RICHMOND, Va. -- CBS 6 Problem Solvers found drivers are repeatedly putting themselves in a dangerous situation at a Richmond intersection.
“They went through the light without turning, they supposed to turn,” Kiana Charity said while waiting at a bus stop.
When traveling on Hull Street toward Midlothian Turnpike, the right lane becomes a “right turn only” lane when Hull Street intersects with Clopton Street.
Yet, in the brief period of time our cameras were there rolling, we watched car after car after car, and even GRTC buses going straight out of the turn lane.
David Pugh contacted CBS 6 Problem Solvers after he said he repeatedly saw vehicles keep straight instead of making the right turn at Hull and Midlothian Turnpike.
“It’s always been like that,” Pugh said. “I just finally got tired of seeing it.”
Pugh said it creates a dangerous situation where drivers in the left hand lane trying to turn into the Citgo Gas Station next to the intersection won’t expect a car to be in the right lane.
“If they are back there in your blind spot you could easily whip over and not see them at all,” Pugh said.
Data from the Richmond Police Department shows 28 crashes at the intersection over the past three years.
Since we brought the issue to the city’ attention, Sharon North, the Public Information Manager for the Richmond Department of Public Works, told us transportation engineering will assess the intersection.
“Transportation Engineering will gather the crash history from the RPD and conduct a field review (go out and assess the area, monitor the traffic, look at signage, markings, etc.),” North wrote in an email.
As for GRTC, the Director of Communications, Carrie Rose Pace, said buses are allowed to go straight out of the right lane at the intersection.
“The way that GRTC has historically operated through this intersection in conjunction with the city of Richmond traffic control is to use the right hand only turn lane for the buses to continue,” Pace said.
In fact, she said there used to be a sign here that read “right turn only except for buses,” but it disappeared around 2010.
Pace said the buses need to use the lane because of a bus stop immediately after the intersection.
“It is a busy bus stop, and it’s important to make sure we can service that,” Pace said.
Pugh said that makes sense, but he said either police need to hold the other drivers going straight accountable, or the city needs to make changes.
“I don’t see why that arrow even needs to be there, or that lane needs to be a right turn only,” Pugh said.
