Why is Arlington putting crosswalks in the MIDDLE of roads (where there are no traffic/stop signs)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think these crosswalks are so dangerous for the driver who actually stops. I cannot tell you how many times I have actually stopped to yield to a pedestrian as the sign says, and I have gotten honked at by the car behind me, or I feel like the car behind me is going to rear end me because they do not know they need to stop. I know it is the law, but no one follows it and it is dangerous.

It's not just the crosswalk.

The driver behind you should be slow, keeping a distance and paying attention to the traffic.

There are signs about the crosswalk. There's no excuse for an accident of this type.

I agree there is no excuse, but it still does not mean I don't worry each time I stop that someone is going to rear end me because no one else seems to do it regardless of the signs posted. In Clarendon, etc., it is not as much as an issue because people are generally driving more slowly. But on Washington Blvd or Lee Highway where there are not as many lights and people generally drive 40+ MPH, they are not expecting to suddenly stop if there is no light or stop sign. It has happened to me multiple times and each time I worry I am going to get rear-ended.

I wonder if drivers would rather have lights or stop signs put in every place a crosswalk is needed. They should be glad they only have to stop if a pedestrian is present.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think these crosswalks are so dangerous for the driver who actually stops. I cannot tell you how many times I have actually stopped to yield to a pedestrian as the sign says, and I have gotten honked at by the car behind me, or I feel like the car behind me is going to rear end me because they do not know they need to stop. I know it is the law, but no one follows it and it is dangerous.

It's not just the crosswalk.

The driver behind you should be slow, keeping a distance and paying attention to the traffic.

There are signs about the crosswalk. There's no excuse for an accident of this type.

I agree there is no excuse, but it still does not mean I don't worry each time I stop that someone is going to rear end me because no one else seems to do it regardless of the signs posted. In Clarendon, etc., it is not as much as an issue because people are generally driving more slowly. But on Washington Blvd or Lee Highway where there are not as many lights and people generally drive 40+ MPH, they are not expecting to suddenly stop if there is no light or stop sign. It has happened to me multiple times and each time I worry I am going to get rear-ended.

I wonder if drivers would rather have lights or stop signs put in every place a crosswalk is needed. They should be glad they only have to stop if a pedestrian is present.

Especially since violation of right-of-way is never enforced. Best of both worlds. Always find it hilarious that drivers kvetch that people on bikes and pedestrians "break the law" though. So clueless.

[Anonymous]

There's always a sign like this



or this



so there's no reason to worry about people behind you. If you can see the sign they can see it too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think these crosswalks are so dangerous for the driver who actually stops. I cannot tell you how many times I have actually stopped to yield to a pedestrian as the sign says, and I have gotten honked at by the car behind me, or I feel like the car behind me is going to rear end me because they do not know they need to stop. I know it is the law, but no one follows it and it is dangerous.

It's not just the crosswalk.

The driver behind you should be slow, keeping a distance and paying attention to the traffic.

There are signs about the crosswalk. There's no excuse for an accident of this type.

I agree there is no excuse, but it still does not mean I don't worry each time I stop that someone is going to rear end me because no one else seems to do it regardless of the signs posted. In Clarendon, etc., it is not as much as an issue because people are generally driving more slowly. But on Washington Blvd or Lee Highway where there are not as many lights and people generally drive 40+ MPH, they are not expecting to suddenly stop if there is no light or stop sign. It has happened to me multiple times and each time I worry I am going to get rear-ended.

Don't know what to say. The speed limit is not 40 on those roads.

I guess if drivers can't respect a ped x-walk then we need to push for more stoplights. Ill be talking to my neighborhood association and you can do the same. Beware Arlington is not going to do anything to reduce pedestrian access. Those crosswalks ate here to stay. It is a matter of lights or no lights.

[Anonymous]

There's actually something to the worry about being rear-ended.

http://bit.ly/oOyhRe

In a sane world, the answer would be an info campaign, and stepped-up enforcement against reckless drivers. Since we don't live in a sane world, the answer appears to be warning those who obey the law.

My guess is they'll probably remove the crosswalks, since when it comes to transportation policy, the operative principle seems to be "The strong do what they will, the weak suffer what they must." Much easier to make life dangerous and inconvenient for people on foot than to make people behind the wheel act like adults.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think these crosswalks are so dangerous for the driver who actually stops. I cannot tell you how many times I have actually stopped to yield to a pedestrian as the sign says, and I have gotten honked at by the car behind me, or I feel like the car behind me is going to rear end me because they do not know they need to stop. I know it is the law, but no one follows it and it is dangerous.

