"@DDOTDC Thx to all who reported the vehicles parked in the 15th St Bike Lanes. @DCDPW reports they wrote 15 tickets there today."

DDOT received tweets earlier today about cars parking in the bike lanes. They notified the District Department of Public Works, which is the primary agency for parking and towing enforcement, said John Lisle, a spokesman for DDOT and the person who manages the department's Twitter account.

"The bike lanes are new and people are still getting used to them. We don't want to ask DPW to give out tickets," said Lisle. "There are certainly some people who are not thrilled with the bike lanes and who don't understand them. We want to make our streets more balanced for all of our users."

Cyclists have been having problems dealing with cars and delivery vehicles that find it convenient to park in them, said Lisle.

"I recently heard that WABA [the Washington Area Bicyclists Association] has reached out to FedEx to remind their drivers to not park in the lanes," he said.

There are some motorists who aren't thrilled with the lanes and who think we're taking the parking away and we're not, he said.

"There's still parking right outside some of the lanes and we're going to add some signage to make that clear," he said. "Just because we're putting up a bike lane doesn't mean we're taking out parking."

There are a lot of people in the city who don't even own a car and get around by transit, on foot and on bike, he said.

"It's the same reason we have sidewalks, so people can feel safe traveling in the city," he said. "By providing a bike infrastructure, we think that will increase the number of people who feel safe cycling on the roads."

Cyclists use the bike lane along New Hampshire Avenue in NW. Realtors and agencies are marketing apartments and condos to buyers based on the advantages of cycling to work. (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

A cyclist navigates Thomas Circle, which has a marked bike lane. There are more than 60 miles of marked bike lanes in Washington, according to the District Department of Transportation's Bicycle Program Web site.

The stretch of road doesn't have any white lines dividing the lane in half, and the only indication that there are two lanes is the two traffic lights. Commuters run the risk of horns blaring at them for taking up two lanes, and worse yet, getting into an accident.

A Griper highlighted the Brentwood neighborhood issue in Prince George's County.

"There are apparently two lanes here (a left turn lane and a straight/right turn lane). However, it is not at all clear since there are no lane lines painted," reported the Griper.

We've contacted the Department of Public Works and Transportation in Prince George's County and will update you when we have answers.

It's easy to mistake the narrow street, which approaches Rhode Island Avenue aka Route 1, as being one lane instead of two.

Whether the culprit is an aspiring Cool Disco Dan or someone with a spray can and idle time, he or she had to climb on top of next-door carryout El Rinconcito Deportivo to execute the white bubble letter graffiti peeking out over the second floor north wall of 3222 11th St. NW.

Sean Wieland submitted his Gripe to us about it just before 10 a.m. this morning. DC 311 acknowledged it and issued service request ID 11-00064758 via its See Click Fix profile. We'll keep you posted on the status.

The Daily Gripe also wants to know your take:

Graffiti and tagging are often hallmarks of highly populated cities. Does graffiti bother you or do you think it comes with the territory? Have you reported graffiti and not seen any results, or does it keep popping up in your area? What are some hot spots for it?

Cool Disco Dan stands next to some of his work in this 1991 photo, shot by Andre Chung for The Washington Post.

When Rebecca Mills of the Brightwoodian blog saw the misspelled sign, she said her first reaction was to roll her eyes.

"I thought about how it made the neighborhood look bad," she said. "And then I thought it was amazing that I'd passed through that intersection so many times without noticing the misspelling."

This sign was changed within 24 hours of it being reported to DDOT. (Photo courtesy of Akeya Dickson)

Mills said that her neighbor Christine Kithcart noticed the spelling error and notified the Brightwood listserv via e-mail at 2:07 p.m. Tuesday. Carly Skidmore, one of the Ward 4 liaisons from the mayor's office who monitors the listserv, said that she contacted the District Department of Transportation and they agreed to fix the sign by the close of business.

"When I biked through the intersection the next morning, I noticed that "Missouri" was misspelled on the street signs on both the north AND the south sides of the street," said Mills. "That's when I tweeted DDOT, to let them know that they had more than one sign to replace."

