ACHD's Road Wizard
Sunday, September 04, 2016
Red curb paint requested for Royal Boulevard; fallen street sign in "The Oaks"; lavender blocks view of oncoming traffic on Hill Road; manhole cover at Locust Grove Road and Pine Avenue gets noisy -- again.
The Road Wizard Replies
Dear Road Wizard: Who is responsible for painting curbing red in no-parking zones? The north side of Royal Boulevard between Dale and La Pointe streets is marked with "No Parking" signs, yet the curbing is not red. This must be the reason people still park there even though it's a traffic lane. Can you please get the word to the proper authorities to get this painted? Maybe that will stop people from parking there and blocking traffic.
Anonymous
Road Wizard:
"Seeing red" may be a natural reaction for drivers who encounter an illegally parked vehicle obstructing traffic. However, painting curbs as a means to restrict parking isn't common practice on public roads.
Signs are the better choice. Moving signs is easier than removing paint, signs are clearly seen at night, and they require less maintenance. Plus, they can include information such as time-of-day parking restrictions.
There are many parking restriction signs posted on this section of Royal and around the new private, off-campus Boise State University housing. However, it's easy to see how the no-parking signs on the northern side of Royal between Dale and La Pointe might be ignored by those seeking quick access to apartments.
The request to add red paint is a reasonable one since a section of curb is painted red on the other side of Royal. However, red usually indicates a fire lane, not a no-parking zone.
The various markings and signs may confuse people because each side of the road is getting a different treatment. While ACHD does not paint curbs, ACHD does give permission for other agencies to do it in certain cases. Royal is a narrow road, and fire lanes were needed to help clear space for emergency vehicles that may need to access the hundreds of new residences.
Dear Road Wizard: Who is responsible for street signs that have been knocked down? There is one in "The Oaks" subdivision between Black Cat and McDermott roads that has been knocked down.
Don
Road Wizard:
Thank you for reporting this; the signs have been replaced.
ACHD handles street signs on local public roads and knockdowns are pretty common, even more so than graffiti on signs.
Signs also need to be replaced when they wear out, but that is becoming less routine. Better quality materials mean signs that are still standing are outlasting their 10-year warrantees.
Dear Road Wizard: On the corner of Whitehead Street and Hill Road there is a lovely, but overly large clump of lavender that obstructs the view when trying to make a left turn onto Hill Road. With the new "dogbone" roundabout, cars are trickling down Hill Road making it trickier to turn than when cars traveled in a platoon. Can you help us get the lavender and anything else blocking the view removed?
Anonymous
Road Wizard:
ACHD will give the homeowner a chance to do some pruning before swooping in to cut the lavender back. I would love to get a bundle for myself.
Dear Road Wizard: The manhole cover at Locust Grove Road and Pine Avenue in Meridian clanks loudly.
Julian
Road Wizard:
It sure does! Meridian's Wastewater Division is in charge of this noisy nuisance, although ACHD has handled many similar complaints, which seem to come in every year. Meridian has fixed the manhole before, only to have the sound return, so ACHD has requested a more permanent solution.
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Road Wizard
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