Twelve motorists caught on camera: ignore DO NOT ENTER, NO LEFT TURN signs on Northwest Highway.
Most motorists agree that it is not convenient to turn in to Mariano’s Fresh Market, CD One Price Cleaners, or Walgreens in the 800 to 900 block of East Northwest Highway if the direction of travel is eastbound Northwest Highway.
A driveway at Mariano’s posts ‘No Left Turn’ for eastbound motorists on Northwest Highway.
A ‘Do Not Enter’ sign directed at eastbound motorists is also posted for two lanes that exit Mariano’s Fresh Market — one exit to eastbound Northwest Highway and one to westbound Northwest Highway.
The Mariano’s driveway curbing on Northwest Highway is configured for drivers to enter from westbound Northwest Highway, and is designed presumably to discourage eastbound motorists on Northwest Highway from turning left into Mariano’s.
A driveway at CD One Price/Walgreens posts a ‘Do Not Enter’ sign directed at eastbound motorists on Northwest Highway. There is no sign prohibiting a left turn, but the curbing is also configured presumably to discourage eastbound motorists on Northwest Highway from turning left into CD Price One Cleaners and Walgreens.
In 60 minutes, about 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Thursday, well over ten drivers ignored the the signs posted at these driveways, and made left turns anyway. Twelve of the motorists are shown on the video above. Some drove obviously the wrong way through the right turn lanes and others made sharp left-turns or almost a U-turn to enter into the entrance designed for westbound Northwest Highway motorists. Most of the left turns occurred at the CD Price One Cleaners/Walgreens driveway.
Many of the drivers that turned into the CD One Price Cleaners/Walgreens driveway backtracked to Mariano’s Fresh Market through an alley between Walgreen’s and CD Price One.
Most of the drivers were women. Several men noticed the camera and aborted their left turn.
For driver’s traveling eastbound on Northwest Highway with local experience, they will probably learn it is best to keep it legal and turn at eastbound Kensington to enter Mariano’s Fresh Market parking lot from the north side.
Meanwhile, pedestrians on the sidewalk, drivers that are legally exiting driveways on Northwest Highway, motorists that are westbound on Northwest Highway that find the illegal left-turners unexpectedly encroaching their lanes, and eastbound Northwest Highway motorists that get backed up to wait for the illegal left turns will have to take extra precautions in the area to prevent accidents. Or perhaps there is a new traffic design idea forthcoming for the area.