PA Ave u-turns – Enforcement?

[jrenaut]

I realize this is unscientific, but I know many of you ride the PA Ave cycletracks regularly. If you wouldn’t mind answering:
1) How often do you ride PA Ave, and at what times?
2) How often do you see illegal u-turns?
3) Have you ever seen police doing enforcement?
4) Have you ever seen anyone pulled over for a u-turn?

I’ll reply with my answers. I ask because today some &$&*@ with VA tags on his Infinity SUV (You know, the ones that sound like jet engines when you step lightly on the gas) was coming eastbound on PA Ave as I was going west. He was clearly going to turn, so I stopped in front of him and gave him my typical “WTF” look/arm gesture. He wouldn’t look me in the eye, but he sure would drive 20 feet down the street to turn behind me.

Topic

[nikki_d]

@Greenbelt 48018 wrote:

My phone died or I could have taken pictures like that for an hour. Every light cycle, four or five cars and buses pulled into the box to block.

6th & Penn has only recently become this horrible due to the construction further north on 6th that reduces traffic down to one lane. I believe it is scheduled to last until some time in May. Before, you would only get one or two stragglers in the intersection after the red and they would force their way through. Now you have anywhere from 1-4 cars sitting in the bike lanes while the east/ west traffic has the light. I just requested via twitter that DDOT send some traffic control officers out and sent them a link to the pictures (thanks so much for posting those!). When John Lisle ran the account that used to get at least a response and usually results (that is how the traffic control officers were initially deployed to 12th & Mass NW). I am not sure how effective it is now or how else to request they look at deploying officers to a particular intersection.

I ride south on 6th then east on Penn every day to get home. It was dangerous enough before with all the drivers that would turn right on Penn without a signal and nearly take me out as I was heading into the bike lane. But now with the incredible increase in traffic over the past 10 days and the additional idiocy from all of the people blocking the intersection there when people are trying to turn left on Penn then the additional blocking after the light cycles, I am quickly running out of patience and safe alternatives for riding home (7th and 9th are both death traps… 6th has always been the “safe” alternative).

[KLizotte]

@Greenbelt 48018 wrote:

My phone died or I could have taken pictures like that for an hour. Every light cycle, four or five cars and buses pulled into the box to block.

I think you should send them to Dr. Gridlock of the Washington Post. The more (bad) publicity the better. Those pics are amazing! So glad I don’t have to go through there at rush hour.

[Justin Antos]

I also ride Penn-to-6th every day and know this gridlock well.

If you can get through 6th St. safely, I’ve found detouring on 7th and Indiana (like so) helps a bit.

[Greenbelt]

@KLizotte 48332 wrote:

I think you should send them to Dr. Gridlock of the Washington Post. The more (bad) publicity the better. Those pics are amazing! So glad I don’t have to go through there at rush hour.

Done

[nikki_d]

@Justin Antos 48340 wrote:

If you can get through 6th St. safely, I’ve found detouring on 7th and Indiana (like so) helps a bit.

That is what I do in the mornings now for my commute north. I tried staying on 7th but that isn’t worth the aggravation.

[americancyclo]

@nikki_d 48330 wrote:

I ride south on 6th then east on Penn every day to get home. …I am quickly running out of patience and safe alternatives for riding home (7th and 9th are both death traps… 6th has always been the “safe” alternative).

What about Taking 6th to New Jersey? I’ve always preferred New Jersery for heading southeast at least from Mass Ave.

[nikki_d]

@americancyclo 48352 wrote:

What about Taking 6th to New Jersey? I’ve always preferred New Jersery for heading southeast at least from Mass Ave.

Thank you for the suggestion… I work downtown (south of Mass) and live in SW so NJ Ave is out of my way.

[Author]

Replies