To the editor: One of the most dangerous spots in the county where cars are likely to collide with walkers and bikers is also one of the most obvious – the Rosslyn entrance onto Key Bridge.
Daily, bikers and pedestrians duke it out with two right-turning lanes of traffic coming off Interstate 66, drivers who just had a taste of speed and are desperate to claim a place in line to cross the clogged bridge into Georgetown.
Why did the Arlington County government invest millions in widening biking and walking lanes, only to feed them directly into two lanes of aggressive drivers?
It’s possible the county government thought it had solved the problem by adding a brief no-right-turn sign after the light turns green. How well does that work? Visit some morning, and you’ll see a surge of right-turners pouring through that no-turn light. Anyone obeying the law gets treated to honking drivers behind them.
And after the no-turn light switches off, the real combat starts. The quaint notion of yielding to walkers and bikers who have a white “walk” light disappears. Ironically, the drivers tend to respect the walkers, but not the bikers, which leaves us bikers cowering behind pedestrians.
An obvious solution could turn things around. If the Arlington County Police Department installed a traffic camera at the intersection, and also posted a stiff fine for turning right when disallowed, things would change overnight.
The same fines would be levied for failing to yield to walkers and bikers.
Richard Whitmire, Arlington
