Is North Quincy and 9th Street a Dangerous Intersection?

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by ARLnow.com September 22, 2010 at 9:49 am 1,455 64 Comments

To be sure, the intersection at North Quincy Street and 9th Street in Ballston is challenging, for both cars and pedestrians. But is it dangerous?

The intersection is a two-way stop, with stop signs on 9th Street but clear sailing on Quincy. Those on foot crossing Quincy must trust that fast-moving cars are going to obey the law and yield to them in the crosswalk. Those behind the wheel on 9th Street during rush hour must play a real-life game of Frogger, dodging pedestrians and cars in their effort to make a left or cross the street.

“I wrote to Arlington County [a]while ago about this intersection and they mentioned that it did not need a traffic light or four-way stop,” one concerned citizen tells us. “However, it is still extremely dangerous and should have something to make it safer.”

In an email viewed by ARLnow.com, a county traffic engineer insists that “an all-way stop condition is not recommended at this location.” The engineer said a “yield to pedestrians” sign had been installed to “raise awareness of pedestrian activity at the intersection.”

“I guess someone has to get hit for them to do something,” our concerned citizen said.

On a recent visit, the intersection was pretty much working as was intended. There was an occasional horn honking and an occasional pedestrian trying to dart across the street instead of waiting for traffic to clear a bit, but otherwise pedestrians and drivers showed mutual respect. It’s not pretty at times, but on this visit the intersection worked.

QPGirl

I live at Quincy Plaza so I use this intersection a lot. I think maybe 60 percent of cars traveling on Quincy Street understand that the crosswalk means that pedestrians who are already crossing the street have the right-of-way. I also think the crosswalks need to be better marked on 9th Street – many cars pull up to the stop sign without concern for pedestrians trying to cross the street. I am surprised a pedestrian hasn’t been hit, particularly during rush hour when traffic is heavy in both directions.
Ballston

I used to live near this intersection and it is one of the worst for both pedestrians and cars. I can’t believe that a 4-way stop ‘is not recommended’! Each time I drive through that intersection it’s a guessing game, and I’m continually amazed no one has been hurt, with so many near-misses. Drivers don’t yield right of way to pedestrians, and many pedestrians start crossing the street without looking.
Henry

What about the intersection of Utah and Washington St.? It’s a mess during rush hour for pedestrians to cross with the majority of cars going above the speed limit and ignoring the crosswalk.
MB

Part of the problem, I think, is that the width of the street encourages higher speeds, and the faster a driver is going, the less they’re inclined to respect a crosswalk (or even notice the person trying to use it).

For those who have pedestrian-specific issues with this or other Arlington intersections, I suggest taking a look at the Arlington Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
Lindsey

I work nearby this intersection and have to walk through it 2-4 times per day to meet with my client. Even with the signs, cars never stop for pedestrians–partially because they are going too fast to do so. I think the county should put in speed strips along there if they aren’t going to put in a 4 way stop.

I’ll also note that cars never stop at the signed crosswalks on Fairfax between Quincy and Nelson–there are two of them–even though they are required by law to do so if a pedestrian is waiting to cross the street. Again, I think this is partially a speed issue and the county should consider reducing the speed limit on Fairfax (and also ENFORCING it).
- JW
  
  I’m pretty sure cars aren’t required to stop for pedestrians waiting to cross–only pedestrians actually in a crosswalk.
  - Paul
    
    The legal standard is that the moment a pedestrian sets a single foot into the crosswalk, cars from both directions are required to stop.
    - Legal Beagle
      
      That assumes the intersection is not controlled, as is the case here. Different scenario where the person is j-walking, which is also commonplace.
- Just the Facts
  
  The law on this isn’t as black and white as one would hope. 46.2-924 of the Virginia state code reads, in part:
  
  “The driver of any vehicle on a highway [defined as any public road] shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian crossing such highway:
  1. At any clearly marked crosswalk, whether at mid-block or at the end of any block”
  
  That seems clear cut. However, later in the same code section it reads:
  
  “No pedestrian shall enter or cross an intersection in disregard of approaching traffic.”
  
  So, a vehicle approaching any pedestrian in a crosswalk clearly should yield to the pedestrian. However, in a busy urban area like Ballston, a pedestrian who just starts to cross while traffic is flowing is violating the second quoted section.
  
