The intersection at 7th and H streets NW is one of the busiest in the city. Heavy pedestrian traffic combined with lots of vehicles (including a handful of major Metrobus routes) has led to a major gridlock situation that has only gotten worse as Chinatown’s popularity has increased. One only need wait for a bus at some point above or below the spot to know how difficult it can be pass through; you can watch a single bus sit and miss three green lights in a row before it finally moves forward.
In an effort to increase pedestrian safety and hopefully also improve the flow of traffic at the intersection, the District Dept. of Transportation has made several major changes that began at 10 a.m. this morning. First, vehicles are no longer allowed to make turns in any direction. And second, pedestrian signals have been changed to allow all-way crossing, even diagonally, once each cycle.
Image courtesy the DCist tip lineNew posted signs indicate that no turns of any kind are allowed at the intersection. Variable message boards have also been placed at farther back approaches, though a graffiti tag on one of them makes it difficult to read (see right).
This is all clearly going to take time to get used to. Several drivers we observed tried to start making right turns, only to earn a bellowing “NO TURNS!” from traffic control officers. Another driver got stuck blocking the box just as the new pedestrian signal kicked in. Suddenly, they were surrounded by pedestrians from all directions.
DDOT employees passed out brochures that explain how the so-called “Barnes Dance” or “pedestrian scramble” works (the all-way crossing pattern is often attributed to traffic engineer Henry Barnes). One question answered in the brochure: Pedestrians are still allowed to cross parallel to the flow of each traffic cycle, in addition to having free rein during the Barnes Dance.
Slightly shaky video of what it’s like to walk across the intersection diagonally is below.