This was the first that DDOT heard about the incorrectly spelled sign, said John Lisle, a spokesman for the department who also mans its Twitter account.

"It was reported to us, I forwarded it to the sign shop and they took care of it as soon as they could," he said.

Around 11 a.m. that morning, the department responded on Twitter in jest:

@ThBrightwoodian You have to read them with an accent. Kidding - we'll take a look. Thanks for the heads up.

The department gets about 1 to 5 tweets about issues from area residents on any given day about street signs, broken traffic signals, potholes and other issues he said. The number increases during their Potholepalooza campaign and during inclement weather.

"Some things we can fix right way - like a traffic signal - others take longer," he said. "It gives us a great way to interact directly with residents, in real-time, to address any issues they're having or to answer their questions. For them, it helps cut through the bureaucracy and contact someone who can at least try to help them right away."

The Daily Gripe hit the streets Wednesday to check out the misspelling after seeing the tweet that Mills sent to DDOT. By the time we got there, DDOT kept their promise and the new signs were up.

Skidmore sent this e-mail to the listserv at 1:43 p.m.:

"Per DDOT: Both 800 and 900 blocks of Missouri Ave. NW signs were replaced. Our ward crew checked the other Missouri Ave. NW signs but found no such others."

Mills said that she's found the transportation department to be speedy when she's reported other issues, including Stop signs that she said kids in the neighborhood love to tear down.

"The problem was always fixed by the next morning. I can't speak for other agencies, but I've found DDOT to be extremely swift and responsive and prompt when taking care of community issues," she said. "I was afraid things would change once Gabe Klein left."

The Wizards and DDOT are both "winning" -- to quote Charlie Sheen -- when they use spellcheck.

The good news is that Pepco and DDOT don't go around cutting trees down all willy-nilly. The bad news is that it took about six months for them to come cut down an ivy-covered poplar tree that the Daily Gripe reported was in danger of touching a power line after a spate of summer storms. The trunk of the tree was growing between two power lines in the 7900 block of Orchid Street.

Griper Richard Bellin followed up with us to say that his "persistence, perseverance, and just plain ornery stubbornness" paid off after contacting John Thomas at the District Department of Transportation in November and subsequently coordinating with Pepco.

Bellin said that Thomas assured him that the tree was healthy but sent two men to inspect it to "placate" him.

"They spent quite a bit of time measuring the tree, hemming and hawing, and finally with obvious reluctance agreed the tree should be removed," Bellin said. "I think the fact that another tree had already fallen on a neighbor's house a few years ago helped them make the decision that this really was a danger tree."

Initially the tree dropped some limbs but seemed to be okay, said Thomas, who serves as the , associate director of the Urban Forestry Administration.

"There were roots issues under the sidewalk and in the front yard," he said. "Three of us worked together and decided it was no longer viable long term after the last limb failure."

Bellin got a notice from Pepco last week alerting him that the power would be out for a few hours so that the contractors could work safely. They showed up Feb. 15 at 9 a.m. and left a stump by 2:30 p.m. that will eventually be removed.

"Once in a blue moon it is possible to get something done in this dysfunctional city," he said.

After another limb failure we re-assessed the tree and decided it had gone over the tipping point, Thomas said.

"It really was just that the tree changed over the time we were working through this," he said.

Marie, a resident of the 700 block of G Street NE, is vexed about morning commuters turning off of H Street in northeast to avoid rush hour traffic slowed by construction on H Street. Drivers "speed through this area at the risk of hitting children. It's very dangerous in the mornings," she said.

Not only does the unofficial shortcut house the Sherwood Recreation Center on the corner of 9th and G, but also Ludlow Taylor Elementary School between 7th and 6th streets.

The cost for installing a speed hump is approximately $3,500, said John Lisle, a spokesman for the District Department of Transportation.

"The information about how to request a speed hump or other traffic calming measures is posted on our website," he said. "She simply needs to contact us via 311 to initiate the process."

The District Department of Transportation's site details the Traffic Calming Assessment Process and includes an application form for a Traffic Calming Assessment and for a Speed Hump Request Form and Petition.

