Dear PoPville – Mt. Pleasant Parking Compromised Due to DDOT Safety Concerns

“Dear PoPville,

DC regulations prohibit parking within 5 feet of an alley exit. Exiting an alley can still be chancy, as everyone knows, because parked cars — especially big SUVs, or trucks — do impair the visibility of oncoming cars. Well, DDOT decided that one particular alley in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood deserved a whole lot more no-parking space than the 5 feet specified by law. The 5-foot no-parking signs were moved to 20 and 25 feet away from the alley, no doubt greatly enhancing visibility, but at the expense of four of our all-too-scarce curbside parking spots.

Protests have been rejected by DDOT, asserting that “safety is our utmost priority”. Utmost? Really? Well, look at what a DDOT contractor has done with these greatly expanded no-parking zones. One has acquired a giant backhoe, as if that doesn’t impair visibility. Another has stacks of bricks, head-high, obscuring visibility rather more effectively than any parked car. Evidently “utmost” in DDOT parlance has exceptions for DDOT contractors.”