I just finished a walk with friends that included the alley behind the Wheatley school. Here's the deal:
1. kids cross the alley through a school door (that leads directly into the alley) to get to the adjacent Joe Cole Rec Center.
2. idiots speed through the alley and might hit the kids (FYI, the Rec has nightime events).
3. you can't put up jersey barriers because trash collection/construction crews still need to get through.
4. the far side of the alley has two secondary street access points, so closing that portion shouldn't cause a problem.
With this in mind, I say that we need (A) a sign saying that portion of the alley is closed; (B) a gate, or other movable barrier that allows for necessary access, but blocks most people from coming in.
This isn't just a rant. I have already spoken to a rep from the Councilmember's office, and will email the post and comments. So please do comment, because the comments are going somewhere.
37 comments:
I don't live in the area, but I had a thought reading your post: if the main problem here is the danger posed by morons speeding down the alley, what about something that discourages the speeding? e.g. speed bumps -- not tables, but bumps -- and *a lot of them*, rather than one near one end of the alley and one near the other. Make the alley annoying as hell to speed on?
DDOt is not so hot on speed bumps in alleys. They really won't do them. We're looking for a realistic solution here.
Ah, didn't know DDOT wouldn't do them. I wonder what their reasoning is -- after all, they do them on streets, and there's a lot less justification for someone to be ripping down an alley. Maybe it's wear and tear on the sanitation trucks.
I've got an idea, it's kinda crazy, but it just might work... How about teaching kids to look both ways before crossing the street?
inked: putting a gate where the alley meets montello (and east of the rec, down by the alley that goes down to morse) sounds like a good idea, as far as handling traffic. that way, no private homes would lose access. of course, people trying to avoid police could easily jump the fences at night to avoid being caught. in the end, i think a gate that would allow access would be the best choice.
I also suggest they put some speed bumps on Neal St between Montello and West Virginia. I can't tell you how man cars speed down that strecth of road at all times of the day. Being that there is a school there I don't understand how come this isn't already in place.
Trinidad Resident
A lot of people that live right next to speed bumps hate them. It increases traffic noise considerably, as people bottom out on them, they brake then speed up to make up for 'lost time' from the speed bump, people honk a lot more at cars going over bumps, etc.
A lot of Hill homes have the master bedroom on the front, which means any traffic noise increase is going to be increased for the home's main sleeping area.
And it messes up traffic flow, particularly if the street in question has traffic lights or feeds into streets with traffic lights.
Speed bumps (or any derivative thereof), should be a last resort only. And before anyone suggests it they should really talk with the homeowners/occupants most affected.
I've got an idea, it's kinda crazy, but it just might work... How about teaching kids to look both ways before crossing the street?
Sorry, but I hear this a lot, and as the parent of a 3-year-old, I consider it one of the more selfish, idiotic, and f-ed up things that can come out of someone's face.
You think parents don't teach kids to look both ways before crossing the street? So you feel it's perfectly acceptable to speed through residential neighborhoods?
Hopefully we'll get the point where things like speeding are finally taken seriously, we'll set the DC-wide speed limit at 20 mph, and let MPD confiscate folks cars if they're caught going over 25 in residential areas.
Grow the up, you child.
A citywide speed limit of 20 mph, strictly enforced, would bring traffic to a crawl, particularly on larger streets like Mass Ave, Pennsylvania Ave, etc.
That's great for your small residential street if you aren't driving anywhere.
Not so great if you are actually trying to get somewhere.
What I'm trying to understand is why on Oates street between Trinidad Ave and Montello there are speed bumps?
9:50 anon: the speed bumps are there because the residents of the 1200 block of oates street put together a petition to have them installed.
A citywide speed limit of 20 mph, strictly enforced, would bring traffic to a crawl, particularly on larger streets like Mass Ave, Pennsylvania Ave, etc.
That's a nice assertion, but not one backed up by facts. In fact, it's pretty naive: if cars are forced to go slow, traffic will go slow.
Actually, there's quite a bit of evidence that suggests reducing speeds on highly congested roads will actually increase overall traffic throughput.
It's the same reason that folks are asked to *walk* in an orderly manner to the exits when a fire alarm goes off, rather than running pell-mell for the exits.
It's folks who drive like assholes (speeding, lane-changing, etc...) who exacerbate traffic flow problems. And, yes, for most of DC, anything over 25 mph is excessive.
One thing to consider is given the penchant for quiet alleys to become havens for drugs, prostitution and public urination - restricting access fully may make this area a safe haven for said activity. Traffic calming and wise crossing is probably a better alternative for little johnny than navigating broken crack pipes in a urine soaked alley while averting his eyes to avoid making contact with a toothless hooker.
