WASHINGTON — The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) said it is continuing to monitor eight intersections in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Northwest, D.C. after neighbors voiced complaints about traffic calming devices.
More of the reflective rods were installed along First Street Northwest just last week, DDOT spokesperson Lauren Stevens said.
"DDOT, in coordination with the Bloomingdale Civic Association, installed the bulbouts at First and V Streets NW as a way to reduce the frequency of dangerous behaviors like aggressive driving and car jumping at stop signs," DDOT Director Jeff Marootian said in a statement. "Like any new traffic safety measure, it will take time for all users of the roadway to adjust."
But neighbors like Frasier White said they are doing more harm than good.
"There was a small traffic or safety issue," he said. "Now the biggest issue is the impediment of these things."
Danette White said that cars are now pressed too close together, sometimes having to cross into opposing traffic.
"I hope that DDOT listens to the community," she said. "It may work in some communities, but it doesn’t work in this community."
Marootian said DDOT will continue to monitor the intersection "to evaluate whether the safety concerns raised by residents are adequately addressed."
"There’s no traffic calming to this at all," neighbor Charles Osborne said
Osborne said the idea does help pedestrians, but causes more problems for drivers.
"The most people I’ve talked to—and I live here—consider this to be a nuisance and a problem creator instead of a problem solver," White said.