Have you ever made a formal complaint with a road agency?

[NoGoodNamesAvailable]

Given that we take an unusual amount of interest in the conditions of the roads around us, I wonder how many in this form have made a formal complaint to a highway agency. By formal complaint, I mean submitting a letter, form, or email through the official channels to get some sort of deficiency addressed. I know in NY, for legal reasons, a formal complaint should usually be submitted by mail since this will make the relevant agency subject to liability for accidents or injuries if the condition isn't fixed.

I made a complaint a couple years ago to my county DPW, about a yellow trap condition which I saw as totally unnecessary given the presence of left turn lanes and fairly light traffic at the intersection. The traffic engineer basically avoided addressing my concern entirely, and just said that caution should always be used when turning left on a green ball.

I submitted another complaint recently to the county requesting a lower speed limit or at least an advisory speed on the approach to a traffic light that currently has a 55 mph statutory (unposted) limit. 55 mph is too fast to be approaching the light due to restricted sight distance, vertical profile at the intersection, and vertical curves approaching the intersection. Unfamiliar drivers could be caught off guard since the signal is very out of character for the rural surroundings. I also complained about the yellow change interval which seems way too short for 55 mph. I will let you know if it gets addressed, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Max Rockatansky]

Yes, I once filed a general loss claim over an unmarked wet paint area.  The paint streaked over the side of my car and had to be buffed out by a detailer.  The DOT in question honored my claim and reimbursed me for the detail expense.  I filed photos of the offending strip of road and the damage to my car, pretty straight forward process from there.

[RobbieL2415]

I complained to a town's DPW about a signal replacement project at a very large intersection.

Each direction has five lanes, two protected left, two straight, and one separated right turn with a yield sign. The plan was to eliminate the separated right turns and put in an LPI with a variable NTOR,Turning Vehicles Yield to Peds sign.

So when they tore out the islands, they didn't restripe a new right only lane, so traffic was basically left to make its own right only lane from an enlarged straight lane.

They also:
-put up temporary NTOR signs but did not stripe a new stop bar over the right turn "lane". IMO this caused confusion for drivers as some would ignore the sign and some would obey. If the stop bar had been there I feel like more people would have obeyed the sign.
-put up merge left and temporary lane assignment signs but did not cover them up when not in use

The head of highway operations wrote back a few days later asking for me to come into the office to discuss further, but I chickened out. It was my first time ever complaining about a road problem

[hbelkins]

I've mentioned a number of things I've seen while traveling to folks at my office, and they've generally been addressed.

I'm sure most DOTs have a formal process for registering complaints. Kentucky has web forms on the KYTC site that automatically generate emails to various personnel for action. One of my job duties is reviewing the ones for my 10-county district and responding to them, or forwarding them to the appropriate office/engineer for a response.

[jeffandnicole]

I know in NY, for legal reasons, a formal complaint should usually be submitted by mail since this will make the relevant agency subject to liability for accidents or injuries if the condition isn't fixed.

Get with the times!

That said, what you mentioned aren't really complaints per se subjected to legal ramifications, but merely observations.  I hope you provided more detail in your letters.   

You're basically saying that John Doe, with no engineering education whatsoever, should have the DPW immediately modify the intersection to your liking, versus what has been studied, documented, and approved by an engineer - possibly multiple engineers - at the DPW. I'm not saying that they are perfect, as things may slip thru. And, no matter what, you have a right to write a complaint, but claiming they are subjected to liability if the issue isn't fixed based on your single letter probably won't happen because the issue may not have been broken in the first place.  That would be reserved for more obvious issues, such as a missing Do Not Enter or One Way sign on a one way street.  A missing stop sign at an intersection.  An obstruction or pothole within the roadway.  Something that a common layman would see as a problem (say, green lights for all directions at the same time) versus something that requires more technical analysis (sight distance relative to speed limit).

As far as the traffic light goes:  Did you provide timings or video evidence that the timing is too short (under 5.5 seconds)?  Did you provide pictures showing the sight distance issue?  Is there a "Traffic Light Ahead" sign, which may be the actual problem if it's missing?

[wanderer2575]

I'm still steaming over a more-than-a-year-old issue with a traffic signal very near my home.  The signal is in 24-hour operation, but sensor loops in the pavement on the cross street would trigger its green light phase during the cycle only when the sensor was tripped, and all was well with the world.  A 2019 repaving project on one leg of the cross street tore out its pavement sensor, but it hasn't been replaced and the signal controller hasn't been reprogrammed.  The missing sensor tells the controller there is constant traffic on the cross street, with the result that the cross street gets a minimum-length red and maximum-length green every cycle 24 hours a day, and more often than not I'm sitting at a long red light on the main road with nobody around within a mile.  I've notified the city a couple times; the first time I received no response, and the most recent time I was told they would contact the county road commission (which apparently installed the signal even though these are city streets) to check it out.  Nothing has happened yet.

