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A new puzzler at N.Y. and Fla. avenues T
BY ASHLEY HALSEY III
here are the boneheads, the brazen, the frustrated and the confused.What they all
have in common is the ability to violate traffic laws at perhaps the region’s most complex intersec- tion. Itmightnotbe accurate evento
call the areawhereNewYork and Florida avenues come together an “intersection,” since by strict defi- nition an intersection is where “A andB”meet. At the much-cursed place in
Northeast Washington where (a) NewYork and (b) Florida avenues come together, there also is (c) First Street and (d) O Street, plus the strong influences of (e) P Street and (f )Eckington Place. If you count them all up, it’s
about 21 lanes of traffic tangling, and not one of the streets is at a 90-degree angle to another.Were New York and Florida not two of the capital’s major arteries, the cacophony of weird angles might be just another quaint reminder of that French rascal Pierre Charles L’Enfant, who began de- signingthe citybefore thedawnof the 19th century. Traffic was light then, but it
generally moved faster than it does during 21st-century rush hour. When the District announced
that it was going to create an innovative new traffic pattern at the confluence of the various streets, many a frustrated com- muterprayedthatmeant thedaily backupswould be alleviated. Nice thought, but not themain
reason for the overhaul. “Safetywas the primary reason
for it,” said John Lisle of the D.C. Department of Transportation. “It’s a complicated intersection. It was an issue of safety for the drivers and pedestrians.” Lisle said traffic engineers are
still tweaking traffic-light timing to improve flow and resolve a problemor two. “Overall, we feel the intersec-
tion isworkingwell,” he said. It’s too early to tell how much
safer it may be, but commuters haven’t noticed much improve- ment, andthe changeshave creat- ed a newset of problems. Whether safety or congestion
relief is its genesis, the newtraffic patternisbothuniqueandrevolu- tionary. It turns a bunchof angled streets into a sort of traffic circle, though there isn’t a curve to be found anywhere. It all revolves around a Wen-
dy’s, which is perfectly situated because it gives all of the traffic- control officers somewhere to hangoutbetweenshifts. Itusually takes four of them to keep the chaos under control. “I don’t get the sense that peo-
Sirius XM Radio
0 DDOT Wendy’s ONE WAY O ST. NE O ST. NE Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives SOURCE: DDOT THE WASHINGTON POST FEET MICHAEL S. WILLIAMSON/THE WASHINGTON POST
Work crews painting newtraffic-line markings where several streets meet are creating congestion issues of their own, some drivers say.
ple are getting it at all,” one of them, Ronnie Laster, said as he directed traffic there Wednesday. “If I take a lunch break, in just 10 minutes you’ll see the difference.” Laster and his colleagues wear
yellow reflective vests and gloves with stop-sign-shaped reflectors in their palms. They carry whis- tles thatareusedsomuchthearea chirps like an off-key convention of songbirds. When the newpattern debuted
a few months ago, it seemed that the traffic-control officers would remain until people adjusted to the newpattern. “We are still planning some
signal-timing adjustments,” Lisle said. “Then the project manager expects to remove the traffic con- trol officers, although they could be called on at times to help with the flow of traffic if needed, as they do in other parts of the city.”
Playing to type Three hours of observation
Wednesday revealed that people passing through the intersection divided into four basic groups, more or less reflective of driver types on congested roads every- where. The boneheads simply weren’t
paying attention—daydreaming, singing along to the radio or talk- ing on cellphones. They caused troublewhena suddenawareness that they were in the wrong lane caused them to try to shift into a lane already full of cars, backing up traffic as they waited for an opening. Boneheads are a particular
problem on First Street above New York, where two lanes head south on First and three lanes funnel traffic to eastbound New York and southeast-bound Flori- da.
“When someone decides to go
south on First and needs to change lanes, it’saproblem,”Last- er said. “It seems minor but it becomes amajor backup.” DeSea Johnson, who is home-
less and panhandles from First Street drivers stuck in those back-
Eastbound Florida Avenue pattern FedEx 200 Westbound
ups, is a keen observer of the traffic pattern. “Every day, they don’t know
where they’re going,” Johnson said. “They start honking their horns and just don’t know what they’re doing.” The brazen decide that the no-
left-turn signs don’t apply to them.Theystoptrafficwhilemak- ing an illegal left from New York onto Florida. Frustrated drivers are guilty of
several sins, the worst of which is blocking parts of the intersection whenthe light changes.Andevery time the light turns red on west- bound New York in front ofWen- dy’s, people who exuberate over having finally crossed Florida try to beat the light. They don’t. A traffic-control of-
ficer steps out to stop them from blocking the box.Ared-light cam- era at that intersection — the
District has more than 50 else- where — probably would be the busiest in the city.
