Seventh & Washington

That has happened several times (I have seen the City come out at replace the sign several times). Anyone know what gives?

Someone should post a sign: _________ days without incident.

This morning I made that left turn from westbound Washington onto southbound 7th. Decided that the island is difficult to see if you are paying attention – that might be the reason the sign is hit so many times.

I think I will avoid driving, biking and walking in that are.

Nancy, for your reading pleasure – a couple of links to similar Stopped.Watched items at this intersection, plus comments: [Link] [Link]

I checked the city’s website. There is a whole page about the construction of the island, but nothing about this ongoing problem. It lists the project manager’s contact information for those who would like to send her a message about this. [Link]

Clearly the island/sign has made the intersection less safe. That is a particularly narrow part of 7th, and forces the driver to “slalom” around the island. People turning from Washington have to make a very square turn. Sure, the drivers are still at fault, but the road design has made this stretch trickier to navigate.

I think the island should be removed. It’s not helping. Better lighting/paint stripes/rumble strips (in addition to the blinking traffic signal) might be the way to go.

It may be that the island/sign has made the intersection less safe. It may also be that the intersection was this unsafe already, but the addition of a “target” (i.e. sign) is now leaving obvious evidence of that danger.

This intersection is NOT less safe than it was before. Even though the sign has been hit by cars many times, it has forced traffic to slow down and watch for what’s going on. As a pedestrian, it’s way easier to cross the street now that the island is there. Cars actually see the people crossing the street, as well as those waiting to cross.

The island isn’t making the intersection dangerous. Drivers going too fast and not paying attention to the road are making it dangerous.

Maybe we need a sign saying, “Sign Ahead.” ;-)

Arguably more safe for pedestrians, demonstrably less safe for drivers. There has to be a better way.

I don’t see any demonstration that it’s less safe for drivers. Are there reports of drivers being injured? I think if you’re injured by hitting a plastic stick or a curb, it’s your fault, not the stick.

Less safe for the _cars_ of _inattentive_ drivers, but so are trees. Are we going to replace all the trees, too?

I cross that intersection almost every weekday. It’s not uncommon to start crossing, thinking traffic is clear, only to suddenly find yourself in the path of a car turning from Huron onto Seventh. There were many times I had to break into a run to finish crossing. The island provides a designated place to wait for those unexpected cars to go by. My thanks to the citizens who pushed the city to make this change.

I’ve started seeing more and more cars stop at this intersection for pedestrians in the cross work. And even when standing on the island. That is great behavior that may also show up in other places. People can learn.

In my opinion, this crossing needs to be illuminated better at night to improve it’s success. Headlights coming from the opposite direction make it difficult to see when/if pedestrians are on the sidewalks (in the shadows) attempting to cross. I believe this can be done without ruining the ambience of the neighborhood.

The sign has been flattened and repaired 10 times since it was put in, according to city records. [Link]

As a frequent walker in that area, I agree that the signs are helping make the intersection safer for pedestrians. Just today I was standing back on the corner, waiting for traffic to go through, when someone *stopped* to let me cross. Clearly some people pay attention to the signs! (the ones reminding you that cars should yield to pedestrians)

Why is it hard for westbound-on-Washington people to see the sign? There is a flashing overhead light. There is a streetlight on the southwest corner of 7th and Washington. The pole in front of the sign is reflective. What more do they need? Should the pole have flashing lights on it? Maybe it could be like those crossings in downtown Brighton, where lights in the roadway flash after a pedestrian activates the signal. But then left-turners would say “I didn’t see the flashing lights until after I turned and it was too late, so I had to swerve and I hit the sign.” Pshaw.