About 20 years ago, a new traffic signal was installed near my former condo.  The cross street is on an angle and the way the span wire was placed across the intersection, the driver of a vehicle in the left turn lane of the main road cannot see the overhead signals (to see when they turn red) when he pulls forward.  I suggested to the county road commission that post-mounted signals be installed on the two far left corners of the main road, and the response was that it was considered and determined to be unneeded.

[Flint1979]

I've filed a complaint to MDOT every year for about the last six years about an intersection on M-58. Saginaw Township has even filed complaints about the intersection. It's the intersection of State and Hemmeter and it has to do with the traffic light at that intersection. It is the scene of many accidents as well caused by people running the red light due to being frustrated with the intersection. The problem is that it lacks a left turn light which it should have just like the intersection of M-58 (State Street) and Center Road a half mile away does.

For someone going from eastbound State to northbound Hemmeter you have to cross over three lanes of oncoming traffic and the traffic is often too heavy to allow anyone to make a left turn except for the lead car at the light backing the left turn lane up in the process. Going the other direction isn't as bad because you only have two lanes to cross over instead of three. M-58 is three lanes westbound and two lanes eastbound.

[GaryV]

I know in NY, for legal reasons, a formal complaint should usually be submitted by mail since this will make the relevant agency subject to liability for accidents or injuries if the condition isn't fixed.

Get with the times!

That said, what you mentioned aren't really complaints per se subjected to legal ramifications, but merely observations.
//snipped//

Most of the complaints I've seen here so far are observations of inconveniences.

A complaint that might result in legal action would be a dangerous condition, rather than an inconvenience.  For example, if both red balls were burned out for the eastbound lanes.  That should be reported immediately by several means, including calling the police.  If it were documented that the condition existed and an accident happened because of it, there could very well be legal ramifications.  However, simply having mailed a letter would not be sufficient proof of notice, unless it was sent registered mail with signature required (IANAL).

[Scott5114]

I saw that the first southbound assurance shield on the southern OK-74 had been run over by a truck about 14 years ago, so I sent an email to ODOT. I never got a response, and the sign is still missing.

[NoGoodNamesAvailable]

I know in NY, for legal reasons, a formal complaint should usually be submitted by mail since this will make the relevant agency subject to liability for accidents or injuries if the condition isn't fixed.

Get with the times!

That said, what you mentioned aren't really complaints per se subjected to legal ramifications, but merely observations.  I hope you provided more detail in your letters.   

You're basically saying that John Doe, with no engineering education whatsoever, should have the DPW immediately modify the intersection to your liking, versus what has been studied, documented, and approved by an engineer - possibly multiple engineers - at the DPW. I'm not saying that they are perfect, as things may slip thru. And, no matter what, you have a right to write a complaint, but claiming they are subjected to liability if the issue isn't fixed based on your single letter probably won't happen because the issue may not have been broken in the first place.  That would be reserved for more obvious issues, such as a missing Do Not Enter or One Way sign on a one way street.  A missing stop sign at an intersection.  An obstruction or pothole within the roadway.  Something that a common layman would see as a problem (say, green lights for all directions at the same time) versus something that requires more technical analysis (sight distance relative to speed limit).

As far as the traffic light goes:  Did you provide timings or video evidence that the timing is too short (under 5.5 seconds)?  Did you provide pictures showing the sight distance issue?  Is there a "Traffic Light Ahead" sign, which may be the actual problem if it's missing?

In NY, the Town and Highway laws state that towns are generally not liable for damages caused by defective conditions on their roads unless they were given written notice and adequate time to fix the issue. State law also allows counties to enact this requirement for county roads by local legislation.

And courts have ruled that defects can include things beyond obvious problems like missing signs or massive potholes. If the state or a local agency is informed of a specific problem at an intersection (like the yellow change interval being too short or inadequate departure sight distance), it can be held partially liable for crashes if it doesn't conduct a proper study of the conditions at the intersection and create a plan to address the issue.

[ChiMilNet]

I filed a complaint once with Cook County, IL about the intersection of Buffalo Grove Rd and Lake-Cook, which I used to go through as part of my commute. In short, the light on BG was very short (like maybe 12-15 seconds) and let hardly any cars through, and then the Lake-Cook light was disproportionally long, as in 2-3 minutes. Understanding the traffic difference between the two, I can understand the difference in time, but the point I made was that cars on BG would often be waiting through 2-3 cycles while traffic on LC, while also a lot, had plenty of time. About two weeks later, I went through the intersection, and I noticed the light on BG was significantly longer than it used to be. About a day or two later, I got an email response back from them acknowledging my note, and that they had not only had someone out to look at it, but that they actually adjusted the timer on BG to basically double the time. I think it did increase it to well over 30 seconds, if I recall (they did, understandably, keep the light length of LC the same). I know that I was spending a lot less time at that light after that, and I was quite amazed how they not only responded but actually addressed AND fixed the issue!

[1995hoo]

Does reporting potholes count? I submit those all the time via the VDOT website's "Report a Road Problem" link, though I've never really viewed those as "complaints" per se. They're usually pretty good about fixing them within a couple of days.

