move its own traffic around???

Take that traffic load out of Doom, and the problem would all but be solved????

Say it a different way – they has been a hesitancy I think on VDOTs and Virginia’s part to fix Doom because of the traffic volume that goes through there. The shiny metal boxes have to get where they are going after all. But what if… but what if its not our problem in the first place. What if this is DC’s problem. Shit – why not just eliminate that right turn all together. Why permit traffic to come across TR, to 66, to turn right into GTown. That’s not our problem.

Right?

I don’t know why anyone would do this when they could take Rock Creek and Whitehurst. Don’t both Jefferson Davis and GW Parkway feed onto 66 before that exit ramp?

[ShawnoftheDread]

@Tim Kelley 95702 wrote:

Here’s the story:

http://www.arlnow.com/2014/09/30/intersection-of-doom-getting-interim-safety-upgrades/

So, for those of you who ride through there daily, who had noticed the timing changes already?

From the article:

Police issued 228 citations at the intersection from Sept. 15, 2013 through the same date this year: 133 for failure to obey traffic signals, 32 for improper turning and 1 for failure to yield to a pedestrian. Fifteen car crashes occurred at the intersection within that period, police said; just two crashes on record involved pedestrians.

15 crashes sounds low, and I wonder how many involved bikes.

[Steve O]

wrote:

…and 1 for failure to yield to a pedestrian.

Yeah, right.

One.

[baiskeli]

Hmmm. Haven’t been riding home that way so I haven’t seen the effect of the no-right-on-red/5-second leading interval (is the no-right-on-red sign there yet?) That could help a great deal, since drivers trying to turn right on red are looking to their left and then gunning it when they see an opening, without looking over their shoulder to the right at people coming from the Mt. Vernon Trail side.

[bobco85]

@baiskeli 95743 wrote:

isthe no-right-on-red sign there yet?

I didn’t see one when I passed through there last night.

[Subby]

In the morning I have been commuting eastbound on Lee Highway specifically so I don’t have to deal with the intersection coming from the Custis. Taking a left on Lynn and then crossing Lee Hwy westbound to the Key Bridge sidepath is *gasp* totally easy. The thought of having the proposed bike lane there on Lynn will be triple awesome.

That said, I am excited for all of the changes. Someone shouldn’t have to commute in 45 mph three lane traffic to have a better intersection experience.

[DismalScientist]

Can’t keep up with a little traffic on the downhill?:rolleyes: I generally take the entire right lane from Vietch on Lee Highway and this has not been a problem with free-flowing car traffic.

That said, I normally take Clarendon and miss the IoD completely eastbound.

[Subby]

@DismalScientist 95760 wrote:

Can’t keep up with a little traffic on the downhill?:rolleyes: I generally take the entire right lane from Vietch on Lee Highway and this has not been a problem with free-flowing car traffic.

That said, I normally take Clarendon and miss the IoD completely eastbound.

I can kind of keep up. Just pointing out it’s probably not for everyone. Also when traffic gets backed up there you get to do some major league filtering. Also not for everyone.

[Author]

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