Preventing Illegal U-Turns through the Pennsylvania Avenue Bike Lanes

Ryan Sigworth reports on the ongoing efforts of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) to curb illegal U-turns by vehicles through the Pennsylvania Avenue bike lanes. The DDOT is considering called a "Park-It," usually used as a wheel stop in parking spaces. "Park-Its are 6 feet long and slightly lower than the Zebras. According to a letter from DDOT to the US Commission on Fine Arts (CFA), one Park-It will go in each of the spaces between stripes along the buffer area on both sides of the bike lanes, with a maximum of 8 feet in between. On the sections where there is no crosshatched, painted buffer, such as between 13th and 14th Streets, the Park-Its will go even closer together," writes Sigworth.

Last fall, DDOT launched a pilot project with a product called Zebras, which weren't durable enough to last the winter nor were they totally successful in deterring drivers from making illegal U-turns.

Sigworth also reports on a few other measures under consideration to cut down on illegal U-turns on the street—including bike-specific signals and allowing cars to make left turns at more intersections.