A little while ago, I wrote about the challenges of all of the traffic roundabouts that were being added to the roadways in our areas. One of the big complaints was that officials had done very little to educate drivers on how to use these things. Now Virginia’s Department of Transportation has developed a primer on using roundabouts that provides, through text, drawings and even video, the rules of the road as they pertain to these devices.
By going to www.virginiadot.org/info/faq-roundabouts.asp, you can get information on how to approach a roundabout and what you should do if you are turning left, turning right or going straight through. This information page does a very good job of answering some of the questions one might have about the reasons for adding roundabouts as well as how to get through them.
Brian writes: “At the intersection of Colesville Road (Route 29) South in Silver Spring, there is a dedicated left turn lane for traffic wishing to go south on Georgia Avenue. For whatever reason, it appears that some Metrobuses believe that the law does not pertain to them, as they will make this left turn from the middle lane on Route 29, which is clearly marked by an overhead sign for straight-ahead traffic only. [The other] morning, I was almost clipped by the Z11 bus at 6:37 a.m.
“How can/should I attempt to have Metrobuses follow the regulations?”
Metro officials say they are very interested in hearing about any incidents in which bus drivers are not obeying the laws or the rules of the road. They ask that you call the number printed on each bus (202-637-1328) and provide them with the following information: the time and location of the incident, the bus’s route number and the four-digit bus number that is also printed on each bus. That information will be passed along to the proper bus depot for investigation.
Martin writes: “This morning while looking for a parking space at the Metro lot, it occurred to me that if I could not find a spot because the lot is full and it is after the gates came down (let’s say 9 a.m. or later), I would be charged with parking when I leave the full lot. I did not get a chance to park; I just looked around for a spot. With no one manning the booth I would pay the maximum amount because I did not even enter the Metro system. This just does not seem fair, and is this a correct observation?”
Yes, that is correct, although the chances of it happening are rather slim. If you get into a parking lot that has yet to fill up and if it fills while you are looking for a space, there is virtually no way for Metro’s system to take account of it. The only solution would be for Metro to require everyone to use their SmarTrip card on entering and then, if that same card exits within a certain amount of time, say 15 minutes, to not charge it. As you know, that would require new equipment to be added at the entrance points and isn’t likely to happen anytime soon.