Actually, come to think of it, I did submit a complaint within the past 12 months about an intersection near my house that I feel needs "No Parking Here to Corner" signs because people routinely park partly around the corner in the intersection. Street View here; notice where the Saab is parked. Pretty much every day there are cars parked like that on all four corners of this intersection. In the more recent Street View images, you can see how VDOT painted parking lanes that taper near the intersection, but the white SUV seen here is parked in a fashion typical of the people who park at that intersection in that the driver ignored the lines on the road.

VDOT came out and looked at the intersection and e-mailed to say, "That parking is illegal and we see why it is annoying, but we don't think signs are needed. Call the police to ask them to ticket cars." Stupid response: If you go one block down the street, you can see they DO have "No Parking Here to Corner" signs and they also have a "vertical line" that shows where the parking lane ends.

I think the attitude of the people who park that way clearly must be, "There's no sign that says I can't park there," and they neither know nor care that state law prohibits parking within a certain distance of an intersection. The police do come through and ticket for other things–about a quarter-mile to the east, there's a BMW SUV with expired license plates and an expired state inspection that has at least four tickets on the windshield–but for whatever reason they don't ticket these people, which just encourages them to keep doing it.

[Flint1979]

Another one I filed a complaint about was several years ago probably 20 years at least now as I'm thinking it was in the late 90's well after US-10 had been scaled back to end in Bay City and this wasn't even the last stretch US-10 was routed on. I noticed a US-10 sign on Woodward somewhere between Ferndale and Birmingham. I wrote MDOT and told them that there was a US-10 sign on Woodward and whatever street it was I can't remember now and that Woodward is no longer US-10 which they acknowledged. A few weeks after I did that I went past the same sign and noticed the US-10 sign had been replaced with a M-1 sign.

[Flint1979]

Does reporting potholes count? I submit those all the time via the VDOT website's "Report a Road Problem" link, though I've never really viewed those as "complaints" per se. They're usually pretty good about fixing them within a couple of days.

I could never do such a thing around here. There are way too many to count. I could probably complain about a stretch of a street or something though and get somewhere lol.

[NoGoodNamesAvailable]

I went out today and timed the yellow change interval at the intersection I was talking about. It's 3.88 seconds. Based on the ITE formula it should be 5.04 seconds for the speed limit, and higher for the 85th percentile speed. Hopefully at a minimum they fix the yellow change interval.

[Flint1979]

About 2-3 years ago I noticed the stop sign at NB N. Charles Street at State Street was knocked down and if anyone didn't know a stop sign was normally suppose to be there would have probably ran the sign and caused an accident. I called Saginaw City Hall and informed them about it to which they said they would get in touch with the traffic division which they did and later that same day the stop sign was back up.

[kphoger]

I went out today and timed the yellow change interval at the intersection I was talking about. It's 3.88 seconds. Based on the ITE formula it should be 5.04 seconds for the speed limit, and higher for the 85th percentile speed. Hopefully at a minimum they fix the yellow change interval.

Only if they know that.  Did you tell them it's 3.88 seconds?  It sounds like you're just assuming they're going to send someone out there to time it.

[1995hoo]

Behold the power of sending Twitter comments to road agencies!

https://twitter.com/iain_b/status/1368943276640903171

https://twitter.com/1995hoo/status/1368946195549323275

https://twitter.com/VaDOTNOVA/status/1368956945550413825

[JoePCool14]

One of the very few things Twitter has ever been good for.

The only time I've contacted a transportation agency was IDOT for correcting a pair of US/IL route shield mix-ups on Milwaukee Ave at Deerfield Rd that a contractor put up. I've written about this before on another thread, but surprisingly they fixed the error within about a month!

[SEWIGuy]

About 20 years ago, I wrote a letter to the city engineer to ask if they could put a stop sign at an uncontrolled intersection in my neighborhood.  A new housing development ramped up the traffic in the area considerably.  I was invited to be a witness at some committee meeting, which I went to, and they recommended putting one there.  It's still in place today!

[andrepoiy]

I once wrote an email to request the installation of traffic signals where my school parking lot was due to the daily backups that occur in the lot (due to cars not being able to turn due to large traffic volumes). I got a reply back, stating that the distance between the next signalized intersection was too small, citing a regional standard, and therefore they could not install a signal. However, they did tell me that there were plans to install a pedestrian crossing for the students that regularly cross over to the hospital (where there's a food court). For years, students have been jaywalking there, but still, no pedestrian crossing has been installed.

[DandyDan]

Years ago, I wrote to the Iowa DOT about the fact they had a missing speed limit sign on I-29 after an entrance ramp. It was there the next time I was there.

[CtrlAltDel]

This may not really be a complaint, but this sign was never taken down after a construction project a while back, and when I emailed IDOT about it, they told me there was still work going on in the area, which, there isn't.

[Big John]

^^ The sign in the background on the left side looks to be a temporary speed limit ahead. (Orange diamond and a white box inside.)

[CtrlAltDel]

^^ The sign in the background on the left side looks to be a temporary speed limit ahead. (Orange diamond and a white box inside.)

Fair enough, but the image is from 2018. And while those other signs have been removed, the sign in question, which was already ancient when that other construction began, remains.