Drivers, Pedestrians Call for Balance In Traffic Planning

By Robert Thomson
Sunday, October 5, 2008

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

Ever try to turn a corner in the District at rush hour? Many times you simply can't! Why? Because pedestrians are streaming across the street throughout most of the time that the light is green.

How about having a special light for pedestrians, allowing them to cross any way they want during their turn -- east and west, north and south, or diagonally. But during the green light for cars, no pedestrians would be allowed to step off the curb.

This might require some adjustments to the pattern of lights so traffic doesn't simply back up quickly. But some computer whiz ought to be able to figure it out, and it seems to me it would be worth the effort to improve traffic flow for all concerned.

Alan D. Romberg Bethesda

It's called a Barnes Dance, after Henry A. Barnes, one of the great innovators in American traffic engineering and a traffic commissioner in Baltimore and New York during the 1950s and '60s. Barnes said he didn't invent what's also known as the pedestrian scramble; but he promoted its use early in his career, in Denver.

Longtime residents will remember it in our area. At some community meetings, George Branyan, the District's pedestrian safety coordinator, is asked about returning to pedestrian-only phases. Branyan says the technique might be useful at some intersections, where other measures aren't able to protect pedestrians. For one thing, it protects pedestrians against turning traffic.

But he notes that engineers question whether it's workable at high-volume intersections. One problem is human nature. Creating a green phase for all pedestrians also means that the "Don't Walk" phase is really long. People get impatient and cross when they think they can get away with it, impeding traffic as well as endangering pedestrians.

I saw plenty of that during the past week in downtown Silver Spring. The old bus and taxi hub is now fenced off for two years while the new transit center is built.

Many people on their way to and from work are squeezed onto a couple of blocks of Wayne Avenue near the Discovery building, and they don't like to wait at the intersections.

So they don't.

They walk right into crossing guards, whose hands are stretched out, palms up. Some respond to "Wait for the walk light!" or "That's not a crosswalk!"

Others stare ahead, crank up iPods and keep going.

Better Design Needed

This writer, who said he frequently uses the Silver Spring Station and saw what happened last week, makes the case for pedestrians and safety engineering.

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

The center point of the problem is Wayne Avenue and Colesville Road, which is designed entirely for cars. It's huge and makes pedestrians wait an interminable amount of time for three or four cars to clear the intersection.

The added factor is the removal of all pedestrian arteries to go east of the station other than the one on Colesville. There used to be three paths from the station to other destinations, and now there's one, and it's narrower than it used to be.

I support ticketing heedless jaywalkers, but I don't think you can have pedestrian safety without actually designing the traffic signals, sidewalks and other infrastructure to support the safe and timely movement of pedestrians.

Pedestrians should not be asked to bear the entire brunt of this construction. Some sacrifices in traffic flow need to be made so everyone can traverse the area safely.

Andrew Lindemann Malone Silver Spring

That's a good description of pedestrian funneling that had them fuming, as well as an appropriate plea for help from the traffic planners in balancing the safety burden.

I saw some drivers, willing to proceed on any color the traffic light happened to be, come to rest on crosswalks or make left turns into masses of pedestrians despite the noble efforts of the crossing guards and police officers.

There could be some adjustments in the traffic signals, but the best way to restore the balance of power at intersections would be to increase the number of crossing guards, so they wouldn't get outflanked by cars and pedestrians, and to write a few tickets for dangerous behavior.

At intersections, signals, paint and concrete are only part of the solution. In his new book "Traffic," Tom Vanderbilt notes that Barnes, in looking back on his career, said, "As time goes on the technical problems become more automatic, while the people problems become more surrealistic."

Dr. Gridlock appears Thursday in the Extras and Sunday in the Metro section. You can send e-mails todrgridlock@washpost.com. Include your name, community and phone numbers. Some letters are published. Get There:http://blog.washingtonpost.com/getthere.