Posted tagged ‘pedestrian safety’

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DDOT Issues Notice of Intent to Install HAWK Signal at Georgia and Lamont Street, NW

March 29, 2019

Yesterday, ANC1A received a Notice of Intent from DDOT for the “Installation of New High intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) Signal at the Intersections of Georgia A venue and Lamont Street, NW, NOI 19-85-TESD.” This is very good news as it is part of a longstanding community-led effort to improve pedestrian safety along Park View’s Georgia Avenue corridor.

According to the notice:

The proposed modification is result of traffic analysis performed by DDOT to advance recommendations to improve safety at various pedestrian crossings in Ward 1, as stated in Director Marootian’ s May 4, 2018 letter to Councilmember Nadeau. Original recommendation to relocate the near-side northbound bus stop to far-side of the intersection could not advance due to the presence of loading zone, tree boxes and fire hydrant. Therefore, both the crosswalks at this intersection will be maintained and will be controlled by a new HAWK signal.

HAWK signal control can provide for the safe and efficient movement of vehicular and pedestrian traffic at this intersection, and will provide positive direction to motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists operating through and in the immediate vicinity. The proposed new HAWK signal on Georgia Avenue at Lamont Street, NW, will be timed to operate in harmony with adjacent traffic signals on the Georgia Avenue corridor to minimize disruptions to through traffic.

All comments on this subject matter must be filed in writing by Wednesday, May 8, 2019 (Thirty business days after the date of this notice), with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), Traffic Engineering and Signals Division at 55 M Street, SE, Washington, D.C. 20003. If you would like to check the status of the Notice of Intent (NOI), please visit DDOT’s website at:
http://ddot.dc.gov/service/ddot-notice-intent. If you have trouble accessing the NOI site or are unable to do so, please contact the DDOT Customer Service Clearinghouse at 202-671-2800.

Here is an explanation from DDOT on how HAWK signals operate.

Categories: Streets and Trees, Transportation
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New Pedestrian Crossing at Morton and Georgia Avenue Improves Pedestrian Safety After Getting Off on Wrong Foot

March 13, 2019

(New median system on Georgia Avenue at Morton Street.)

DDOT’s improvements to the pedestrian crossing on Georgia Avenue at Morton Street is nearly completed and will greatly increase safety for everyone who has attempted to cross this dangerous intersection in the past few years — though it got off to a rocky start this weekend. As noted on PoPville, the new concrete islands were largely completed by Saturday but were not marked by signs, warnings, or any other means of alerting drivers of the roadway changes leading to a number of accidents.

As you can see from the photos above and below, the intersection is well marked now. Additionally, a deeper review from DDOT has indicated that the original design will require modifications to on-street parking at the intersection, namely:

  • Removal of one (1) parking space on each of the corners of the intersection of Georgia Avenue & Morton Street NW, for a total of four (4) parking spaces. 

All of the existing parking in questin is metered, with a two-hour parking limit from 7:00 AM to 6:30 PM Monday through Saturday and with a three-and-half-hour parking limit from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM Monday through Saturday. Removal of these spaces is necessary for completing the installation of the median refuge islands at the intersection. A sample of what this will look like is shown in the photo below from the northeast corner of the intersection in front of Small Smiles (which already has street markings).

Georgia Avenue Thrive in particular and the neighbors that worked with them deserve a great deal of credit for their strong advocacy to improve pedestrian conditions along Georgia Avenue.

(This area in front fo Small Smiles shows where metered parking will be removed just to the north of Morton Street.)

(Working drawing from DDOT gives an overview of reconfiguration, where parking will be removed, and the placement of signage related to the new pedestiran refuge islands at Georgia and Morton.)

Categories: DDOT, parking, Streets and Trees, traffic
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DDOT Planning to Establish No-Right-On-Red at 101 DC Intersections

December 31, 2018

On December 21st, the District Department of Transportation notified Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners across Washington that they plan to establish No-Turn-on-Red restrictions at 101 signalized intersections across the city. These intersections were identified based on factors and criteria identified in the federally mandated Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and the DC Municipal Regulations, which identify factors including an intersection’s complexity, level of pedestrian activity, potential for significant conflicts, and crash history, to name a few.

Intersection of New Hampshire Avenue, Georgia Avenue, and Rock Creek Church Road, NW

In reviewing the list of intersection where DDOT intends to make this change, the areas in and closest to Park View include the following signaled intersections:

  • Georgia Ave., New Hampshire Ave., & Rock Creek Church Rd.
  • Georgia Ave. & Otis Place
  • Georgia Ave. & Randloph St.
  • 14th St. & Columbia Rd.
  • 13th St. & Kenyon St.
  • 14th St. & Kenyon St.