It's not just the crosswalk.

The driver behind you should be slow, keeping a distance and paying attention to the traffic.

There are signs about the crosswalk. There's no excuse for an accident of this type.

I agree there is no excuse, but it still does not mean I don't worry each time I stop that someone is going to rear end me because no one else seems to do it regardless of the signs posted. In Clarendon, etc., it is not as much as an issue because people are generally driving more slowly. But on Washington Blvd or Lee Highway where there are not as many lights and people generally drive 40+ MPH, they are not expecting to suddenly stop if there is no light or stop sign. It has happened to me multiple times and each time I worry I am going to get rear-ended.

Don't know what to say. The speed limit is not 40 on those roads.

I guess if drivers can't respect a ped x-walk then we need to push for more stoplights. Ill be talking to my neighborhood association and you can do the same. Beware Arlington is not going to do anything to reduce pedestrian access. Those crosswalks ate here to stay. It is a matter of lights or no lights.

Oh, but the fact that everyone drives 40+ mph on those roads is all the evidence you need that the speed limit *should* be 40+ mph on those roads. After all, it's perfectly safe to drive that fast in a car. That is, so long as there's no one trying to cross the road, or ride a bicycle. And, seriously, who cares about that. Real Americans drive everywhere.

[Anonymous]

There are cops all over Arlington reinforcing speed limits. Just idiots drive over the speed limit in the streets mentioned in this thread.

I lived in Ballston for several years and I'm yet to see any stupid driver trying to go over 40 where the speed limit is 35.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's always a sign like this



or this



so there's no reason to worry about people behind you. If you can see the sign they can see it too.

Yes, I know there are signs and I see them which is why I stop, BUT I have seen people behind me multiple times slam on their brakes as I look in my rearview mirror at them or the people in the left lane whizz on by at top speed causing the pedestrian to stop midway across or people honk at me because they don't "understand" why I have stopped in the middle of the road. These things have all happened to me MULTIPLE times on both Washington Blvd. and Lee Highway. I follow the law and do stop in the crosswalks for pedestrians trying to cross in them, but most other people do not. And yes, I probably would be OK if someone hit me, but my car is old and paid off and I don't have the money to buy a new one if someone totals it because the insurance money I would get for it would certainly not be enough to buy anything decent even if it was used.

As for the person who has lived in Ballston for many years, I don't know what streets you are driving on, but I see people going 40 mph+ every day on Glebe Road, Washington Blvd, and Lee Highway. And yes, there are many more cops stopping people on those roads as well, but if you have lived around here for any period of time, you know exactly where the speed traps are so you can slow down there and then speed up again.

[Anonymous]

Welcome to D.C. Home of those who unflinchingly transfer risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's actually something to the worry about being rear-ended.

http://bit.ly/oOyhRe

In a sane world, the answer would be an info campaign, and stepped-up enforcement against reckless drivers. Since we don't live in a sane world, the answer appears to be warning those who obey the law.

My guess is they'll probably remove the crosswalks, since when it comes to transportation policy, the operative principle seems to be "The strong do what they will, the weak suffer what they must." Much easier to make life dangerous and inconvenient for people on foot than to make people behind the wheel act like adults.

Not Arlington. They have a huge bike/walk/public transportation thing going.

[Anonymous]

People's Republic of Arlington

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People's Republic of Arlington

I did not know that walking was a communist conspiracy. I guess the pediatricians are indoctrinating us with those developmental milestones.

[Anonymous]

I hear that Arlington has progressive transit and urban planning leadership these days and is trying to make the best of the car-centric infrastructure built up in previous decades. Shortening intervals between legal crossing opportunities is a pedestrian-friendly measure that's appropriate for an area that inherited longer driving-scale blocks rather than walking-scale blocks.

It sounds like they'll need to do more to change suburban drivers' cultural expectations, though, in order to make this project work.

[Anonymous]

I would prefer a stop light. I think that is safer for the pedestrians and for the people who do not want to be rear ended.

If they want this kind of thing, without a light, to be safe, they need to aggressively ticket people who disobey until it becomes the culture to drive the speed limit and yield to pedestrians. Otherwise, this will just cause car accidents all the time.

[Anonymous]

So pedestrians can cross the street.