  Virginia has not made pedestrian traffic laws easy to enforce, unfortunately.
OddNumber

The intersection certainly isn’t ideal, but isn’t necessarily a huge safety hazard. Traffic on 9th street is very light so a traffic light is likely not warranted. A pedestrian signal similar to those found on Karlin Springs or Columbia Pike might be a better solution. I use this intersection daily and the two times I have almost been hit were both by cyclists that didn’t realize traffic was yielding to pedestrians and plowed right through.

I would argue that one block away at the intersections of N Randolph and Wilson, and N Randolph and 9th St are much more dangerous even though they have traffic signals. Drivers constantly mis-use lanes going northbound because Arlington has deficient lane markings and creates an unsafe environment for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians alike. The bus stop at Wilson is constantly used as an extra turn lane and both the turn and through lanes are used for through traffic at 9th.

The intersection at Lee Highway and Quincy is also dangerously poorly marked. The recent repaint job on Quincy going south was narrowed to turn the merge area into a bike lane. Great! Too bad Arlington expects two southbound lanes of traffic off Military to merge mid intersection.
- Agreed
  
  Southbound Military Rd at Lee Highway needs to change. The instant merge of two lanes of traffic that occurs once Military Rd becomes N Quincy St is a disaster in the making.
  - ArlRes
    
    It used to be two lanes at the otherside until the county re-painted it as one. The signs are still there which say lane ends, merge on the otherside.
    
    This was a cluster on the county’s part.
KateKirk

Not sure this intersection is any worse than others – drivers don’t seem to understand that crosswalks are the LAW and not a suggested courtesy. And pedestrians wandering cluelessly as they talk on phone/listen to iPods are equally foolhardy. But I don’t challenge cars in crosswalks as I have seen some people do b/c I know they’re not expecting me there and I don’t need to get run over to make a point.
ArlRes

I don’t think its dangerous.
ArlRes

I think its dangerous that off peak — Quincy / Randolph Streets crossing Fairfax do not get a Pedestrian “Walk” signal unless the button is pressed (which are all really far from the crosswalk) and the green cycle is sometimes only 5 seconds long.
bArlington

Walking across most cross walks in Arlington is a practice of Russian Roulette.
Sophie

I cross this intersection a lot. I don’t think it’s incredibly dangerous, but I’m surprised there isn’t a a four-way stop. The main problem is the parked cars along Quincy tend to hide pedestrians, so you basically have to be in the intersection for a car to notice you and stop. It’s kind of a guessing game as to whether you think the car will see you and stop and where you need to position yourself in the intersection to get noticed. It can be kind of scary at night.
Karl Johnson

This definitely is a dangerous intersection – or at least relative to the average Arlington intersection. I brought my concerns about this particular intersection (at a high level) up to two members of the County Board because I lived right at this intersection and crossed many times each day. There is a high amount of traffic here during rush hour (which is also when most pedestrians are crossing) and cars rarely, rarely stop.

I’m sure severl others have complained because a “stop, it’s the law” kind of sign was put up 4 or 5 months ago in the middle of the intersection. But in sad irony, this sign was hit by cars several times, knocked off of it’s post, and spent more time on the side of the road then it did on display.

Arlington is a very walkable community relative to most of America, but this kind of intersection significantly decreases the reality of that walkable community in Ballston. It seems to me that just an ounce of enforcement of an existing law would go a long, long way. There are always police cars all around this area but I certainly never saw any enforcement of this.

Now…if you really want to risk your life, try to cross Wilson Blvd in front of Golds Gym using the legal crosswalk. I’ve been almost hit there multiple times and honked and flipped off even more.
dnak17

My wife was rear-ended at this intersection because the car in front of her stopped half way through the intersection for the far crosswalk. She stopped in time, the driver behind her did not.

Most intersections without traffic lights in Arlington only have one side of pedestrian (black/white/black) crosswalks so drivers know where the pedestrians are coming from. At this one there are four places you have to look going about 20 miles an hour while dealing with car traffic as well. Only having one pedestrian crosswalk also helps congregate pedestrians into large safer groups. I think this might be the best solution even though it is less walkable.

I know it may sound like I am blaming the walkers. I am not. In an ideal world the current traffic system should work, the problem is that too many cars do not yield to pedestrians. This is not safe for both pedestrians and other drivers willing to yield but afraid of getting rear-ended. Maybe a police sting operation would yield results (pun intended).

As an aside, I am pretty sure the reason “an all-way stop condition is not recommended at this location.” is because it would back up traffic on Quincy across both Wilson and Fairfax during rush hour, which would in turn lead to a lot of other traffic issues (especially with Fairfax to 66).
ArlRes

Right of way does not beat law of physics.