25 mph is excessive? I never drive under 45 in DC. Unless I'm drunk then I drive much more carefully.
Thanks IMGoph.
Then I'd think the same can be done for the portion of Neal ST by the schools. I mean sometimes it seems like a drag strecht out there with cars speeding as soon they come off W. Virginia, or as soon they get past the Stop Sign on Montello.
Since 1/2 of the block on Neal between W.Va and Montello is made up of Holy Name and the Field it shouldn't pose an issue for many residents to have speed bumps installed?
Anyone have any thoughts on this particular strecht of road?
25 mph is excessive? I never drive under 45 in DC. Unless I'm drunk then I drive much more carefully.
That's funny, I always set my cruise control at the speed limit when driving in DC. You must be the guy I see in my rear-view mirror with the purple vein erupting from his forehead.
Anyway, enjoy it while you can. In 5-10 years, this city is going to blanketed with speed cameras.
Best crypto- commuter tax ever!
Cruise control only works above 55 mph. What kind of d-bag drives 55 mph in DC. You should be ashamed.
Cruise control only works above 55 mph.
Crazy, isn't it? You've got to get out of that '89 Nissan Sentra with temp tags. Some of these modern cars have all sorts of features like CD players, windows that slide down with the push of a button, and CC that operates at low speeds.
I've been increasingly upset over the amount of vehicles speeding in the alley behind my house, as well as along streets in the neighborhood. I find the arguments that speed bumps cause excess noise and interrupt traffic patterns to be a bit ridiculous, but if that's what the mood of the public is, so be it.
I offer a few alternatives that should help alleviate the problem and are proven to be effective:
Tire spikes
Anti-tank mines
Piano wire (particularly effective against pesky motorcyclists)
Dragon's teeth
Of course we could always adopt the methods of other cultures and add IEDs to the mix.
All of these are sure to make motorists think twice before excessively speeding in residential neighborhoods.
we don't have a speeding problem in the alley behind our house (north side of oates, between montello and trinidad), but i suppose that's because it's not a straight shot through like the alleys further south, and it's not as wide as the alleys down there.
perhaps the owners on those alleys can convince the city to add chicanes to force traffic to slow down.
@Oboe: How can you use cruise control on side streets? Don't the stop signs get in the way? Hopefully in 5-10 years there will be decent vehicle automation and we can remove the number one cause of traffic from the equation: shitty drivers.
@Jeff Gordon: you should never drive carefully when you're drunk. It just draws attention to you. Close one eye (or both if you are close to Maryland) and drive like e'ery one else.
Taking the city's strenghts and weaknesses into account, it seems to me that the best way to prevent drivers cutting through the alleys is to stop maintaining the streets. Don't asphalt them. Leave them in such a sorry state that you can only navigate through them at five miles an hour.
it's hard to drive with one eye open while I'm texting or playing my iPhone apps.
Do what I do: drive with your knees. It keeps both hands free take advantage of those location-based services!
Does anyone know where on DDOT's website they explain the petition process for getting speed bumps on your block? I just spent some time researching and couldn't find anything.
Some people speed up my block (15th ST NE) easily in excess of 40 mph. I'm all for speed bumps all over the city.
Dan
I wonder if the solution is far simpler than we think...
We can't make poor drivers better drivers (well, not without a complete overhaul of the system for licensing drivers anyway). Apparently, the District Government is loathe to do anything... about curbing excessive speeding in residential areas without some lengthy, expensive, and exhaustive review process that will end up implementing something wholly inadequate.
Perhaps a little "grassroots" civil disobedience is required. I wonder what the ramifications would be if individual citizens purchased single orange road cones and placed them on the street in front of their house. It would force drivers to either slow down and drive around them or stop and get out to move them. I'm sure eventually they might be confiscated but if we kept doing it it might send a bit of a message to the Council, and if not - hey, at least it'll solve the problem.
Genius! I wonder if I can pull off eating my breakfast WHILE texting and driving using that technique.
http://quipster.wordpress.com/2009/01/14/best-do-it-yourself-speed-bump/
My brother had to customize his car to deal with the nonsense on DC streets. Speed bumps (and other cars) are no longer an issue. Check out the home movie ... (warning this may not be the best video to watch if you are sensitive to flashing lights)
Best to leave it the way it is. If speed bumps are not an option, I'm afraid there's no other choice. I strongly oppose the gate/barrier idea. I would much rather deal with speeders than crackheads or other criminals using it as a hideout or an escape route.
If you're that concerned about the kids safety I would just seal off the door so they can't go out the back. Force the kids to go around using the sidewalk. Kids shouldn't be walking through alleys anyways.
