There are some new traffic signs in the District that seem to be more of a hindrance than a help. I noticed them while driving eastbound on L Street NW and wonder where else they have been placed. At the intersections with 15th and 14th streets there are signs that have a right-turn arrow in a red circle with a diagonal red line, the universal symbol for something being prohibited. They state that from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. you can’t make a right turn any day of the week. But why? Fourteenth Street especially is one of the feeder roads to get out of town and would seem to be a destination. Interestingly, the road between these two has no such sign, although once on that street you can only go one block and must then turn right or left. Is there a safety concern? Is there some need to manage the traffic flow through this area at a time when the volume of traffic is light to the point of being non existent? I’ve asked the question of the DOT and am still waiting for an answer.

Lights out at Vienna Metro

Speaking of safety, Jim writes: “I get on the Metro at Vienna around 6 a.m. For the past three to four weeks, the lights covering the whole length of the South Entrance area — about two full city blocks — have been out or are not on at that time of the day. I have repeatedly informed the Metro employees that sit in the booth about the issue. They have confirmed that others have complained and the Metro employees stated that they have called the office almost every day on this issue. To date neither of us have gotten any action.

It would seem that Metro needs a price increase to ensure the safety of its riders or maybe they should check on whether their staffing levels are accurately deployed. Instead of paying five employees to gather around the Vienna booth at 5 p.m., maybe they can reallocate those resources to address the safety of its riders and change the light bulbs or what probably is the problem is to check the timer on the lights.”

The problem is that there has been a water leak shorting out the lights in that area. It’s not clear where the water is coming from or why this is a new problem, but Metro says it will install a portable generator that will keep the lights on in the mornings until the bigger problem can be resolved.