Police Issuing Tickets to Slugs/Drivers??

Police Issuing Tickets to Slugs/Drivers??: As recent as May 21st, it has been reported to me that police are threatening to issue tickets to drivers who stop for slugs at 14th and Pennsylvania. Earlier this month other reports were received for 14th and New York.

Perhaps The District Department of Transportation can help!

https://ddot.dc.gov/

Email: ddot@dc.gov

55 M Street, SE, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20003
Phone: (202) 673-6813 or (202) 442-4670
Fax: (202) 671-0650
TTY: (202) 673-6813


There is also a link to "Ask the Director" of DDOT. The email is not provided but here is the webpage link:

https://dcforms.dc.gov/webform/district-department-transportation-ask-director

Maybe the DC Police Department can help:
300 Indiana Avenue, NW, Room 5059, Washington , DC 20001
Phone: (202) 727-9099
Fax: (202) 727-4106
TTY: 711
Email: mpd@dc.gov
Web: https://mpdc.dc.gov


Just like above, here is the contact form to Ask the Chief:

https://dcforms.dc.gov/webform/metropolitan-police-department-ask-chief


Edited by admin2 - 13 Nov 2020 at 11:26am

Yes, please don't have meetings (where you expect working people to attend) during working hours.

The meeting with DDOT took place on June 19th five members of the slugging community and five DDOT officials. Purpose of the meeting was to discuss ongoing issues and concerns regarding 14th Street and L'Enfant. Many thanks to the five slugs who took the time away from work to voice our concerns!

Here are some of the highlights from the meeting (names removed):

At a high-level, the following topics were discussed:
•     14th Street NW Corridor (from 14th Street NW and H Street NW to 14th Street NW and Independence Street NW intersections)
o     The afternoon/evening rush hours are very congested as drivers and riders commute home.
     See District Mobility Project Study (https://districtmobility.org/documents/district-mobility-project-summary-report.pdf) which also cites this area as a major
     The 14th Street NW and New York Avenue intersection is dangerous for drivers trying to reach curb lane to pick up waiting passengers.
•     TCOs working this intersection have physically prevented passengers from getting into stopped cars.
•     TCOs only targeting slug drivers while at the same time allowing Uber/Lyft to load/unload at same location.
o     Starting Thursday nights, three southbound lanes of 14th Street NW starting at the intersection of 14th Street NW and Madison Drive NW narrowed from 3 to 2 lanes as Food Truck vendors park cars to hold “spaces” for weekend vending.
     This was an earlier concern that was supposedly mitigated a year ago by DDOT. Now that it is summer, this practice of “saving” parking spots along the Mall area has restarted.
     DDOT (Mr. XXX) said that they would look into the issue and mitigate the problem, if any.
o     Northbound AM is impeded due to tourist busses double parking in front of Reagan building.
     Both Metro PD and the JW Construction Company park vans and vehicles along the curbside lane at 14th Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, narrowing the lanes from 3 to 2, preventing vehicles from making right hand turns from the curb lane.
•     Parking vehicles impede traffic flow.

•     L’Enfant Slug drivers/riders
o     Concerns about the safety of picking up riders at the 7th and D NW streets.
     Drivers cross 2 lanes of traffic to get to the on-ramp for I-395 southbound for Springfield and beyond.
o     Dept. of Homeland Security/GSA vacating offices from old St. Elizabeth Hospital to WeWork spaces will put additional stress on 14th Street NW corridor.
o     A request from Slugging Community to move slug location to another location to help ease congestion.

•     Traffic Control Officers’ Behavior
o     Since May 21, 2018, Virginia drivers and slug riders along the 14th Street NW Corridor are being harassed and screamed at by TCOs.
     According to social media posts, this happens every few years.
     Problem is resolved and then is resurrected.
o     TCOs threaten drivers with tickets if they don’t move along (aka “you’re impeding traffic”).
     Several have been seen taking down license plate numbers.
     Several TCOs have been noted screaming obscenities at drivers
     TCOs are discourteous and rude
o     TCOs not allowing drivers to make right-hand turns into curb lane to pick up waiting passengers.
o     Presence of TCOs at key intersections is not consistent.
     Sometimes TCOs are in place on Thursdays, but not Fridays or on days when traffic congestion is light
o     TCOs will let pedestrian cross intersections first, preventing drivers making right hand turns.
     Sometimes the drivers will wait several light cycles before they can turn south on 14th Street NW.
o     TCOs have physically prevented riders from getting into slug driver cars.
     Mr. Chung said that a TCO officer closed a car door on his arm when he was trying to get into a car.
•     This has happened twice.

•     Tourist Busses and vehicles
o     Various transportation company busses double park to load/unload tourists at some of the same locations (African American Museum, Reagan Building) of slug lines, impeding flow of traffic.
o     Transportation company busses often run red light at 14th Street NW and Madison Drive NW, causing further congestion.
o     Tourist busses double park on New York Avenue, preventing commuters to exit parking garages

•     Slugging Community
o     Sought assistance from DDOT to help them get home safely and quickly.
o     If there are not people waiting at the designated stops, slug drivers move to the next stop.
o     Recognition by DDOT that Slug drivers/riders are part of the commuter solution.
o     Requested the TCOs receive customer service training on how to be courteous to drivers.
o     Requested to provide a proposal to suggest new options for one of the L’Enfant slug lines.
     Ms. XXX, Mr. XXX, and Mr. XXX will draw up a proposal to move slug line and to socialize plan with Slugging Community.
     Will use word of mouth and social media to inform community about pending changes, if any
o     Requested to help improve the transportation/commuting issues within Metro DC.

•     Suggestions for Improvement
o     Designate am/pm hours of the day where the 14th Street NW corridor is limited ONLY to the loading/unloading of passengers.
     No vehicles allowed to park during these hours along either side of street, including Metro PD vehicles and construction trucks working on the Wilson Office Building.
     This practice is done in European cities.
o     At highly congested intersections (14th Street NW and Pennsylvania NW and 14th Street NW and New York) add additional light cycles, allowing pedestrians to cross and cars to enter intersection or turn without dodging pedestrians.
o     Better signage along 14th Street NW corridor
     Add designated signs for slug lines curbside and noting that these areas are for the loading/unloading of passengers only.
o     Better enforcement (towing/ticketing) of parking violators along 14th Street NW prior to pm rush hour.
o     Hold a community town hall to better address this issue.
•     The Slugging Community pressed DDOT to set up another meeting to follow-up on these identified concerns.
o     Ms. XXX will send a meeting invite for a July meeting.
o     Time and Place TBD.

In addition, a proposal was made to DDOT to provide a pickup at 14th Street and New York Avenue with Return to Springfield. This proposal was pitched as "14th/New York Express" such that drivers do not stop if no slugs are waiting in line.


Again, many thanks to the awesome slugs who organized the meeting, prepared briefing slides, and took time away from work to represent us all!!

Edited by admin2 - 25 Jun 2018 at 5:54am

This is late to the party, but has anyone brought up the congestion in front of 300M (Navy Yard line) to DDOT, etc.? 

It used to be once imagined by the use of countless when the road was once moved and stun, happened. The 'stacking zone' is scarcely the length of the constructing entryways. There are slugs, van swimming pools, ubers, cabs and transport transports that discontinue there, moreover to the infrequent unlawful driver stopped promptly inside the middle of the chaos. There is a metered parking zone beside the tree, reputable the spot DDOT put us. Within the event that anyone is stopped there, it very well could also be excessive for drivers to peer slugs and it moreover confines stopping there.