What the hell did they do to 9th St NW?

Submitted by Smipims t3_zzyarz in washingtondc

I’m not sure if anyone has driven south on 9th from Florida to Constitution, but they’ve right fucked up the lane markings so bad I’m at a loss for words. Starting at Florida with a weird zig zag, leading to rows of cavalier double Parker’s, ending with a lane turning into parking causing erratic merging to down near M where lanes randomly disappear. It’s become one of the most dangerous city roads I’ve ever driven on because of the constant twisting, failure to remove old paint, and lanes randomly turning into parking.

My question is - how do I find out who is responsible for this mess so I can dedicate my life to getting them to fix it?

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MortimerAdler t1_j2edan1 wrote

It’s a project that has been in the works for years now. The lane markings are (of course) compliant with USDOT standards. They’ve been doing the painting for the last two weeks or so.

9th St is/was one of the more dangerous and backed up roads in NW, especially around U, but as someone who lives on 9th where the transition is complete - it’s way, way better now.

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Smipims OP t1_j2efkp3 wrote

Have you driven it recently? There’s numerous times lanes just end leading to last second merges and hard braking.

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Friendly-Growth1903 t1_j2eglun wrote

This confuses me too. Many near misses during rush hour.

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MortimerAdler t1_j2elee3 wrote

Idk it seems to be very similar to when they first introduced roundabouts to my home town, everyone thought it was way more dangerous but it just took people time to adapt and was better in the end

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Friendly-Growth1903 t1_j2em329 wrote

But I guess the difference is roundabouts have rules, or you can recognize one. This is just what use to be a full lane abruptly ending and starting every other block. I’m not sure what purpose it serves because now neither drivers or bikers can continuously use it to get through town. Maybe the issue is marking, it’s just very odd and a hazard right now.

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IcyWillow1193 t1_j2evf0p wrote

>hard braking.

Drive the posted limit, and hard braking isn't necessary.

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Smipims OP t1_j2evnsj wrote

It is when people cut into my lane because theirs ended. No need to be a smart ass.

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AlienBeach t1_j2fgzt9 wrote

Not sure anyone else mentioned it but the road is being reconfigured DC. The lanes that end in concrete islands are going to be the future parking lanes. The current parking lane will be a protected bike lane. No clue why it takes so long to reconfigure a road or why they left dead end lanes open like this

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[deleted] t1_j2f8yvo wrote

This sub is very anti car so you’re getting downvoted. But everything you’re saying is true. It makes no sense and is dangerous.

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Smipims OP t1_j2fm7yg wrote

I agree with them! Which is why I’m concerned. Unpredictable drivers are very dangerous for pedestrians and bikers.

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NextTailor4082 t1_j2elwpf wrote

It takes some getting used to but it makes sense. If it’ll eventually make things safer for everybody (pedestrians and cyclists) I’m all for it.

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Friendly-Growth1903 t1_j2eghxj wrote

It is massively confusing. I’d rather they just get rid of an entire lane than the partial lane disappearing suddenly into a concrete island.

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skiwhatwhat t1_j2eh6xg wrote

Is there any way to get info on how these decisions are made or what the models showed the benefits to be?

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MidnightSlinks t1_j2ejhzp wrote

DDOT puts out notices for everything and holds community meetings on most major changes. These can start a year or more before the construction begins so you're way too late once you see something happening.

Make sure you're on all your community Listserves as DDOT tries to get the word out. DDOT also has mailing lists for major projects that you can get on once you hear about them and you'll usually be automatically added if you go to a community meeting on a project.

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skiwhatwhat t1_j2ephjx wrote

This is really helpful, thanks! Do you know how to find and get on a community list-serve? Are they official ones or just ad hoc ones by people in the community?

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Zwillium t1_j2exdfo wrote

I think all ANCs have monthly meetings. If you attend these (and fair warning, they can be quite painful to attend), they should discuss changes to streets/traffic patterns, including reps from DDOT discussing changes.

These meetings are listen-only (unless you've been approved to speak ahead of time), so it won't help if you want to share feedback, but it is useful to see what's coming down the pipeline.

If you're on Twitter, you may be able to find local residents who live tweet these events. I would start by following your local ANC rep and the algorithm should do the rest.

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Mobiggz t1_j2es3wx wrote

I just drive and dodge obstacles. Lines are merely a suggestion. :)

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Corianderchi t1_j2ex3z6 wrote

Indeed a shitshow. Especially because they didn’t remove Unconventional Diner’s and other restaurants unnecessary outdoor spaces. It’s a disaster especially considering Uber drivers will stop in the middle of the road to wait for people or drop off food blocking the only one way lane.

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PalpitationNo3106 t1_j2f8mzi wrote

Wait, cars will stop in a travel lane forcing people into an unsafe merge? Why in all my years on a bike I have never seen such a thing happen!

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Smipims OP t1_j2ey9je wrote

Exactly. It’s a double parking shit show

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