Drivers will want to pay attention to all impacted intersections, though, as intersections further away from the area also will have an impact. I’ve mapped out the impacted intersections based on the DDOT list as many may find the information in map form more useful.

Overall, I like the directly DDOT is going with this as it has been my observation that many who turn right on red are more focused on seeing if the coast is clear of oncoming traffic and not always paying attention to pedestrians and others who are in crosswalks they are turning onto.

That said, I hope DDOT will use this opportunity to evaluate if a better city-wide policy is needed. I’m not entirely convinced that drivers will be able to remember which intersections will allow and which will deny them the opportunity to turn right-on-red. I’m equally doubtful that there is a solid plan for enforcement. For example, the intersection of Georgia Avenue, New Hampshire Avenue, and Rock Creek Church Road already does not allow left-turns at any time and signs are clearly posted — yet I have seen drivers do this with no consequences beyond drivers behind them using their horns and expressing anger as they pass by.

Intersection of Georgia Avenue and Otis Place, NW

 

Categories: DDOT, Streets and Trees, traffic, Transportation
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New Crosswalk and Sidewalks Connect Neighborhood to Washington Hospital Center

November 3, 2017

Workers adjusting timing on crosswalk signals at new crosswalk.

I had the opportunity to check out the new crosswalk and sidewalk that now connects Park View with the Washington Hospital Center yesterday. I was happy to see a crew adjusting the timing on the crosswalk signals that allow pedestrians to cross Irving Street to get to the hospitals. It was also good to see a new sidewalk has been installed that will allow pedestrians to walk  south from the intersection to Michigan Avenue, and thus to Children’s Hospital.

All of this work is part of the improvements identified during the Crosstown Multimodal Study, which also resulted in the Barnes Dance at 14th and Irving.

Below are photos of the new sidewalk skirting the hospital center.

Categories: Sidewalk improvements
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New Crosswalks Signs Installed on New Hampshire at Otis Place, NW

May 25, 2017

Yesterday new signs were installed for the HAWK light at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and Otis Place, NW. Unlike a traditional stoplight, at this intersection pedestrians push the button to activate flashing lights, which in turn are intended to stop traffic so that the pedestrians can cross the street. However, cars frequently do not stop for the flashing lights.

As you can see from the photos, the new signs include a stop sign graphic, include the phrase “DC Law”, and have a separate sign below the flashing lights that states “Up to $250 fine”. This is a significant upgrade from the old signs installed in August 2010 which merely indicated that there was a crosswalk.

Time will tell if the new signs increase the number of vehicles that stop for pedestrians, but I’m happy to see DDOT is aware of the need to improve safety at this intersection.

Categories: DDOT, Public Safety, traffic
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Checking Out Pedestrian Safety in the Neighborhood

May 10, 2017

Yesterday, the Washington Post ran an article that included a map showing the worst D.C. intersections for pedestrians. I found it interesting, particularly when looking at the intersections in our area. A glance at the map quickly shows that the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Park Road is a location with a high incident rate. In fact, in looking at the entire map, two of the worst intersections for pedestrians are located in Ward 1. In addition to the intersection of Georgia and Park Rd (ranked #8) is the intersection of 14th and U Street (ranked #4)

(Click on map for citywide interactive version).

One thing that is really useful in the map is how each intersection with a dot shows the related statistical data. So going back to the Georgia and Park Rd example, you can click on the dot and see the injuries, crashes, fatalities, and overall danger index.

(Detail from pedestrian safety map showing statistics for intersection of Georgia and Park Rd, NW)

Categories: traffic
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Lane Markings Added to New Crosswalk Median at Georgia and Newton

November 11, 2014

I heard from several residents after the new crosswalk median was installed at Georgia Avenue and Newton Street at the end of October. The chief concern was that the median encroached into the southbound traffic lanes causing a lane shift that was difficult to see. I brought this to DDOT’s attention, and while I don’t know if this was already planned or in response to my advocacy, a crew came out on Friday, November 7th, to paint new lane markings alerting drivers to the new traffic pattern. You can see the new markings below.

IMG_7522

(Above and below — View of Georgia Avenue toward the south at the intersection of Newton Place, NW)

IMG_7523

Categories: Streets and Trees, traffic
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