Mount Pleasant DC Forum

jack · Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 4400 Location: 19th & Lamont

Residents of the block of 17th Street between Newton Street and Piney Branch report a lot of morning commuter traffic racing up 17th, then through the neighborhood to Park Road, to bypass backups at the intersection of Piney Branch and Beach Drive. I pressed the Traffic Study group to evaluate this problem (and, maybe, propose solutions). Attached, their observation of traffic on this block of 17th. Their conclusion: the traffic observations "suggest that a substantial proportion of the traffic may be pass-through traffic". -- Jack

Tina · Joined: 07 Apr 2004 Posts: 179

Is this why there is sometimes so much traffic passing Bancroft in the mornings? I had thought it was school traffic, but it seemed more commuter-ish, with cars streaming down Newton to 18th, and then hightailing it to Park Road. Parents dropping off kids wouldn't be driving so fast. It's a big concern, obviously, with little kids walking to school around that intersection.

Tina · Joined: 07 Apr 2004 Posts: 179

BTW, I am hearing that the Transportation Study Group is considering yours and Gregg's proposal to make MtP Street one way southbound, despite intense opposition by neighbors (who have posted their opposition on the Forum). If you are at all concerned about the commuter traffic racing past Bancroft in the mornings (I saw many Maryland plates zipping past my house towards Park today), then you will drop this idiotic proposal.

I take the kids to school by going down 18th, park on Irving, and walk the rest of the way. To get onto Beach to go to work, I go back up MtP Street. If you shut down MtP northbound, then I have to go out to 16th Street, which is already a mess in the mornings. Either I take the Park Road turnabout off 16th (which is often backed up for 2-3 traffic cycles), or I take a left into the neighborhood on Newton to get to Park -- just like the commuters you mention above. Think it wouldn't be so bad if MtP were made one-way or shut down to make a pedestrian mall (as I understand Gregg has suggested)? Remember this picture that was snapped when the MtP fire happened? Gridlock all up and down Newton.

http://www.mtpleasantdc.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5877&sid=703c6a2145c548dce9750cc465274c06

MtP Street (in both directions) is actually one of the calmer streets in the mornings, so making it one way wouldn't achieve any efficiencies, but would make 16th, Park and Newton even crazier than they already are. Trust a reluctant commuter on that.

Tina · Joined: 07 Apr 2004 Posts: 179

Here's the earlier discussion of the MtP "one-way" proposal:

http://www.mtpleasantdc.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5375

leef · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 16 Location: 17th Street

I would love to see some traffic calming measures on that block of 17th Street, particularly to slow cars as they fly around the bend at the bottom of the street. My particular favorite is cars that don't slow down but instead lay on their horns as they whip around the corner. It's especially nice at 7am.

In terms of the one-way proposal for Mt. P Street, I would be extremely surprised if DDOT supported it. They have a stated preference for two-way streets based not just on traffic considerations, but also based on best practices in urban design and economic development.

Dwight · Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 310

As Jack's attachment shows, a high % of the traffic is cut through, but the absolute number of cars cutting through is very small.

The maximum observed is 27 cut through cars in a 15 minute period = no more than 2 cut through cars per minute.

Newton between Mt Pleasant Street and 18th handles over 300 cars per hour in the morning, many (most?) of which are cut-through.

I'll bet most other streets wish they had so little cut through traffic.

-- Dwight

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Jennrgolden · Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 264 Location: Newton St

[quote="leef"]I would love to see some traffic calming measures on that block of 17th Street, particularly to slow cars as they fly around the bend at the bottom of the street. quote]

Here! Here!

I love being able to come home to my 17th and Newton home using this backstreet...but it scares the hell out of me! I literally creep up the street to Newton at a snails pace (Ofetn with someone behind me honking frantically). Unfortunately I get my vendication with the honking person behind me when we are inevitably faced with some large SUV barreling around the bend and swerving manically to avoid hitting us.

I also fear for the pedistrians making their way down this street...frightening.

dsachdev · Joined: 20 Oct 2004 Posts: 402

I can confirm that Newton gets a lot of cut through traffic in the a.m. I think the most troubling thing is the great rate of speed they are traveling down the street in front of the elementary school.

Jennrgolden · Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 264 Location: Newton St

I agree, the speeds with which they fly down this street is alarming. I live on Newton between 17th and Mt.Pleasant and quite frequently hear cars screeching to a hault at the stop sign at the school...

I WISH we could get speed humps on our road even if it is just the area leading up to, through and just bit beyond the school.

Karelio · Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 38

We live on that portion of 17th street and can certify it gets a lot of speeding traffic at all times but especially during morning and evening rush hour. If cut though traffic is not an issue, then maybe speeding is... There are a few families with children living in the street and I've seen many parents use the Rock Creek park trail to take children to the school. There is even an afternoon group of 2-3 women with little ones in tow.

Do you think speed humps and better signage will make a difference?

smithdo · Joined: 27 Oct 2004 Posts: 199

on Saturday a car traveling south on 17th St buzzed through the stop sign almost hitting me on Newton and growled,

"hey *** you've got the stop sign, not me!"

That's a 4-way stop intersection.

dsachdev · Joined: 20 Oct 2004 Posts: 402

So the last few months Newton Street in the 1700 block in front of Bancroft has been a speedway of sorts starting as early as 5:30 in the morning. It almost sounds like people have been revving up their engine for the race as they leave Piney Branch.

I don't know if the closure of Broad Branch has effected this or not, but now that it is open again, I hope that things get better.

Was pretty opposed to speed bumps, but seeing as how bad it has gotten, it has made me start re-thinking. There is an elementary school there after all.

jack · Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 4400 Location: 19th & Lamont

Jennrgolden · Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 264 Location: Newton St

This is a hot button topic for me. I lurk on this board and don't say much until I'm fuming. I try to tone my rehttoric bec. of that... As I've said before I live on this street and suffer this (explitive) traffic daily with my 2 year old and 4 year olds in tow - typically with groceries and bags and the whole lot and the cars and traffic and flow is getting to me. htey don't stop to let us cross...they block the intersection turning. Most of this congestion I experience is in the morning hours (not certain of afternoon - that's my husband rotation/duty w/the kids) and is the intersection of 17th/Newton where the traffic comes down newton from 16th as well as up from Piney branch AND down the one-way poriton of 17th...they all converge on that intersection and no one is nice.

BTW, we have stopped parking on newton street because we can't get out of our parking spot in the mornings thanks to this horrible congestion. Whatever the fix is I don't know...but something's gotta give..PLEASE!