Thanks to all the longtime Dr. Delay readers who wrote last week to wish me well behind the wheel. The tips and road-weary gripes that came in were most welcome too. Keep those e-mails coming!
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Pavement Pogo: The southbound lane of 31st Street S is quite an adventure for the shock absorbers and suspension. Here's why: Between Seventh and 18th avenues S, there are a grand total of 22 raised manhole covers, (by "raised" I mean that a definite thud can be felt and heard when driving over them), which must be some sort of record. I don't know how many manhole covers any one street needs, but 31st Street S seems to have hit the manhole-cover jackpot.
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Westbound motorists on First Avenue N may be mistaking the bike lane at 30th Street N for a "merge here" lane. Westbound traffic becomes a bit heavy in the area near the main post office at certain times of the day. Drivers moving over into the far right lane in preparation for a right turn (north) at 34th Street/US Highway 19 are drifting right over the clearly designated bike lane, a bad habit to get into. A reader who travels this street daily on the way home from work writes that she sees vehicles routinely ignoring the bike lane and traveling up the curb, attempting to get around other cars that are obeying traffic rules by passing on the right of the vehicles. Cyclists beware.
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A concerned motorist e-mailed about the diminutive roundabout at First Street and 30th Avenue N. Larger SUVs traveling around the circle barely squeak around the curves, and vehicles pulling trailers have even more of a navigational challenge. The roundabout is unusually small in comparison to the roundabout a short distance away at Bay Street NE and 23rd Avenue, which is easily twice the circumference. One bonus for motorists unconcerned with abiding by annoying traffic rules: You can drive right over the roundabout as there are no discernable curbs, so what the heck?
Size issues aside, motorists approaching the roundabout from the north and south on First Street N appear to be routinely exceeding the posted speed limit (35 mph from the north and 25 mph, yes 25 mph, from the south).
Dr. Delay observed nervous motorists heading east on 30th Avenue attempting a left turn (north). It can be an anxious few seconds. Will the north/south traffic slow and yield the right of way? More than likely, not.
Northbound motorists on First Street N have to hop over an imposing traffic calming hump a few blocks before the roundabout. Southbound motorists have the benefit of a warning sign that the speed limit is reduced on approach to the roundabout, and a few blocks past the roundabout a digital sign clocks motorist's speed in screaming red illuminated numbers, but neither seem to slow the traffic significantly.
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Sage words from seasoned motorists: More than a few readers have gripes they wish to air publicly and thereby, hopefully enlighten some of we lesser-skilled motorists. This week's sage words are from Mike Dispenza:
"The on-ramp isn't there just to get you on the interstate, it's there to provide you with the opportunity to get your vehicle up to the same speed as the cars and trucks you're trying to merge with. The vehicles on the interstate are not going 35-40 (mph), they're going 65-plus." Thanks, Mike.
Please share your traffic concerns, comments and questions with Dr. Delay via e-mail at docdelay@yahoo.com