They Fixed It! DDOT fixed the signs on Feb. 3.

Sign snafus in Northwest D.C. are flummoxing residents and passersby. Sean Wieland, a See Click Fix member, reported that a street sign in the Brightwood neighborhood at 5631 Colorado Ave. appears to be facing the wrong direction.

Wieland also spotted a Madison Street sign at 5624 13th St. NW not pointed in the right direction.

The District Department of Transportation was not aware of the wayward signs but are now having them fixed, which can cost about $80 per location, said John Lisle, a spokesman for the department.

Signs can twist and turn due to high winds and/or being hit by a large truck, he said. It is not common for signs to turn without outside forces causing them to turn.

While it happens, Lisle said that they seldom get reports on signs getting knocked off track.

"Staff members will have to remove the old banding material (attachment hardware) from the signs, reposition the signs to face in the correct direction and reinstall signs using new banding material," he said.

Sean Wieland, a member of See Click Fix, snapped this photo of a Madison Street sign that's off kilter.

When the project is done there will be one lane of traffic in each direction, said John Lisle, a spokesman for the District Department of Transportation. There will also be a shared lane for cycles.

"One of the goals of the project is to return that street from being just a commuter route to being more of a neighborhood street. One of the issues that we're addressing is safety for pedestrians," said Lisle.

The first of three phases includes the electrical utility installation at Barry Place, which will continue north on Sherman Avenue. The water main will also be installed on Sherman Avenue north of Euclid Street.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act partially funds the $13 million effort, which is projected to be complete July 8, 2012. The agency will also reconstruct the roadway, upgrade the water pipes and improve the drainage system.

The project was first presented to members of the surrounding community May 2009, and Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) led a public meeting to reveal some of the design plans and give residents an opportunity to offer feedback. The final design plans were presented to the public during an informational meeting April of last year.

Other modifications will include reconstruction of wheelchair ramps in compliance with ADA regulations, new traffic signals and streetlights for pedestrian safety, widening of sidewalks and new granite curbs and gutters where needed.

For updates, details about plans and information about detours, visit the project's site.
The first phase of construction on Sherman Avenue began January 10.

But when the frigid elements come together to create potholes -- low temperatures, ice expanding in existing holes when freezing and the subsequent water that melts and washes away loose particles on already fragmented sections of the roadways -- motorists should be especially careful.

One such example is the "massive pothole" reported by See Click Fix member GH, "caused by water and tons of ice coming down the hill" onto the 5201-5213 block of Canal Road in northwest's Palisades neighborhood. The following are a round up of other potholes to navigate around, as reported by residents:

>> A "dangerous and slippery" chasm at 900 23rd Street in northwest continues growing on the west side of 23rd and Washington Circle according to one Griper: the "hole always filled with water. Cars hit it and spray water onto pedestrians and sidewalk where it creates an ice sheet."

>> Another reportedly "massive" pothole lies just south of the intersection with Arizona in the 5200-5206 block of MacArthur Blvd. in northwest, also in the Palisades.

>> A pothole is reported in the right lane of Massachusetts Avenue in Bethesda's Westmoreland Circle, causing many cars to immediately lurch into the other lane, according to the Griper.

>> A Griper reports a pothole in a curve that is particularly treacherous for cyclists in Capitol Hill neighborhood between the 574 and 598 block of C Street in northeast. Navigating around the pothole is precarious "especially during rush hour [when] motorists threaten cyclists around this curve, where the lengthy pothole leaves little space for maneuver."

>> Two potholes were reported near 529 N. Piedmont Street in Arlington's Ashton Heights neighborhood. There's one pothole in the middle of the street and a second pothole on the edge of the street, which creates a damaging drop off for cars, reports awahoo2006.

>> A Griper reported a "large area of broken up pavement on the right hand side of the southbound lane on Massachusetts Avenue" in northeast near Constitution Avenue on Capitol Hill.

