Dysfunction Junction: “I moved my car to the right, hit the curb, and slashed both my tires”

“Dear PoPville,

Can you ask your readers if they have any experience with the hazards of an intersection near the Convention Center? Attached is a photo looking across the intersection as a driver faces west from Mt. Vernon Place, NW (in front of the convention center), across 9th St. NW towards Massachusetts Ave. NW.

The design of the intersection forces two lanes of traffic to make a relatively sharp right onto Massachusetts Ave. as they cross 9th Avenue. The intersection narrows considerably at the turn (in fact the two lanes almost appear to narrow to one lane of traffic).

Recently, a driver of a car to the left of me crowded my lane in an effort to avoid cars coming in the opposite direction; I moved my car to the right, hit the curb, and slashed both my tires. I stopped at the Marriott Marquis and the employees there told me that the exact same thing happens at least once, and often twice, a week. This seems like a disaster waiting to happen, especially for pedestrians waiting on the northwest side.

Feedback would be helpful for me to forward to DDOT.”