Left turn on red on 15th NW – what in the world is wrong with people?

[jrenaut]

I think DC could solve the national debt by stationing police officers at maybe a half dozen intersections on 15th NW. They could wait until the northbound light goes green and just pull over the idiot who turns left ON THE RED ARROW every single light cycle. I was pulling the trailer today going through Mass Ave and when I stopped to point out the red light, the car just ducked behind me and continued to turn. Next time it happens (should be tomorrow, or Thursday at the latest), when I’m not pulling the trailer, I’m going to chase them down and try to have a Dirt-like conversation. I did that once to the police officer who turned at V.

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[Terpfan]

It’s interesting you run into the issue with left turns. Perhaps it’s because of commuting opposite directions, but I have rarely encountered that problem. Now, motorists making right turns and abruptly stopping in the cycletrack because of pedestrians and/or making rights while I’m coming right at them has been a significant issue for me. Occassionally I also find people pull right in front of me into the cycletrack (particularly by the WH) without any warning.

And I will admit to being a bad pedestrian and cyclist at 15th & M. Not unsafe, but bad in that I will jaywalk that intersection (particularly when those on M have the green) and have run it a small handful times on my bike. It’s always done with the utmost caution, but that light on M stays green for way too long relative to the traffic (I’m betting the Church had their hand in this one too!).

[nikki_d]

@jrenaut 62292 wrote:

I think DC could solve the national debt by stationing police officers at maybe a half dozen intersections on 15th NW. They could wait until the northbound light goes green and just pull over the idiot who turns left ON THE RED ARROW every single light cycle.

The ones that drive me nuts are the ones that then stop while running the red light and wave me through, like they are doing me some kind of big favor. In the past week I have stopped twice at 15th & Mass to tell them they are running a red light. They then ask me if I am going or not and when I reply with “what should you care, you have a red light anyway and if you go you are RUNNING A RED” they just try to accelerate through me. But hey, I am the scofflaw ruining the streets so what do I know.

[UrbanEngineer]

I caught up with a cyclist yesterday who I saw very dangerously cross the intersection during the left green arrow. The vehicles turning left were able to avoid him, but the cyclist didn’t make it easy. I caught up to him to ask him about, and he said that he follows the green light and doesn’t even pay attention to the pedestrian signals. I asked him where he thinks the left green arrow vehicles are turning. He again pointed out the green straight light that he follows and I told him that he’s not supposed to follow that light while riding in that bike lane. That was about it. He said thank you, which left me with the impression that he actually didn’t know what he was doing and that I had provided some useful information to him….but….it’s not rocket science. He may have just been being polite to get me to go away. But I don’t understand why anybody would willingly put themselves in the way of oncoming traffic like that.

[jrenaut]

Yeah, I’ve tried to let cyclists who did that know they were wrong without much success. It is a strange traffic pattern, but there are a lot of signs explaining it.

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