Braving the unfamiliar Finally, there are the confused.
Mike Murphy, another homeless manwho panhandles at the inter- section, has spent more time around New York and Florida than the traffic engineers who redesigned it. “Idon’t thinktheydidanything
to alleviate the problem,”Murphy said. “They made it more confus- ing. “See those two cars stopped right there?” he said, pointing to a pair of vehicles trapped next to a New York Avenue island at First Street. “Theydon’tknowthat they weresupposedtostopbackthere.” Confusion seemed particularly
apparent among olderpeople,not because of their age but because they were familiar with the old patterns. A traffic-control officer had to
explain to a white-haired woman who had come south on Ecking- ton Place that, no, you can’t turn left onto Florida anymore. In- stead, she had to circumnavigate Wendy’s — catching a bit of First Street, New York Avenue and O Street — to get where she was headed on FloridaAvenue. “I think this city is weird,” said
Greg Rankin of Fairfax, standing in the Wendy’s parking lot as he studied the intersection. Al- thoughhe’dnever beenthroughit before Wednesday, he was famil- iarwith L’Enfant’s quirky design. “He must have been getting us
back for something,”Rankin said.
halseya@washpost.com
What’s the intersection that drives you crazy? Here are some readers’ opinions.
What are the worst intersec-
tions?Readersweighin. One intersection that doesn’t
get the credit it deserves for being a congestedmess is that of North Capitol, Riggs and Missouri. The use of left-turn arrows means a shorter green cycle for traffic go- ing straight, and the use of dedi- cated left-turn lanesmeans fewer straight-going lanes. —DannyWeinstein
Definitely New York Avenue
and Florida Avenue. They even triedtofixit,anditcameoutworse thanbefore!
—EllenLovelidge The intersection of 18th Street,
FloridaAvenue,VernonStreetand U Street NW in D.C. is equally dangerous forpedestrians andau- tos. It is in the middle of a high- traffic andpedestriancommercial area where 4 different streets come together at odds with one another with poor sign-age and poorly timed traffic signals with difficult visibility.
—JayWilson North Capitol and New York
Avenue, where cars run the red lightalmost every timeandsit idle in the crosswalks, blocking pedes- trians.Many pedestrians contrib- ute tothedangerby tryingtocross before the light turns redforwest- bound traffic since the time to cross is shortened by having to walk around the cars stuck in the intersection.
—AnneMarshall I find one of theworst intersec-
tions intheWashingtonarea to be 16th Street NWand Irving Street NW, where the motorists ignore theposted15miles-per-hour limit, menace people in the crosswalks with their right-turning vehicles, and routinely speed through yel-
lowlights. —AntonioLopez The intersection of 14th and U
streets is a deathtrap for anyone onfoot or bike.
—JohnStinson The intersection of Albemarle
andWisconsin,by theTenleytown Metro, is just awful. As a pedestri- an, I can’t tell youhowmany times I’venarrowlyavoidedbeinghit (in the crosswalk, walking with the signal) by drivers trying tomake a turn and only paying attention to oncoming vehicle traffic. —ClareShepherd
People coming from Colesville
Road [in Silver Spring] do not know when to stop and not block northbound traffic on 16th Street. It’s a terrible roundabout. —JaredHautamaki
The intersection ofNorth Lynn
Street and Lee Highway [in Ar- lington County] is the worst. I cross on the Custis Trail everyday, and everyday I see bike commut- ers nearly get run over or cars run red lights. So many bikes cross there in the morning that I can understand the frustration ofmo- torists.
—CodyAlvarez The biggest problem intersec-
tions I experience are thosewhere it is difficult orunsafe to cross as a pedestrian or cyclist, not with the most congestedtraffic. —JohnWhitler
Any intersection where pedes-
trians are treated as second-class citizens. Street design is not all about getting cars through quick- ly.
—DanMalouff
Want toweigh in?Contribute at
wapo.st/badintersections.
DR. G’S TIPS
METRORAILOPENLATE Metrorail will operate for an
extra hour on Sunday night to accommodate fans attending the Washington Redskins game at FedEx Field. The Redskins play the India-
napolisColts.Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. The rail system will close at 1 a.m. insteadofmidnight. But trains will be available to transport passengers if the game goes into overtime, according to Metro. The last Blue Line train headed
towardFranconia-Springfieldwill leave Largo Town Center Station at 12:24 a.m. and Morgan Boule- vard Stationat 12:27 a.m. Metro said there are 635 park- ing spaces at Morgan Boulevard
THE DAILY QUIZ
According to this week’s Washington Post Magazine, at what D.C. restaurant can you order fried grasshoppers?