I always tell my wife that.
- JamesE
  
  It always amazes me how many people I see dart out in front of cars or are just completely oblivious because they are checking their phone and walk out into the street. Don’t assume a car will see you or stop because it is the law, at least check for on coming traffic before crossing. 4000 lb of metal vs flesh is usually not going to end well.
- JW
  
  Seems like a lot of pedestrians think they have crosswalk armor and jump in front of cars traveling at full speed. People need to use common sense and realize that even though cars are supposed to stop for pedestrians, you shouldn’t be putting drivers in a situation where they have little time to stop. You really need to wait until there’s enough of a gap that an oncoming driver has enough time to see you and slow down.
  - MB
    
    Yes. The most important thing is that pedestrians not inconvenience car drivers or put them in a situation where the driver actually has to take some responsibility for observing the law.
    - Paul
      
      I find myself occasionally carrying pocket change, though I mostly use credit cards these days. Coins come in handy for hucking them at stubborn auto vehicles.
    - JW
      
      Good job ignoring the context of my post and setting up a strawman. I don’t care what the law says, walking into a crosswalk when there’s a car 20 meters away travelling at speed is not a good idea, but I see plenty of pedestrians and runners darting into a crosswalk with no regard to the cars in the road and whether they will be able to stop or even see them in time. The fact that there is a crosswalk doesn’t absolve pedestrian from checking oncoming traffic before they throw their bodies in front of it.
      - RestonRunner86
        
        To lend support to your claim while walking through Virginia Square recently I saw a man enter a crosswalk and cross against the signal. A woman turning left (with a green arrow, mind you) onto this street had to stop in the intersection as he ambled across (and made no attempt to hurry up). She beeped and he made a hand gesture at her and gave her the look of death. The dude crossed with the SOLID RED HAND facing him, and the woman DID have a green left-hand turn arrow to get onto the street he was crossing. If he walked any slower I swear he was going to be nearly standing still. He was 100% in the wrong and STILL antagonized HER. For every 1 considerate driver there is also 1 VERY inconsiderate pedestrian.
    - JW
      
      And if you read the law below, it’s actually unlawful for a pedestrian to enter a crosswalk in disregard of oncoming traffic, which to me means that pedestrians should use some common sense and consider the circumstances when entering a crosswalk. The law of gross tonnage applies in this situation.
      - MB
        
        I don’t care what the law says
        
        Yes, you’ve made that clear. And I’m quite clear on what the law says – note I’m the one that bothered posting it. And speaking of strawmen set up to get run down, you’ve not seen me say anything that encourages pedestrians to act unsafely. Rather, I’ve been arguing against the concept that drivers in cars have some inherent right to priority, law and courtesy be damned.
RestonRunner86

As a relative newbie to Virginia can someone please explain to me how the law works here in regards to yielding to pedestrians? I know in Massachusetts, for example, if you see someone approaching a crosswalk you’re supposed to stop and permit them to cross. I was always shocked when visiting there that all I’d have to do would be to walk towards a crosswalk and within five seconds have drivers waving me across. Is this the same case in Virginia, or are you supposed to only stop if they are already IN the crosswalk? I ask this because I was the target of a lot of horn-honking once when I first moved here and stopped to wave a woman pushing a stroller across an unsignalized crosswalk along Route 50 in unincorporated Falls Church. Are you supposed to only yield to pedestrians if they are already in the street, and, if not, then why was I subjected to so much honking? Is it possible that everyone else in Fairfax County is just ignorant of the law, or was I the one in the wrong here? I was nearly rear-ended, too.

I’m not looking to start controversy. I’m just legitimately confused. If the same law is in place here as it is in Massachusetts, then why is enforcement here so horrendous? I see Fairfax County police officers all the time now staring at drivers looking to issue citations for people talking/texting while driving (I passed two today on my morning Route 7 Eastbound commute between North Reston and McLean), but I never see them guarding crosswalks looking to make sure drivers yield to pedestrians. What gives?

Please advise. If I move to Arlington next year I want to make sure I’m doing my part—CORRECTLY. 🙂
- MB
  
  Virginia Code § 46.2-924.
  
  Drivers to stop for pedestrians; installation of certain signs; penalty.
  