I love how parts of this discussion has broken down into a "don't inconvience drivers / annoy residents" with devices that adequately address a serious safety issue regarding excessive speeding in residential areas. I'm baffled that so many people are willing to trade one criminal activity for another - "don't put up barriers to prevent people from plowing into pedestrians at 50 mph, it'll attract crackheads and prostitutes."
What is it with the malaise and general acceptance of criminal behavior in this city? Or any city really, but this one specifically? Why is it a generally accepted conclusion that barriers to prevent one type of criminal activity that threatens the safety and security of the population will encourage a different type of criminal activity that will threaten the safety and secruity of the population?!
"Keep your kids indoors"? Seriously? Let's just start wearing body armor and drive around in armored personell carriers and avoid bad neighborhoods until they look like post-apocalyptic cinders. The ambivalence level of the citzenry on anything the slightly inconviences them is appalling.
The Council is too incompetent and self-serving to adequately address the issues that plague this city, and it's inhabitants are too lazy and short-sighted to do anything about it on their own. No wonder things are as bad as they are - why don't we just re-elect Barry for life and give him a blank checkbook.
Are you saying we aren't fit for home rule? We can always let Congress take over!
on a side note
The Express Night Out is doing a 2009 Best of. There are a few H Street venues listed and you can always pick 'other' and list one you want.
http://www.expressnightout.com/bestof/
Proconsul- Lest we forget, ever since our Dear Leader of the Masses Marrion "You ain't got nothin' on me!" Barry so efficiently managed our city's affairs, Home Rule has been all but abolished. Congress has had complete control over our budget - and thus the Council's ability to do ANYTHING without scrutinized Congressional oversight and bureaucratic benevolence since his last term.
So, I guess I would say - yes, given our track record of electoral incompetence, we are not fit for Home Rule - though I wish it weren't so.
One thought - though it will likely never happen in any of our lifetimes - would be to pass legislation to force Congress to reside WITHIN THE FEDERAL DISTRICT as it was orginially intended (thus explaining the otherwise baffling lack of Congressional representation - elected representatives don't need elected representatives). It would definitely force them to re-think their otherwise laissez-faire approach to our city's problems.
"Actually, there's quite a bit of evidence that suggests reducing speeds on highly congested roads will actually increase overall traffic throughput."
Oboe: Have you got links to this evidence? I'm just going on what various traffic planners and city planners have casually told me over the years. And my personal experience of having lived on streets where the speed limits have been changed, going both ways (higher and lower).
Have you got links to this evidence? I'm just going on what various traffic planners and city planners have casually told me over the years.
A lot of "old skool" traffic planners tend to concentrate on roadway LOS versus per capita congestion delay. Anyway, this article is by no means comprehensive, but it's an interesting start:
"A vehicle’s road space requirements increase with speed, because drivers must leave more shy distance between their vehicle and other objects on or beside the roadway. Traffic flow (the number of vehicles that can travel on a road over a particular time period) tends to be maximized at 30-55 mph on highways with no intersections, and at even lower speeds on arterials with signalized intersections. When a roadway approaches its maximum capacity, even small Speed Reductions can significantly increase flow rates."
"Similarly, HOV Priority, Walking and Cycling Improvements, Speed Reductions and Traffic Calming may increase congestion when measured as roadway LOS, but reduce it when measured as per capita congestion delay, because they reduce total vehicle mileage and allow traffic to flow more smoothly. In general, use of roadway LOS, average traffic speeds and travel time index to evaluate traffic congestion tends to favor roadway capacity expansion solutions, while indicators such as per-capita congestion delay and vehicle costs tend to favor multi-modal and land use management solutions."
The only studies I've seen that have shown an adverse impact on throughput due to lower speed limits have used highways as a model--which is in no way comparable to an urban environment. Those models have no applicability to a chaotic urban surface road network like exists in DC proper.
I'll go ahead and gather my cites while I'm waiting for yours. For now I think the pressure's on your sources, since I'm the one taking intuitive position: that folks careering around a chaotic road environment, slamming on the brakes as they narrowly avoid running over pedestrians in crosswalks, and accelerating like a monkey with its ass on fire, just so they can slam on the brakes at the next stop light is disorderly, therefore less efficient.
Hell, even if there's a minor decrease in average auto throughput--which I don't concede for a minute--the increase in pedestrian safety more than makes up for it.
alls i know is i hate speed bumps. i really hate packing my car like its going on a transatlantic trip just to transport my stuff through the city, or my neighborhood.
i far prefer speeding cameras/red light cameras/ speed triggered traffic lights/ belgian block/ aggressive driver executions. whatever. just keep the speed bumps away.
sorry i dont have a real solution, just venting.
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