Get There Archive: Safety
Watch for bikers at 15th Street intersections
Bike lane on 15th Street NW is innovative idea that doesn't look best when wet. (Thomson) In my Sunday column, I wrote about the new protected bike lane on 15th Street NW. The protected lane is for southbound cyclists. The rest of the street is one-way northbound in this area. Many people -- including me -- were focusing on it for the first time last week, and it certainly wasn't looking its best in the heavy rain and wind, which covered it in wet leaves. (I took the pictures on Friday.) The reviews I've heard so far have been mixed, but I think experiments like this are worthwhile and should be encouraged. Across the region, we've dug ourselves a deep hole by failing to advance our transportation systems into the 21st century. Transportation departments need to use the resources they have creatively -- in ways large and small --...
By
Robert Thomson
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November 16, 2009; 10:47 AM ET |
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Categories:
Biking
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Driving
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Safety
| Tags: 15th Street bike lane, DDOT, Dr. Gridlock
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DC innovates on 15th Street bike lane
Justin Wilson of D.C. makes his way south on new 15th St. lane. (Gerald Martineau/Post) During my online chat Monday, I got a comment about the new bike lane the District Department of Transportation is installing along 15th Street NW. The lane is designed to allow bikers to travel southbound in a protected area on what otherwise is a one-way street northbound. This is the reader's comment: 15th Street, NW, Washington, D.C.: The 15th street contraflow bike lane is an absolute disaster. Traffic has not slowed. It's still as dangerous for cyclists. Street cleaners cannot get to the curb or they will rip off the reflective covers that indicate the bike lane. Cyclists are going the wrong way. Cars are parked in the lane. 15th street does not feel part of the neighborhood. There are misspelled words like "yield" in the bike lane. Please tell me this is not...
By
Robert Thomson
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November 12, 2009; 9:00 AM ET |
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Categories:
Biking
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Safety
| Tags: DDOT, Dr. Gridlock, contraflow bike lane
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Resourceful drivers save a life in Prince George's
Prince George's Fire and Emergency Services are giving kudos to two good Samaritans who helped save a woman from a burning car Thursday evening. After a collision near Wilson Bridge Drive and Indian Head Highway, the woman's car veered off the road and flames spread across the bottom of her vehicle. A FedEx driver, David Ramadhani of Bowie, ran to her rescue, using a fire extinguisher from his delivery truck to clear flames from her door. As the blaze continued, he and Michael Harry of Oxon Hill reached in the car, cut her seat belt using a utility knife and dragged her to safety. Units responding to the scene said the fire would have killed the woman before they could get to the car if she had not been removed....
By
washingtonpost.com editors
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November 6, 2009; 1:12 PM ET |
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Driving
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Safety
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Today's read: Prince George's approves cameras
Program to start in January: The county will begin placing cameras in 50 school zones over the following 18 months, and after a 30-day grace period, drivers will be mailed a $40 fine if caught by the devices, officials said. The county is taking advantage of the new Maryland law that allows local jurisdictions to install enforcement cameras in school zones. (Jonathan Mummolo) Meanwhile, the state has extended the grace period for the other part of the new enforcement program, the speed cameras in highway work zones....
By
Robert Thomson
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November 4, 2009; 7:00 AM ET |
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Safety
| Tags: Dr. Gridlock, Today's Read
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Speed camera grace period extended
Maryland is being more generous than I would be: The State Highway Administration announced today that it is extending its warnings-only period for speeders in the highway work zones by at least two weeks. "We are extending the warning phase because our goal isn't to 'catch' speeders, but to give citizens an opportunity to change dangerous driving behaviors before [state police and Maryland Transportation authority police] begin issuing citations," SHA Administrator Neil J. Pedersen said in the statement announcing the extension. Pedersen is a nationally know safety advocate and supporter of the automated enforcement program for work zone safety. But I say, start sending out those $40 tickets. Lately, I've driven many times through one of the camera zones, the one on I-95 where the junction with the Intercounty Connector is under construction. There, the lanes narrow and the highway gets a little bit bendy. The lane markings aren't completely...
By
Robert Thomson
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November 2, 2009; 2:04 PM ET |
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Categories:
Safety
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highways
| Tags: Dr. Gridlock, Maryland State Highway Administration, work zones
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See and be seen on Halloween
Here's a list of Halloween safety tips for everybody from the Maryland State Highway Administration. Drivers -- Stop for pedestrians. -- Obey the speed limit. Speeding only makes it more difficult to stop unexpectedly. -- Be especially cautious during peak trick-or-treating hours between 4 and 9 p.m. -- Enter and exit driveways slowly. -- Be alert for children darting across the street. -- Watch for children crossing between parked cars. -- When driving children to and from different activities, make sure all seat belts are fastened and let children out of the car on the curbside. -- Never drink and drive. Designate a sober driver. Pedestrians -- Look left, right, and left again before crossing the street. -- Cross at crosswalks or intersections. -- Be sure to see and be seen. Avoid dark clothing, wear bright colors and use reflective devices such as vests and blinking lights. -- Avoid costumes...
By
Robert Thomson
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October 30, 2009; 5:16 PM ET |
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Categories:
Events
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Safety
| Tags: Dr. Gridlock, Halloween, pedestrian safety
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