  A. The driver of any vehicle on a highway shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian crossing such highway:
  
  1. At any clearly marked crosswalk, whether at mid-block or at the end of any block;
  
  2. At any regular pedestrian crossing included in the prolongation of the lateral boundary lines of the adjacent sidewalk at the end of a block;
  
  3. At any intersection when the driver is approaching on a highway or street where the legal maximum speed does not exceed 35 miles per hour.
  
  B. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection A of this section, at intersections or crosswalks where the movement of traffic is being regulated by law-enforcement officers or traffic control devices, the driver shall yield according to the direction of the law-enforcement officer or device.
  
  No pedestrian shall enter or cross an intersection in disregard of approaching traffic.
  
  The drivers of vehicles entering, crossing, or turning at intersections shall change their course, slow down, or stop if necessary to permit pedestrians to cross such intersections safely and expeditiously.
  
  Pedestrians crossing highways at intersections shall at all times have the right-of-way over vehicles making turns into the highways being crossed by the pedestrians.
  
  Reading this, you should take “highways” to mean all roads.
  - RestonRunner86
    
    Thanks for posting this, but I suppose I’m still confused. “A. The driver of any vehicle on a highway shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian CROSSING such highway.” Does this mean that a driver should yield the right-of-way to pedestrians who are already in the process of crossing the roadway or also to those who are ATTEMPTING to cross the roadway? I see below where it says “No pedestrian shall enter or cross an intersection in disregard of approaching traffic.”
    
    Essentially, then, was I in the wrong to have stopped to let that woman proceed into the crosswalk because she should have waited for approaching traffic to clear? From now on should I only wave across people who are already IN the crosswalk and NOT those at the road’s edge trying to enter the crosswalk? It’s just so bizarre. Whenever I visit places like Middleburg or even Winchester I have people stop and wave me across crosswalks when I’m not even in them. I’d have horns blaring at me for doing the same thing in Fairfax County. If the code is uniform, then why this disparity? I’m so confused!
    - Matt
      
      It means if you’re in the crosswalk crossing, the cars need to stop/yield. If you are simply standing on the curb, you do NOT have the right of way to just jump out and expect to stop rush hour traffic. You should wait until a break in the traffic to at least get out and then cross. If a car approaches you while you’re in the street, they need to yield. Personally, I start only when its clear and if a car approaches, I, now brace yourself, actually “hurry” across to get out of the way. This may come as a shock to the “world revolves around me” attitude of many Arlington pedestrians.
      - RestonRunner86
        
        Thanks for further clarification. From now on I will NOT stop and wave pedestrians across who are standing by on the sidewalk but WILL continue to stop for pedestrians who are already IN the crosswalk. This is the main gist of what I was asking. 🙂 I guess those Fairfax County motorists were justified in their horn-honking then. All this time I just thought they were self-centered and impatient.
      - MB
        
        RestonRunner – I hope you won’t stop being a decent person. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with slowing and allowing a pedestrian into the crosswalk, and then stopping for that pedestrian. If the person behind you wants to have an aneurysm over it, that’s on them and their miserable little lives.
        
        “No pedestrian shall enter or cross an intersection in disregard of approaching traffic.” was left purposefully vague, I imagine. It can be quite reasonably construed in a number of ways, and until we build up some caselaw on the matter (unlikely), it will remain vague. I take the view that it doesn’t mean that I have to wait until I don’t see any cars on the road in either direction. Rather, I take it to mean that approaching cars have plenty of time and opportunity to safely come to a stop. And, given a couple of ACPD enforcement actions I’ve watched, my view isn’t that far away from theirs.
  - charlie
    
    despite the efforts of Arlington the law in Virginia is very clear —
    pedestrians do not have the right of way like people think.
    please walk careful.
    - MB
      
      Really, Charlie? That seems pretty clear to me. A pedestrian in a crosswalk has the right of way. Period.
      - charlie
        
        NO, MB, it is not clear.
        
        Try this line:
        No pedestrian shall enter or cross an intersection in disregard of approaching traffic.
      - RestonRunner86
        
        Agreed with Charlie. Unfortunately the law is intentionally (or unintentionally?) VAGUE. We can all agree that motor vehicles must yield to pedestrians IN the crosswalk, but my conundrum of what to do when you’re driving and see a pedestrian either approaching a crosswalk or waiting to cross isn’t really answered. On the one hand pedestrians aren’t supposed to walk into oncoming traffic. On the other hand motorists MUST yield to pedestrians already IN the crosswalk. The “in-between” is the grey area I and others are struggling with. I can, have, (and probably will) continue to slow down and wave pedestrians across crosswalks when possible, despite the horn-blaring of the “I’m in a rush” people of Fairfax County who are behind me. Others who drive will think the law is vague enough that they shouldn’t yield to pedestrians unless they are in fact ALREADY in the crosswalk. I’m a courteous driver, so I’ll always try to make it easier for pedestrians to cross in front of me.
        
