Photo by Jeff
Here's what Jeff says:
Hi Inked - my name is Jeff and I commented a couple days ago about the noisy grates near the west end of H street. These are part of the new construction and run between the two rails of the streetcar tracks. These are also the same grates GGW pointed out as being dangerous for cyclists (like me).
I was a little off about the location in my original comment. The grate I hear from my house is probably in front of the bus stop at Murray's. I attached a photo of that grate There is another one in front of Metro Mutts. I'm going to send several videos so you can see and hear what I'm talking about.
I also said the noise occurs every time a car drives over the grates. That's also incorrect. It only happens when a vehicle strikes the middle part of the grate. After watching traffic for a while, I figured out that if vehicles are in their proper lanes, there's no problem. It's only when a vehicle is changing lanes or driving between lanes that they strike the grate in a way that makes the noise. You can see this for yourself in the forthcoming videos. Maybe this won't be as much of a problem once permanent lanes are painted and everyone stays where they're supposed to. Also, the faster the vehicle is traveling, the louder the noise.
I called DDOT. They said they'd send an inspector out in the next few days.
In front of Metro Mutts (508 H Street)
14 comments:
these things are really GD loud at 5 am.
...and when the Trolley cars are in place and running, it will also be GD load. No matter what time of day.
I meant GD loud
Derek:
The streetcars run on the rails, and will not touch the grates... So no noise from them (not that they need to be replaced anyhow).
But that is one big thing streetcars have over buses: They're comparatively silent.
-Ry
These are terrible. The first time I rode my bike on the newly-opened stretch, I nearly flipped over! The grates are just wide enough for a typical road bike wheel to slip though, meaning disaster for the cyclist. They need to be replaced immediately and represent an actual hazard to cyclists and any drivers sharing the road with us.
@RY, The trolleys are not silent. They WILL make noise. Trust me. They may not be as loud as the buses, but they will be loud.
This does not mean I am against hem. I am glad it is happening and the construction is going on, forcing other elements to be solved quicker than they would have been. I use to live on a street that had them and they were loud.
Is there anything about the H Street construction that is going right? The contractors on the job are absolutely horrid. Downtown Kabul has better streets.
Those particular streetcars they are going to install run dead silent. I know because I used them in a couple Eastern Europe cities where they are made. I almost got run over by them a couple of times because they are so quiet you can't hear them at all until the operator starts beeping at you to move.
The grates DC installed were not the ones specified in the plans, the contractor was just trying to save money.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-hbq41INnk
There's a video of the Seattle streetcar, which is manufactured by the same company (Inekon).
Dead quiet.
-Ry
The noise is awful!!
In addition, the grate openings should run perpendicular to the flow of traffic for bicyclists. These need to be replaced.
In the interim, cyclists need to be warned to stay off these grates.
I live on 6th & H. Derek is right -- WAY too loud, esp. at night. Poor design = needs to be replaced before they make, install and pay for more.
Won't bike tires also get caught in the trolley tracks if you are riding in the trolley lane? If so, the grates seem like they don't pose relatively much more danger than the tracks - bikers probably should avoid this lane entirely.
11:21,
I think the points are that the grates cover a large area, are just the right size that they could cause a biker to wipe out in traffic, and are not the bike friendly ones DDOT specified in the original plans. MACTEC screwed up pretty bad on this point. It's literally a question of dollars, or lives. And when you show on paper that you know you should have used bike safe grates, but you didn't in the end...it creates a nasty situation, and any dollar savings are going to go away fast.
Great, lets further delay work on the trolley lines instead of a cyclist just avoiding the grate?
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