CCA's Meeting With Elizabeth Diggs of Arlington Division of Transportation
November 9, 2011
A group of Cherrydale neighbors met with Elizabeth Diggs to explain concerns related to the 5 points intersection. It was noted that there has been a series of changes made to the intersection over the past year or so:
• The creation of a nub on the east corner of northbound Quincy restricting right turn traffic,
• The creation of left turn only lanes on southbound Military Road and northbound Quincy,
• The addition of “puppy feet” for left turn traffic and signs guiding left turn traffic to turn in front of oncoming traffic, contrary to historical traffic patterns. Puppy Feet are those dotted lines that the transportation engineers have sprayed on the street as guidelines to drivers.
There was general agreement that things have gotten worse with each addition to the intersection.
Specifically,
• Traffic backs up approaching the intersection, in particular, from northbound Quincy, southbound Military and westbound Lee Highway in the left turn lane;
• This difficulty with the left turn onto Quincy from westbound Lee Highway causes drives to cut through via substandard Pollard Street to N. Quincy;
• The timing of the lights when approaching the intersection from eastbound Old Lee Highway has worsened so that very few cars can make it through the light;
• Left turn traffic from northbound Quincy and southbound Military is confused and as a result the intersection has become more dangerous and fewer cars get through. People concurred that the situation has truly become “scary” given all the variations of traffic flow through the intersection now;
• Left turn traffic from eastbound Old Dominion and Old Lee Highway is dangerous and blocks traffic;
• It is dangerous for pedestrians crossing Old Lee Highway and Old Dominion on the west side of the intersection;
• It was also noted that no one feels that pedestrian safety has been enhanced by any of the changes that have been made.
There was a sense that before the various changes, the intersection was not great, but it was manageable. Now, it is dangerous and causing drivers to take side streets to avoid all the problems.
Ms. Diggs made a note of all the concerns and explained the process of traffic engineering and ongoing efforts to enhance both pedestrian safety and traffic flow. She is charged with a project to enhance pedestrian safety around the intersection. This is a medium term project and the concerns voiced will certainly be factored into any research and decisions made regarding future changes. Ms. Diggs recommended that the group contact the traffic engineer who is responsible for adjusting the timing of traffic light on eastbound Old Lee Highway, as this might be a relatively easy problem to address. Ms. Ross agreed to do this. Ms. Diggs also explained that traffic engineers are currently studying the impact of the puppy feet markings.
Another issue that was raised in email traffic prior to the meeting was the need for repainting the crosswalk at 15th Street and North Quincy. Ms. Diggs said the county was working on repainting the road. (The crosswalk was repainted earlier this week.)
Participants thanked Ms. Diggs for her time and interest in hearing about all of the concerns.
Summarized by Ann Beckman, Chair, 5 Points Intersection Committee 11/16/11
A group of Cherrydale neighbors met with Elizabeth Diggs to explain concerns related to the 5 points intersection. It was noted that there has been a series of changes made to the intersection over the past year or so:
• The creation of a nub on the east corner of northbound Quincy restricting right turn traffic,
• The creation of left turn only lanes on southbound Military Road and northbound Quincy,
• The addition of “puppy feet” for left turn traffic and signs guiding left turn traffic to turn in front of oncoming traffic, contrary to historical traffic patterns. Puppy Feet are those dotted lines that the transportation engineers have sprayed on the street as guidelines to drivers.
There was general agreement that things have gotten worse with each addition to the intersection.
Specifically,
• Traffic backs up approaching the intersection, in particular, from northbound Quincy, southbound Military and westbound Lee Highway in the left turn lane;
• This difficulty with the left turn onto Quincy from westbound Lee Highway causes drives to cut through via substandard Pollard Street to N. Quincy;
• The timing of the lights when approaching the intersection from eastbound Old Lee Highway has worsened so that very few cars can make it through the light;
• Left turn traffic from northbound Quincy and southbound Military is confused and as a result the intersection has become more dangerous and fewer cars get through. People concurred that the situation has truly become “scary” given all the variations of traffic flow through the intersection now;
• Left turn traffic from eastbound Old Dominion and Old Lee Highway is dangerous and blocks traffic;
• It is dangerous for pedestrians crossing Old Lee Highway and Old Dominion on the west side of the intersection;
• It was also noted that no one feels that pedestrian safety has been enhanced by any of the changes that have been made.
There was a sense that before the various changes, the intersection was not great, but it was manageable. Now, it is dangerous and causing drivers to take side streets to avoid all the problems.
Ms. Diggs made a note of all the concerns and explained the process of traffic engineering and ongoing efforts to enhance both pedestrian safety and traffic flow. She is charged with a project to enhance pedestrian safety around the intersection. This is a medium term project and the concerns voiced will certainly be factored into any research and decisions made regarding future changes. Ms. Diggs recommended that the group contact the traffic engineer who is responsible for adjusting the timing of traffic light on eastbound Old Lee Highway, as this might be a relatively easy problem to address. Ms. Ross agreed to do this. Ms. Diggs also explained that traffic engineers are currently studying the impact of the puppy feet markings.
Another issue that was raised in email traffic prior to the meeting was the need for repainting the crosswalk at 15th Street and North Quincy. Ms. Diggs said the county was working on repainting the road. (The crosswalk was repainted earlier this week.)
Participants thanked Ms. Diggs for her time and interest in hearing about all of the concerns.
Summarized by Ann Beckman, Chair, 5 Points Intersection Committee 11/16/11