        I think another issue that comes into play is that, technically, if I stopped and waved a pedestrian into the crosswalk, and then THEY were hit by an oncoming vehicle in the opposing (or adjacent) lanes, then not only would the other motorist be at-fault for failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, but I may also be held liable for inviting the pedestrian into a dangerous condition. It’s like one of those “darned if you do; darned if you don’t” situations. I WANT to always stop and give the wave, but at the cost of me being rear-ended (and pushed into the pedestrian) or at the cost of the pedestrian being hit by a distracted driver in another lane? It’s tough.
      - MB
        
        That means you’re quite welcome to give the pedestrian who steps into a crosswalk in disregard of oncoming traffic a ticket. Violation of one part of the code doesn’t void application of the rest of the code. Disagree? Take it to court and we’ll see how it sorts out.
      - charlie
        
        in other states the law says that pedestrians have the right of way — like California. Our Virginia law makes it clear that pedestrians have the right of way if they aren’t disregarding oncoming cars.
        The people who walk into a crosswalk without looking and making sure there are cars coming are dangerous. On my commutes on Washington Blvd. Lee Hwy Wilson Blvd and Columbia Pike i regularly see pedestrians thinking they are in California.
        I’m not comfortable with us promoting pedestrian safety and the increasing comfort levels without people understanding the true law.
      - MB
        
        And I’m not comfortable, Charlie, with continuing to focus enforcement and complaints on the minority (who don’t do much in the way of damage, even when they are wrong). One of the benefits of walking/biking is that it gives you the time to actually observe the other people in the street (be they in cars, bikes, or walking). in my well-considered view, the overwhelming majority of dangerous behavior comes from drivers who can’t be bothered to pay attention or believe that the world should conform to their convenience, and those are the behaviors we need to focus on. That isn’t to say that everyone shouldn’t be expected to take responsibility for their actions. But I’m not at all interested in spending time harping on the small bits at the expense of the bigger picture.
      - charlie
        
        well people are being lured into a false sense of security with our pedestrian programs and they need to know that they don’t always have the right of way.
        when I get hit, i’ll be sure to tell the driver i wasn’t disregarding them.
- TGEoA
  
  Do you need someone to tell you how many times you need to shake it as well?
  - RestonRunner86
    
    The law is STILL not clear about what to do in the situation I reference, so I really don’t understand the need for that condescending remark. Maybe if Virginia had a more progressive legislature that would stop creating VAGUE laws that were impossible to enforce we wouldn’t have questions such as my own arising?
    
    What’s straightforward?
    1.) If a pedestrian is IN a marked crosswalk, then approaching motorists MUST yield the right-of-way. That’s a given.
    2.) Pedestrians are NOT to throw caution into the wind and walk into the flow of traffic. That’s a given.
    
    There is still that grey area, though, of whether it’s legal/illegal to slow down and wave a pedestrian across an unsignalized crosswalk. I do so and get beeped at. Others in front of me do so. Some others blow right on by in the adjacent lane. Why can’t Virginia be as progressive as Massachusetts, which actually aggressively tickets motorists who don’t yield to pedestrians as soon as they are observed approaching and/or standing at the edge of a crosswalk? Virginia would be so much better if it were like this here, too.
    - Clarendude
      
      You are correct, the law is vague. Frankly, without signalization I don’t see how you can make the situation not vague. It can’t be clarified by saying a car must stop for a pedestrian about to enter the crosswalk because how do you know they are about to do something ? All you can really do is swing the burden of proof one way or another. The Virginia law is mostly on the side of the automobile in terms of keeping traffic flowing. It basically says that as long as there is no contact, there is no issue. If there is contact, the pedestrian (if still living) will argue that he/she had the right-of-way and the car will argue that the pedestrian stepped out “in disregard” of oncoming traffic. Then the judge or jury will decide. One thing I find interesting and often no understood is that on any street less than 35MPH (almost all streets in Arlington), the rules are identical regardless of whether there is a marked crosswalk or not at the intersections.
Lou

At the least they need a median and area for pedestrians to cross halfway. Quincy is just way too wide. Maybe even pedestrian activated traffic control.
- Brian
  
  I like Lou’s idea quite a bit. Maybe have pedestrians able to activate a blinking lot in the roadway. I’m originally from NY and they have that in some school zones. It works.
  
