Those lunchtime traffic officers are extremely annoying. Many times the don't let you cross in the crosswalk when there is obviously enough time left on the timer to make it across safely. What is the point of the timers if we can't use them? Now it's OK to have these traffic officers during rush hour, but during lunch? please.

I work in a building at the corner of 21st and K, where the traffic officers are deployed for several hours in the middle of the day. Three officers and their shrill whistles are horribly annoying - even from my 11th floor office. I would much prefer the assistance of the officers during rush hour (when they mysteriously disappear) rather than enduring their constant whistling.

It seems that the constant shrill whistling will soon become part of the background noise, and cease to have its intended effect. Isn't a whistle supposed to get your attention? If it's all whistling, all the time, what's to pay attention to?

While I appreciate a smoother traffic flow and safer pedestrian environment, I wish they would lay off those darn whistles. I like to sit in Farragut Square and have lunch, but the traffic cops with their whistles have ruined that for me.

The DPW workers should not be allowed to use those whistles. When the harsh screams of those whistles outpace the relative silence in their absence by more than 3 to 1, clearly something is wrong.

The traffic officers can stay. But their whistles must go. Soon. Please...

In my experience at watching the traffic flow where the officers are deployed during the middle of the day, they accomplish the following:

1. They actually slow the flow of traffic.
2. Their whistles are annoying.
3. They confuse pedestrians as they tend to look more at the lights.
4. They sometimes direct traffic agains the lights which does nothing but confuse the drivers/pedestrians.

I say that DPW is doing the drivers and the pedestrians a disservice and I have yet to see anything but a lousy attitude displayed by these so-called civil servants.

Are most of the people making the comments here pedestrians or drivers? I can see how it can be annoying to pedestrians. When I am walking, I tend to walk when there is no traffic regardless of what the traffic signal states. When I am driving people like me (that cross whenever) really get on my nerves and almost cause accidents darting across the street. As a driver, I appreciate the traffic cops. They keep people from blocking the box and keep traffic going smoothly...especially on 14th st. Just giving my perspectives from both sides.

From a driver's point of view, I'd love to see an officer stationed at G and 23rd Sts, NW, during the evening rush hour. The cars trying to make a left hand turn from G St to 23rd St going south to the bridges have to wait for the arrogant GW students who will begin crossing with just 2 seconds to go on the clock, very often with cell phones glued to their ears. Then, just one or two cars makes it through, one on the yellow and the other on the red.

I'm more often annoyed as a driver, so as a pedestrian, I'll wait for the next cycle so the cars have a chance to get through, too.

I agree about the horrid whistling! It actually makes me WANT to cross the street out of turn just to irritate them back. I have to hold my ears when I'm walking at lunch! Horrid. Please get rid of them!!!

To the fools who feel they can cross since "there's still enough time", you deserve to get hit by a car turning.

Once the sign changes to a flashing orange hand, you do NOT start crossing no matter how much "time" you have. This is the time when turning cars have the right-of-way. If you enter the crosswalk during this time, you are jaywalking. If you get hit, it is your fault.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/03/AR2005070300884.html

"D.C. police say it is against the law to begin crossing the street when the red hand appears, regardless of the time left."

I would love to see the law changed to say that a driver is not at fault for hitting a pedestrian who crosses against the light. Pedestrians all over DC are out of control in thinking they can walk whenever and wherever they want, and they get really taken aback when drivers assert the right to turn when the pedestrians have a "Don't Walk" sign. I find the difference between DC and New York in this respect interesting. New Yorkers jaywalk like crazy, but they almost never try to hold up traffic to do it (after all, walking in front of a New York taxi borders on suicidal). DC pedestrians seem to make it a point to try to challenge drivers--they hurry ahead to ignore the "Don't Walk" sign and they stare at the drivers when they do it, almost as a dare. When I walk downtown I make a point of waiting for the "Walk" sign unless there are truly no vehicles anywhere around (INCLUDING PEOPLE GOING RIGHT ON RED). It drives some of my scofflaw colleagues crazy, but I'm not going to be a hypocrite about it.

"If you enter the crosswalk during this time, you are jaywalking. If you get hit, it is your fault."

OK big man, put your money where your mouth is - next time someone crosses the road against the light, just plow into them, stop, and wait for the cops to arrive. Then simply explain that you were trying to teach them a lesson. Am sure that will make you feel powerful.

PJ,

Your comment is directed at me so I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't call me a fool. Plus that was a horrible comment...noone "deserves" to be hit by a car.

I am both a driver and an occasional pedestrian so I feel like I can offer both perspectives. As a pedestrian, it sucks to be rushed by cars turning when I have a walk sign. As a driver, it sucks to wait for all those people to walk accross the street when I'm trying to turn and only 1 or 2 cars get through.

I personally think that DC needs to have sensors in their lights and walking signals. There's no reason for cars to sit at a red light when there's no other cars coming and no reason for pedestrians to wait when there is no traffic.

I am no fool. Pedestrians suck, drivers suck....traffic just sucks in general.

Having once been hit while crossing with the light--nothing serious, but I did overact and put a huge dent in the guy's hood--and having had to deal with the new officers blocking traffic, I've come to the conclusion that maybe the officers should only hold up pedestrians for left-turning traffic. Left turns are tough enough to make, but to have people crossing in the crosswalks when they have a solid orange hand saying no is beyond belief.

I've crossed streets in many major cities across this land, and it seems that only the people in DC feel that they are more special than the next guy and somehow think that human legs are stronger and more durable than a machine that weighs 10-20 times more than they do.

I agree with previous posters that a pedestrian shouldn't enter a crosswalk when the light is blinking or has a solid hand. However, if you have already started to cross (with the light) and the light begins to blink, it is perfectly legal for that pedestrian to finish crossing the street. And guess what drivers, you have to yield to the pedestrian in the cross walk and give the pedestrian the right of way. A lot of the lights in DC begin to blink very quickly.

The next time someone beeps at me to "hurry up" and get across the street so they can stop blocking traffic (when they shouldn't have entered the intersection to make the left in the first place) I think I will stop and start writing "I AM A JERK" on the hood of their car with a sharpee.

I'm young so I can get out of the way quick enough, but I really hope you aggressive drivers wouldn't honk at your grandmother if she was trying to make it across the street. Maybe you wouldn't even honk though since "you deserve to get hit by a car turning" as some would say.