Life in the streets. Documenting the culture of intersections.
Street narratives, public service announcements, ideologies, and other stories from the asphalt.
Do you feel strongly about an intersection? Please share your street story!
Snap some photos or a quick video with your digital camera. Record an audio file, write a haiku, paint a picture.
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Documenting Yield-Law Violations in New York City, but Where Are the Police? →
Motorists commit about three potentially life-threatening traffic violations every minute at city intersections, clocking in at a stunning 157 each hour, according to the Transportation Alternatives report: From Chaos to Compliance.
And drivers don’t give way to pedestrians, cyclists, and other vehicles 24 times every hour — even though that same crime caused the second-most crashes in the city two years ago, the transit advocacy group’s study found.
- An average of 117 violations an hour
- Drivers disregarding traffic signals 44 times an hour — a total of 350 incidents
- Drivers disregarding traffic signs 23 times an hour — a total of 180 incidents
- Drivers disregarding roadway markings 16 times an hour — a total of 127 incidents
- Drivers failing to yield to pedestrians 14 times an hour — a total of 113 incidents
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Beaverton, Oregon - Wait 5 years for safe school crossing?
Someone named “Elaine” left a comment about her experiences trying to improve the transportation environment around a new public school in Beaverton (about 8 miles west of Portland).
She wrote (emphasis mine):
“As a PE teacher helping to open a new public school in Beaverton, I find myself up against a slightly different battle. Our school lies just north of a busy Washington County Rd with a 45 mph speed limit, and within a new housing development (which does have good sidewalks). The sidewalks and bike lanes along this main road (south of the school) are limited, but many of the neighborhoods that will feed into the school have great walk and bikeability.
It’s really just this one busy road that’s the crux. There is no designated crosswalk to get kids across this busy intersection and into the neighborhood where this school is located.
I’ve tried connecting with Safe Routes, the BTA, Washington Co DOT, and our Districts’ transportation department. Unfortunately, all I’ve heard is that it can take up to 5 or more years to put in a crosswalk and make the necessary infrastructure changes so that the kids who live 1/4 mile away from school will be able to walk and bike.
For the forseeable future and starting this September almost 450 of our 500 kids will be bused from 1/4 mile away for the next few years. It could cost the district so much more in transportation costs then it will to install some crosswalk signs.
I’m frustrated more with the planning side of this, when areas get developed, and why sidewalks and crosswalks are not mandated by a town, city or county before construction takes place. It’s a safety issue and a public health issue.
We do have some enthusiastic parents at our school who are also passionate about walking and biking to school. I hope they can make some noise and get things moving along faster than 5 years.”
via BikePortland
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Any object within the sight triangle that would obstruct the driver’s view of an approaching vehicle (4.25ft in height) should be removed or modified or appropriate traffic control devices should be installed as per the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Obstructions within sight triangles could be buildings, vehicles, hedges, trees, bushes, tall crops, walls, fences, etc.
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Departure sight triangles provide adequate sight distance for a stopped driver on a minor roadway to depart from the intersection and enter or cross the major roadway. These sight triangles should be provided in each quadrant of a controlled intersection.
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Every Corner is a Crosswalk, Every Crosswalk is an Intersection
You must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians crossing at specially marked pedestrian crossings or crossovers.
Remember, signalling does not give you the right-of-way. You must make sure the way is clear.
Text reblogged from sara elizabeth.♥
Attention All Drivers
Anyone who walks, drives, or bikes around a city knows the frustration when someone doesn’t yield apropriately. Like Sara says:
Pedestrians always have the right of way.
Always always always.
ESPECIALLY when they follow all of the rules.When I press the button for the crosswalk and it gives me the walk sign, and you are allowed to turn left as long as there isn’t any oncoming traffic…that means I GET TO WALK BEFORE YOU DRIVE THROUGH THE INTERSECTION.
:( :( :(
it’d be great if I never come close to getting hit again. once is enough, thanks.
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Hoboken, New Jersey: 25ft of intersection clearance
In Hoboken, NJ, the law is no parking within 25 feet of a crosswalk. There is a very small, painted stripe to help drivers know where the parking zone starts. This demonstrates a very affordable way to “sign” intersections should a similar intersection buffer law be enacted in Portland.
This is a complaint from someone who received a ticket.
“Here’s what I came out to this morning.(apparently given on sat. at 8.30 am), a 54 dollar ticket for parking within 25 feet of a crosswalk. I left plenty of room to handle the fire hydrant (and the entire intersection was flooded when I parked, so I doubt you could even see any lines on the curb)–a great infrastructure we have here. This is really obscene. You can see the little white lines on the other side of the street–supposedly HPU is marking where it’s really ok to park, but I leave that to you to figure out. Peter Cunningham had sent an email about this a few weeks ago.”
via Hoboken 411
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I love how green Portland is, and I’d probably be the last person to ask someone to move their plants. However, they do occasionally pose a problem for visibility at intersections. How can this section be repaired while respecting the plants?
Or better yet, we could welcome even more plants, which could slow traffic and make an otherwise double-yellow striped intersection more blissful. But how?
Intersection 911 is a project of BOZZmedia