  Or just have ACPD step up enforcement. Just having a visible presence would easily get people into compliance with the rules.
  - ArlRes
    
    ACPD is too busy with their unmarked police busting people on Wilson near the Mall. See them all the time like clockwork.
- OddNumber
  
  I suspect a median would have two unfavorable consequences (1) pushing cars further into bike lanes on both sides and (2) create havoc around the loading docks of both 801 N Quincy and Liberty Plaza (moving trucks for Liberty Plaza are a regular sight in the median because they can’t maneuver into the loading area).
shirley

Fascinating timing.
There is NOON time lunch TODAY with our brilliant transportation engineer and Thes-lapdog ZIMMIE with the major property owners on that street on how to make it the most desirable block of retail in Arlington.
I encourage people to be out on the street today between 12-1 and see the Zimmie in action.
HA.
Evan

My least-favorite crosswalk in the R-B corridor is the one on Clarendon Blvd. right after Whole Foods. Cars speed up after going through the light near Whole Foods and typically fail to yield even when pedestrians are already crossing the street. I contacted the ACPD about it but they basically blew me off.
- MB
  
  I call that, among other things, the Vortex of Idiocy. Between the cars blowing the light only to hit the brakes to make a hard left into Whole Foods (or a hard right into Starbucks), the folks heading south on N. Edgewood who don’t understand that they don’t have left-turn priority over those emerging from Clarendon Commons, or the cyclists that decide that gravity is on their side and they’ll blow the intersection, it’s a near-miracle that we’ve not had any deaths/critical injuries there. I wish that Whole Foods would close that entrance (bringing people in from Danville, instead.).
  - Thes
    
    Interesting idea. I wonder if they’d be open to it. It might also improve circulation within the Whole Foods parking lot.
South Arlington

I do know Arlington PD was giving tickets on Fairfax Blvd. around Virginia Square for drivers not yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks. Both people I know got tickets for not yielding to pedestrians standing in the crosswalk median in the middle of the road waiting to cross.
- ArlRes
  
  That’s bullshit. How are you supposed to know their intent?
  
  Also, what’s up with Arlington PD (and VA State PD) putting license plate readers on the back of their cop cars?
  
  Big brother, getting closer and closer.
  - MB
    
    Their intent? They’re in the middle of a crosswalk. Do you think they’re checking in for the night?
  - OddNumber
    
    Sounds like an interesting question. If the officer is standing in the middle of the road, then I don’t think he/she could be defined as “crossing the street” and the intent could be brought into question.
9th St

I have been living in an apartment building on 9th and Pollard for about two months and have witnessed 2 accidents at this intersection so far (both car vs car). However, walking across this intersection is also very dangerous and I have seen cars who stopped to let me walk almost get rear ended by aggressive drivers behind them. This definitely needs a 4 way stop!
Katherine

I always stop for pedestrians there. And the if a car pulls up behind me the driver almost always honks at me. I think a four way stop would improve it for pedestrians.
Chrissy

Why does Charlie want me to die?
- RestonRunner86
  
  LOL! Sorry, Charlie. No offense intended, but I had to laugh at this remark.
Kelley Coyner

This busy pedestrian, bike, and car intersection that at best is difficult to navigate. It is hard to cross without striking out into the intersection and hoping other will stop. Daily pedestrians, cars, and bicyclists ignore commonsense let alone traffic regulations. Pedestrians cross between blocks. Bicyclists fail to stop at the intersection, and cars try to manuever around both rather than yielding to pedestrians in the crosswalk. My solution is to take another route– of course if more do the same, the problem may spread.
TGEoA

The usual pansies arenon here whining about pedestrian rights. Pedestrians are ultimately responsible for their safety. If you are going to walk out in front of a moving vehicle, I suggest you make eye contact with the driver first
Greg

I drive through here every day. It isn’t that bad. Everyone just needs to use common sense. Pedestrians – don’t just step into traffic without looking, and if you’re in doubt, step one or two feet off the curb and see if the cars are stopping. Cars – there’s a big sign in the middle of the road saying watch for pedestrians, so do it.

It’s not that hard.

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