Just in time for your commutes home this evening, the stop signs that were promised to Hill residents by Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells have gone up on Constitution Ave. NE at 10th Street and at 12th Street. I believe that stop signs were also promised for the intersection of Independence Ave. SE at 12th Street, but I am not sure if they have yet been installed because I can not see them from my patio. There are also new crosswalks at the intersection of 10th and Constitution.
So far, there’s been some confusion on the part of drivers, but the early rush hour seems to be going smoothly. Still, be cautious when crossing these intersections while in your car or on foot or bike. Though they are undoubtedly safer now than they were yesterday, some drivers still consider “stop” a suggestion rather than a mandate.
Be careful out there, everyone!
These guys from DDOT were fantastic!
I didn’t see one at Independence and 12th last night but I did see a temporary one sitting between the lanes at Independence and 10th (I think).
That’s great. How did these come to be? Lots of letters to Tommy Wells or is there a more formal process to request one? 10th Street needs one at Maryland Ave as well.
Yes, there was temporary one at Independence and 10th last night. I’m very happy to hear that it may (will?) become permanent. It’s been a long time coming.
We got the stop signs through a year or more of relentless pressure. Wells’s office was helpful; we also contacted Ken Jarboe (our ANC rep) and DDOT office. Together those offices made it happen, but you have to keep on them as they have a lot on their plates. Emailing photos of flipped cars at the intersection helped too.
-Dan (10th and Independence SE)
It takes a LONG time. I’ve lived on this corner (10th and Constitution) for nearly 9 yrs and we went to the ANC, mayor’s office, councilmember’s office – there was even a federal study done where the feds recommended a stop light b/c the corner was so dangerous, but the city couldn’t afford to put in the light (it’s been said that stop lights cost $1million – $250K for each light) so we continued to average 30 accidents a year at this corner. Finally Tommy Wells got us our four way stop signs, which, from what I can see will help, but not solve the problem.
Drivers treat 10th street like a speedway and treat the stop signs as suggestions. I’d love to see speed bumps on 10th street, but I know there are pros and cons to those.
But for now, the four way stops at least seems to be slowing folks down. (even though it created quite a bit of congestion on Constitution during last night’s rush hour)
Please no speed bumps on 10th… Please.
Our stop sign@ Independence is cool, but makes for a hard turn around in the intersection, guess I need to find another way to get parking spaces on the other side of the street.
They did get the permanent stop signs on 10th and Independence – I even saw 2 cars on 10th able to cross. They even did the white stripes in the crosswalk painted.
OT but do the MTA buses regularly go down Independence? I walk it every afternoon and saw two today and I don’t really remember seeing any before. One turned from 11th and was barreling down Independence.
Sorry, Teri, but I would love to have them on the block between C St. and Constitution, NE. People fly down the street and last year, a neighbor’s dog was killed by a speeding car on that block (the driver never even stopped).
I just think the pros outweigh the cons, and I’d like to see people slow the hell down before someone else’s pet – or worse, child – gets hurt.
Thanks Dan for the mention. As others have noted, it have been a long time coming. FYI – I am told by DDOT that they are still planning on putting an all-way stop at 12th and Independence as well. Not sure when it will be installed.
I agree with Nichole that speed bumps on 10th would be great. As a resident on 10th (@C) SE, I’m confident that it’s only a matter of time until there’s a serious accident caused by someone zooming down 10th. It’s really frightening.
10th St NE does have way too many folks flying down it. I think if you want to get the speed humps, all you need is a petition with a majority of signatures or something like that. Given that 10th St has no traffic lights from North Carolina Ave SE all the way to H St NE, it’s going to continue to have more than its fair share of traffic along it, esp now that Constitution isn’t going to be so hard to cross.