ACHD's Road Wizard
Sunday, June 16, 2019
Trouble driving up to a drive-up mailbox just south of State Street on 16th Street; more signs not a solution for lack of yielding to U-turns onto Chinden Boulevard from Eagle Road northbound; water seepage at Shamrock and Goldenrod avenues
The Road Wizard Replies
Dear Road Wizard: Love your column! There is a drive-up mailbox just south of State Street on 16th Street, beside the Rite Aid store. Parking is allowed right up to the mailbox, which actually defeats the drive-up purpose! You have to park in the no-parking zone and maneuver around your car on foot to reach the street-facing mail slot. On weekdays, during working hours, it makes the mailbox impossible to use safely. It's easier to keep on driving to the post office on 13th and River streets than to try and use the non-drive-up, drive-up mailbox on 16th! Can you use your magic wand to "study" the problem?
Laura
Road Wizard:
This question didn't come in an envelope, but if someone needs to use a mailbox to send a letter to the Road Wizard, the access needs to be clear!
The City of Boise posted the "No Parking" sign some time ago, but the location is less than ideal. So ACHD is going to simply move the sign 10 feet to the south.
Before readers head to the mailbox to send in letters about restricting parking at other mailboxes, please be aware that ACHD doesn't typically post "No Parking" signs for mailboxes. Parking restrictions need to be enforceable, have police support, and can't be marked everywhere. An agreement must be reached that the no-parking need is significant enough to warrant enforcement.
Dear Road Wizard: Daily I see drivers making a righthand (eastbound) turn onto Chinden Boulevard off of Eagle Road northbound who do not yield to those making U-turns, narrowly avoiding collisions. Most are barely attempting to even stop beforehand and are only looking at the traffic potentially coming eastbound at the intersection. Is there anything that can be done other than the tiny sign placed at the traffic signal?
Anonymous
Road Wizard:
There is a standard-size "Yield to U-turns" sign on the signal mast, but many drivers ignore it. Would a bigger or brighter sign help drivers follow the rules?
At Eagle Road and Fairview Avenue, there is a sign placed next to the right-turn lane before the intersection reading, "Right Turn on Red Must Yield to U-turn." And at Eagle and Ustick Road, there is a light-up sign for the Ustick Road approaches that displays a "No Right Turn" symbol when U-turns are legally permitted on Eagle Road.
However, drivers are failing to yield, regardless of the signs, so more and/or bigger signs are not necessarily the answer. But better driver attention and habits can help with behavior at U-turn intersections. Fortunately, crashes between right-turning and U-turning drivers are rare and tend to be minor when they do occur.
Dear Road Wizard: At Shamrock and Goldenrod avenues, water seeps over the sidewalk and into the street. It's not runoff and seems to be present all summer long (for several years). Is it from an irrigation pipe? Who is responsible for irrigation plumbing under the streets?
Bob
Road Wizard:
This type of thing is pretty common during irrigation season, and it does appear to be an irrigation issue. ACHD doesn't typically get too concerned about minor water seepage unless there is evidence that it may be damaging the underlying substructure of the roadway. It is up to the adjacent property owners and the irrigation owners to repair any leaks.
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Road Wizard
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