Road Planners Leery About Taking Away Lanes

By Dr. Gridlock
Sunday, November 9, 2008

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I wonder why the southbound right lane of Georgia Avenue at Spring Street is not a right-turn-only lane. Since parking is permitted in that lane beyond the light, southbound cars speed up to cut into the middle lane. It does not make sense to allow traffic to continue in that lane if it is blocked by parked cars.

Marilyn Bate Silver Spring

That is a messy merge, and the situation isn't unique to Silver Spring. There are plenty of places in our region where parking rules vary with the time and through-lanes vanish at off-peak hours.

The Georgia Avenue case illustrates some of the complications. In that section of downtown Silver Spring, parking in the right-hand lane is banned during the 6:30-to-9:30 a.m. rush. That's good, since Georgia is a heavily used commuter route. I'd ban parking there at all times, but merchants and their customers like the street parking, even though there's a garage nearby.

How about making the lane right-turn-only to head off cars before they reach those parked vehicles? Well, the timing issue is what blows that idea, says the Maryland State Highway Administration.

The traffic planners want that lane open for rush-hour drivers, and they wouldn't give it up to create a right-turn-only lane for a relatively small number of turners. The idea of having it be right-turn-only at off-peak hours and not at peak has no appeal for them. Their goal, they say, is to get the most vehicles through the area in the most predictable way possible. Drivers don't like surprises.

All right, so how about just putting up some warning signs telling drivers that at certain hours they'll encounter parked cars ahead? The highway administration thinks drivers have enough to distract them in that area without their people putting up extra signs that warn about parking ahead. Some drivers, seeing the warnings but not absorbing the information about the hours, would move left when they didn't have to.

Besides, in reviewing the three-year crash history for that area, the highway administration found that there's not a lot of damage attributable to weaving and merging. So the planners decided it's best to leave it alone.

How to Know?

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I am a wheelchair user. Since I don't drive, I depend on my wheels and Metro to help me get around. This means I use Metro several times a day for commuting to and from work, getting to class, getting to medical appointments, running errands and socializing.

Since Oct. 31, I have been very limited, because my elevator at Woodley Park Station has been out of service. I discovered this when I tried to go to work that morning. My commute has turned into a daily hell of waiting 20 minutes for a bus that takes me downtown, but still far from my office. I used to have an easy 20-minute commute, but now it involves 40 minutes to an hour of waiting and frustration.

Today I e-mailed and called Metro but could get no information on the status of the elevator and when it will be repaired.

Kelly Mack Washington

That was Monday. The elevator, out of service because of a minor accident, had to be inspected by the District before it could be returned to service. It was Thursday before the elevator was working. It's vital to riders such as Mack that these things be fixed quickly, but they also need information so they can plan their travels before leaving home. The transit authority provides such information over the phone and online.

When I checked the Web page Monday, it said the elevator was due to be fixed the day before. Turned out there was a problem updating the page, which has since been resolved. The phone information line gave an accurate report about the elevator's status but didn't say when it would be fixed.

Because I still think these are valuable resources despite some problems, here's a list of information sources on the status Metro's elevators and escalators: The "Accessibility" link on Metro's Web site, http://www.metroopensdoors.com, has a station-by-station report. People also can call 202-962-1212 to get a taped report. People with wireless devices can get reports at http://www.wmata.com/mobile.

Planning for Holidays

On next Sunday's Commuter page, we plan to present our annual holiday getaway guide for area travelers. Have you discovered any better routes for the crowded driving times coming up? Have a helpful hint you'd like to share with the getaway gang? Or maybe just a question based on last year's obstacles? Let me know at drgridlock@washpost.com.

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.