Georgetown University’s request that the Advisory Neighborhood Commission re-examine a proposal for the installation of a stop sign and crosswalk at the intersection of 37th and P Streets met with unanimous approval at Tuesday’s meeting.
The campaign for a stop sign began last summer, when Happy Johnson (CAS ‘07) became concerned with the safety of the 37th and P Street juncture while working as a counselor at Poulton Hall. After Johnson contacted then-ANC Commissioner Mike Glick (CAS ‘05), the ANC agreed to examine the issue and sent a recommendation to the District Department of Transportation, which has since installed curve warning and 15 mph speed limit signs on P Street, a few yards north of Georgetown’s campus.
The DDOT, however, rejected Johnson’s request for a crosswalk and stop sign at the 37th and P Street intersection.
Johnson asked the ANC on Tuesday evening to once again consider the issue of the 37th and P Street crosswalk, presenting the commission with a petition signed by 500 Georgetown students, faculty and staff.
“The 15 mph speed limit sign is a giant step in the right direction,” Johnson said. “However, our main contention lies with speeding cars and unobservant pedestrians who proceed carelessly at times. The need for an adequate traffic sign on that corner is imperative.”
ANC Administrator Bonnie Hardy fears that altering the flow of traffic at 37th and P may cause parking problems for both Georgetown residents and students.
“I personally feel that if we put a crosswalk before the intersection, that would require taking out parking spaces on P Street,” she said. “As we all know, parking is a very cherished commodity in Georgetown and D.C.”
Deputy Director-Chief Engineer of the DDOT John F. Deatrick shared Hardy’s doubts, saying that other alternatives needed to be considered before creating a crosswalk zone. He said that the DDOT was not eager to reconsider a plan that it had already rejected several months ago.
According to Deatrick, the DDOT refused to install stop signs and create a crosswalk because of the intersection’s proximity to a service entrance for the university on P Street. The DDOT also argued that if students need to cross the street, they have ample access to the O Street entrance, which already has a clearly designated crosswalk.
Additionally, DDOT regulations allow for stop signs only where there is confusion about which direction of traffic has the right-of-way. Since P Street is a one way street, it does not meet this particular qualification.
However, Georgetown resident Patrick Clawson, who frequently traverses the 37th and P Street intersection, says that a stop sign is necessary.
“Drivers can’t see pedestrians around the corner,” he said. “They ought to stop where everyone crosses, and to put a stop sign anywhere else is ridiculous.”
Linda Greenan, Assistant Vice President for External Relations of Georgetown University, agreed with Clawson. Over the past few months, she said she has observed that, despite laws which require D.C. drivers to yield to pedestrians and the speed limit sign, people speed around the intersection. Her concern lies not only with university students, but also with the children who attend the Hoya Kids Learning Center, located just north of the intersection.
“We understand DDOT’s regulations about stop signs, but we think that the issue should be reexamined,” she said. “A crosswalk should be instituted, particularly given that Hoya Kids are using it two to three times a day.”