>> Jim B. and various Gripers think that a patch of the GW Parkway in Arlington near the Ballston-Virginia Square is beyond filling a few potholes. "GW Parkway, from [the] Key Bridge to [the] Chain Bridge needs complete re-paving," reported Jim B. "Pothole fixes for the past 3+ years aren't solving the problem."

>> The Daily Gripe noticed several potholes on Landover Road in Largo between McCormick Avenue and the on ramps to the Beltway.

>> Donincognito is frustrated about lingering potholes from last year's snowstorm on Arlington Blvd. in Arlington's Radnor-Ft. Myer Heights neigborhood.

"Potholes that developed after the snowstorms of 2010 have been patched in a manner that leaves the road just as bumpy as if the potholes were still there," wrote donincognito. "These patches are in the left lane of 50 WB where the onramp from the GWP merges onto 50. Please fix this properly; [haphazard] fixes are as bad as no fix at all."

See Click Fix member tennesseer submitted this photo of a lengthy pothole in a curve on Capitol Hill's northeast side.

George Dodson, with VDOT, looks out for traffic as Pothole Killers, a contractor with VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation) emergency crews, fills near Braddock and Stone Roads on June 16, 2010, in Centreville, VA. (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

The agency offers a program to qualified homeowners who can't afford to remove or trim hazardous trees. The Income Contingent Program for Hazardous Tree Removal provides free tree removal services for low-income residents who satisfy the requirements.

The D.C. Council passed a law last year authorizing the Urban Forestry Administration to dedicate 15 percent of the District's Tree Fund--comprised of private donations, permitting fees and penalties related to the D.C. Tree Bill -- to the program. (For details, call 202-671-5133).

Two other large trees across the street near the Deaf Child sign also have fallen branches and debris at their base. It's unclear if the trees are on public or private property, as they are sitting on a patch of grass on the corner behind an apartment building outside of the building's silver gate. The building sits at 1941 Naylor Rd. SE.

If the debris is on private property, it's the responsibility of the property owner to remove it. To make a request for debris removal on public property, residents can call 311, which Anderson said he did. Which agency is responsible? The Department of Public Works. Yes, we're confused too.

"My husband tripped over the bricks three months ago, so we're paying hospital fees," said a reader in an e-mail.

Arlington County is responsible for that section of Fairfax Drive from Glebe Road to the I-66 on-ramp, said Myllissa Kennedy, a spokeswoman for Arlington's Department of Environmental Services.

"To ensure the safety of pedestrians, Arlington staff is working with the Holiday Inn located at this address to remove the pavers that were pushed up by the tree root and repair the sidewalk shortly," Kennedy said.

If the weather holds up, that repair could happen in the next week or two at the earliest and shortly after the New Year at the latest.

Sewer work on 28th Street South in Arlington has left a bumpy ride that can wreak havoc on a vehicle's suspension. Motorists sometimes drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid the patchwork on the stretch of 28th Street South between South Meade Street to 26th Street -- and that could be an accident waiting to happen.

Arlington County is aware of the issue and is "actively working to restore it," said Shannon Whalen McDaniel, a spokeswoman for the county's Department of Environmental Services. The road is scheduled for repaving in the spring. TComplications with the water main replacement project -- which needs to be replaced to stop the series of breaks that have occurred in recent years -- delayed the paving project, she said.

The county has finished testing several thousand feet of the new water main, but it still must be connected to customers. Once those customers are connected, the old main must be capped off, she said.

"An improved and more permanent patch is now our focus as we excavate and install these pending service connections. We will be improving the overall patch over the trench where the main went in during the next couple of weeks," Whalen McDaniel said. "As there are several services to reconnect, there may still be a few sections of the overall patch that linger a little longer, but they will be patched after the re-connections are done."

As griper Lenonn, who describes him or herself as a "municipal avenger" recently reported, a repaving job on Apple Ave. near the corner of 2nd Ave. in Silver Spring covered up a chunk of the painted crosswalk lines in the area -- essentially you have half a crosswalk.

Montgomery County officials recently tackled the problem. They painstakingly repainted each of the missing crosswalk lines, as you can see from the thumbnail.