EARN 5 POINTS: Find the answer, then go to
washingtonpost.com/postpoints and click on “Quizzes” to enter the correct response.
and 2,200 at Largo Town Center for fanswhowant toparkatoneof those stations. The cost is $25 on exit andmust bemade via a Smar- Trip electronic fare card. Parking begins three hours before kickoff.
METROMAINTENANCE Red Line:Work on the deterio-
rated platform at Rockville Sta- tioncontinues thisweek aspart of the Red Line rehabilitation proj- ect. Trains will share one location between Shady Grove and Twin- brook stations from 10 p.m. until closing Monday through Thurs- day. Riders traveling between the New York Avenue and Rhode Is- land Avenue stations should add at least 20minutes to their travel times because of track work from
10 p.m. until closing Monday throughThursday. Blue Line: Riders between the
Stadium-Armory and Addison Road stations should add at least 30 minutes Monday through Thursday after 10 p.m. for track work. Between Franconia-Spring- field and Van Dorn Street, add 30 minutes from 10 p.m. to closing Monday and Tuesday. Crews will beweldingnewrail. Orange Line: Add 20 minutes
for travel between Clarendon and Ballstonfrom10p.m.until closing Monday through Thursday while crews install cables to extend cell- phone coverage.
NEWRED-LIGHT CAMERAS Three new red-light cameras
POINTS EVENTS
Pretty Eyes Take Work Are you keeping your skin in shape as the season changes? The Post’s Fashion & Beauty Section suggests eye cream, morning and night. It’s a must to prevent fine lines and wrinkles, and the right formula can also reduce puffiness and dark circles. PostPoints members can receive tips like this in a weekly email from Washington Post writers. To sign up, just log on to
washingtonpost.com/postpoints and click My Account Profile to select your areas of interest.
are in action in NorthwestWash- ington,addingtothemorethan50 deployed throughout theDistrict. The cameras made their debut
last week on Connecticut Avenue southbound at Porter Street, on 14th Street northbound at K Street and on Third Street south- bound atNewYorkAvenue. Until Nov. 12, people who get
caughtby the cameraswill receive warnings in the mail. After that, violatorswill receive citations.
MD. TRANSPORTATIONPLAN Maryland officials are sched-
uled to discuss the state’s six-year transportation plan with Prince George’s County officials and resi- dents onWednesday. The Maryland Transportation
Department presents a draft to the counties and Baltimore City for review each fall. Officials then presentafinal report totheGener- alAssembly inJanuary. State Transportation Secretary
Beverley K. Swaim-Staley is among the officials scheduled to attend. Wednesday’s meeting is sched-
uled for 2:30 p.m. in the State Highway Administration Audito- rium, 9300 Kenilworth Ave. in Greenbelt.
TYSONS CORNERSHIFTS Crew are demolishing a Belt-
way bridge across Route 123 this weekend in Tysons Corner. Route 123 will reopen at 5 a.m.Monday, but be alert for detours and clo-
POINTS & REWARDS
Pentagon Federal Credit Union Open a savings account or apply for a Credit Union credit card online, and earn PostPoints. See
penfed.org.
Van Metre Homes Visit on October 19 for great food, new model tours, and lots of prizes! Details at
vanmetre.com.
sures throughout the area. Four ramps connecting the Beltway and Chain Bridge are closed all weekend.Trafficisbeingdetoured toRoute 7 andGeorgetownPike. There are also some long-term
changes in places. The ramp from ChainBridgeRoadnorthboundto theBeltwaywillbe closedforupto twoyears, forcingmotorists touse a new left-turn traffic signal just before theCapitalOne building to get onto the highway. All four northbound lanes of
theBeltwayhave shiftedtothe left overChainBridgeRoad.Thatshift is expected to last for 18 to 24 months as crews build the high- occupancy toll lanes between the Springfield interchange and the DullesTollRoad.
A complete list of PostPoints Spots can be found at
washingtonpost.com/postpoints.
