Carrie from Westminster writes, “What’s driving you crazy? On Huron Street, between 136th and 144th, there is a lovely center divider, with lots of vegetation — trees, bushes, flowers, etc. The problem, it’s impossible to see cars heading north, when trying to turn left from the Lexington subdivision. I have to pull out to that center divider, then look for oncoming traffic, which I know isn’t legal. When turning left into the subdivision from northbound Huron, it’s difficult to see the southbound traffic as well. Help!”
That area does look lovely, Carrie, with all that vegetation that I saw from a recent drive up there. I saw the same issue you did, especially when trying to go north on Huron Street from the Lexington subdivision. It is nearly impossible to see through all the trees and bushes to know when traffic is coming north.
When I brought up your issue to the City of Westminster, they told me they would have their staff drive that area. When they did, they agreed with you, the vegetation was out of compliance with the city's code and much of it needed to be trimmed back to improve sightlines. The city wasted no time doing something about it. A week after I wrote to them, they sent out a city crew to cut back the vegetation.
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The city tells me they have specific rules around “sight triangles” for the safety of residents including drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. They say that any vegetation needs to conform to those requirements and since over 30% of Westminster is parks and open space, they sometimes need help knowing where some of their green space needs to be trimmed to keep their roadways safe.
By the way, contrary to what you might have heard or have been told, you are allowed to cross the southbound lanes of Huron from Lexington Ave. And you can stop in the median area if you're trying to go north on Huron, with the caveat that you do it in a safe manner that does not block traffic lanes on Huron Street.
Denver7 Traffic Expert Jayson Luber says he has been covering Denver-metro traffic since Ben-Hur was driving a chariot. (We believe the actual number is over 25 years.) He's obsessed with letting viewers know what's happening on their drive and the best way to avoid the problems that spring up. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or listen to his Driving You Crazy podcast on any podcast app including iTunes, iHeartRadio, Spotify and Podbean.
