Description
Every weekday starting around 2:00 pm and lasting through 4:00 pm 52nd st. becomes a major thoroughfare for Navy traffic. They use this narrow side street as a cut through from the Navy parking lot on of Warwick Blvd to Huntington Ave presumably to head back towards I-664. Many of these individuals are speeding. The majority are also talking on a cell phone or texting while they speed down the road. Also, Navy Dept. transport vans fly down this street 24 hours a day shuttling people back and forth to the shipyard. These on duty individuals are also often speeding while texting or talking on a cell phone. The solution to this problem is simple. The city should place "No Left Turn" or "No Through Traffic" signs for these hours on every street in Huntington Heights and force people to drive to the end of the neighborhood at 71st street to turn around. These signs already exist on the Huntington Avenue side.
13 Comments
Justin (Registered User)
I worked for the City of Newport News for several years in the NNFD. I have a number of friends who are current and/or former NNPD as well as two parents who are former NNPD. Of course the first thing I did was contact dispatch about this issue. In fact, I call the police dispatch routinely about this issue, as well as the illegal parking on this street. I have also contacted Zoning, Engineering, City Council, The Huntington Heights Historical Preservation Society, and The United States Navy. Unfortunately, I have this pesky thing called a job. It requires me to be away most of the day. I cannot sit in front of my house and write down everyones tag number. I also don't have a radar gun so calling the police to report someone speeding down the street is pointless. By the time the police arrive for a non-emergency call the speeder is long gone and they only have my word to go by. I call dispatch so that they will assign a patrol car to the street which they usually do for a day or so to catch speeders, but the NNPD don't have the resources to move onto my street permanently. Even without speeders this situation is dangerous. There is simply far too much traffic for a side street. This is a traffic control problem. 52nd street is the first street that a person can turn onto after leaving the Navy parking lot on Warwick Blvd if they are planning on going back towards I-664. A Nimitz Class Carrier like the Roosevelt (Currently in Drydock at NNS) has 3200 sailors assigned to it. That is a lot of traffic coming down my street everyday regardless of their speed. The problem will only be solved with enforced signage on Warwick Blvd. that forbids through-traffic in Huntington Heights between certain hours. I will be shooting video when I have the time and posting it here, on YouTube and to the local news media. I thank anyone who takes the time to add to the discussion constructively or help to find a real workable solution to this problem.
someone (Guest)
Justin (Guest)
dulcevita (Guest)
ML (Guest)
Justin (Guest)
Pope Urban II (Guest)
megan (Registered User)
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Justin (Registered User)
dulcevita (Guest)
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Reopened Justin (Registered User)
I am becoming convinced that it is impossible to solve any problem of any kind in our society today. One segment would rather make noise, whine, and cast blame. Another spends their waking hours coming up with reasons why other peoples ideas won't work instead adding any of their own. The last group is simply trolling for opportunities to create random pockets of chaos around them. The reason I keep this issue open is that I still have a little hope that people can overcome their narcissistic tendencies, behave like citizens and collectively come up with solutions to problems.
If you are not a stakeholder in this issue, e.g you are not a resident of this neighborhood, are a city employee who is cognizant over an issue such as this, or have some other real connection or positive interest in this issue, please keep your comments to yourself. You are wasting every bodies time. Most importantly you are wasting your own, and that is a pathetic way to exist.
The City has not given me a definitive answer. Mohamed from Engineering left a message in my voice-mail stating that they can not place no left turn signs at both ends of the street, but that he wanted me to call him to discuss the matter further. I have been too busy in the last week to do that, but I plan on calling him this coming week. It is certainly possible that the City may be unable or unwilling to provide a solution. At least there will be a public record that at least one citizen was actually concerned enough to try and solve the problem. And at least I wont have to share in the collective guilt when someones child is run over on my street and people ask why no one did anything to solve the problem that led to a preventable tragedy.
With regards to the efficacy of a no through traffic sign. I have a no left turn sign on the Huntington Ave side of the street. Within its posted hours, I don't get traffic turning onto my street. Does this mean that its working? Does it simply mean that North Yard traffic is turning illegally further up the in the neighborhood? I don't really know. I know that putting up a sign is more effective that doing nothing. I also would assume that there will have to be initial enforcement of any new signs until people begin to get used to obeying them. I've found that the signs seem to work in Ghent near the midtown tunnel in Norfolk, but then there is often Police in the area. Maybe the signs won't work. Again, they will certainly work better than nothing.
Dulcevita,
If there is a no through traffic sign on your street, and shipyard vehicles, i.e, ones with Huntington Ingalls Industries, Northrop Grumman, or Newport News Shipbuilding printed on the side are ignoring it, then I may be able to help you. I work for Newport News Shipbuilding. Let me know what street you are referring to, and take pictures if you can. I can attempt to take care of it through the appropriate channels at work. If the vehicles are vendors or contractors it will be more difficult, but it is doable. You can also call the main number at the shipyard and complain. I assume that you have already done this as well as talked to the Newport News Police, so let me know if I can be of any further help.
This of course is not the most pressing problem in the world today. Contrary to what my postings may indicate, It doesn't occupy the entirety of my thoughts and energies, but it is a real problem, and we should be able to find some workable solution. I appreciate anyone who takes a genuine interest in solving this or any other issues either because they are directly affecting you or simply out of a sense of civic duty.
-Justin
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