I-95/395 sluggers deserve protection
DR. GRIDLOCK Robert Thomson
H DearDr.Gridlock:
igh-occupancy-toll lanes ontheCapitalBeltway make sense.HOTlanes
onthe Interstate 95/395 corridormakeno sense at all. Rightnow, there is a systemin place that rewards people for carpooling or slugging.For the most part, those lanesmove— anincentive! Do youknowhowmuch
money is inPrinceWilliam, Stafford andFairfax counties? Everyone is going to buy those transponders, andwe are going tohave total gridlock!Look whathappenedwhenthey allowed the clean-fuel cars on withsingle riders. Unlike ontheBeltway,
commuters onthis stretchof roadhavemany options. In PrinceWilliamalonewehave VREtrains,PRTCbuses, slugging and carpooling. —BarbFraze,Woodbridge
People likeFrazewho
developed the very successful slugging systemonI-95/395 have a strong stake inthe future of those interstate lanes.While that versionof theHOTlanes projecthas beenonhold, Ihope it canbe revived, alongwith guarantees that the sluggers will continue touse the express lanes for free. These commuters,whohave
made ahistoric contributionto the region’s transportation system, shouldn’thave to pay for anything, including transponders, touse the express lanes. Fraze,whohas been
commuting toWashington since 1983, is right to feel protective about the slugging system. But doingnothing to
improve travel onthe interstate isn’t likely to aid the sluggers. Trafficwill getworse, particularlywiththe arrival of the federalworkers shifted to FortBelvoir and theMark Centerunder the base realignment program. TheunfinishedHOTlanes
proposalwould enhance bus rapid transit,whichthat corridor reallyneeds. Plus, it could end the free
ridenowextended to the solo drivers ofhybrids,who aren’t making any collective contributionto cleanair or congestionreliefwhenthey travel inthehigh-occupancy- vehicle lanesnow.
Need a newsign
DearDr.Gridlock: I’ma skeptic abouthow
trainable drivers are.As a regular pedestriannearGallery Place, I’mintrigued by thenew “no turns” traffic pattern[at SeventhandHstreetsNW, by theChinatownarch]. Itworked prettywellwhentherewerehalf a dozencops directing traffic. I sawthree separate
incidents of vehicles turning right ontoHStreet from Seventh(heading east): two cars, onemotorcycle. Iworry that thenewpattern encourages pedestrians to relax
their vigilance at this intersectionbecause cars aren’t supposed to be turning.But, of course, some driverswill— either because theyhaven’t noticed the change or they figureno onewill stop them. Whatmay beneeded is anew
kind of traffic lightwhenthe signals are red for cars but on “walk” for pedestrians.Most cars read a red light as “turn right as soonas youcan.” If they haven’tnoticed the “no turns” sign, the red lightswon’t deter them. What about prominentnew
traffic lights that say “no turns”? Coupledwithintermittent policing, itmight possiblywork. (ThoughI’mstill skeptical.) —RachelShaw,Rockville
Regular drivers inthe area
are starting to get the idea.The District does deploy police and traffic-control officers to enforce thenewrules barring any turns at the intersection, where the citynowallows pedestrians to cross inall directions during one light cycle.Atravelerwrote in recently to protest a tickethe received at the intersection.He sawahalf dozenpeoplewearing yellowsafety vests around the intersectionbut didn’t see the no-turnsigns andmade an illegal right turn.One of the traffic-control officers pulled himover andwrote a ticket. The officers can’t be there all
the time, and evenwhenthey are, I’venoticed that quite a few drivers slip throughandmake right or left turns. Drivers always should be
looking for signs regulating turns, but there’s certainly plenty going onat this busy intersectionnear theVerizon Center to overload the senses. Shawmakes a good
suggestionabout creating a new,more prominent formof traffic light to support thenew crossing system.
Dr.Gridlock also appears Thursday in Local Living.Comments and questions arewelcome andmay be used in a column, alongwith the writer’s name and home community. Personal responses are not always possible.
To contactDr.Gridlock bymail:Write toDr.Gridlock at TheWashington Post, 115015th St.NW, Washington,D.C.20071.By e-mail:
drgridlock@washpost.com. On the Dr.Gridlock blog:
blog.washingtonpost.com/ drgridlock.On Twitter: drgridlock.
6
onwashingtonpost.com Taken for a ride?
Need to vent about your daily commute? Have a
question that you think Dr. Gridlock and your fellow commuters can answer? Want to share your traffic and transit advice? Join Dr. Gridlock in his new forum at
washingtonpost.com/ takenforaride.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2010
washingtonpost.com/postpoints
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washingtonpost.com/postpoints for more information about this exciting free program.
N.Y. AVE. NE
N.Y. AVE. NE
FLORIDA AVE. NE
ONE WAY 1ST ST. NE
ECKINGTON PL. NE
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