Rock Creek Park Trail, now with fewer stop signs

Matt reports that there has been some signage changes on the Rock Creek Park Trail lately.

NPS appears to have removed the majority of the stop signs on the southern portion of the Rock Creek trail and replaced them with caution signs. The exception is the Virginia Ave crossing. This is positive because it makes clear to drivers they need to yield to pedestrians and cyclists. Having stop signs gives the wrong impression to drivers that they don't have to yield. 

 

Here's the same spot with the old stop sign

 

 

Comments

[Jeffb]

Yeah that is always dicey crossing. Drivers are in a free flow highway state of mind and very reluctant to slow and yield.

[Atlas Cesar]

Finally! That has been a huge annoyance of mine for so long. I wrote an email to someone (DDOT or Fed parks or something) a year or two ago complaining about it. "Trail users must yield to traffic" is misinformation that only serves to embolden dangerous drivers who like to "teach those joggers a lesson yuk yuk yuk". Can't wait to hit the trail tomorrow.

[Ultrarunnergirl]

FINALLY! That conflicting signage (crosswalk and fake tiny stop sign) has bothered me for years.

[Richard B]

Are you sure it's not just because bicyclists are encapable of following traffic laws because of their sense of entitlement so the NPS just said screw it.

[John]

Yeah, in fact that's why they took the speed limit signs off the Beltway last year

[Washcycle]

To answer that, you'd first need to define "encapable".

But since this is about how stop signs that were illegal and counter-productive were removed, I'm going to assume you were asking about how this will help to remove some of the sense that cyclists are scofflaws. And I agree, bringing signage more in line with the law, and safe, reasonable cycling will help to improve the perception of cyclists.

[Nathan]

There is still one stop sign left, going southbound on the trail where it crosses over the ramp to/from Calvert street (a bit south of the Zoo Tunnel). And it seems likely to stay, since there is also a big "STOP" painted on the pavement.