The in basket: Jerry Darnall of Kingston writes, “I travel Bond Road on a regular basis. Very few left-turn lanes exist, and many times I see vehicles pass stopped left turners, often at high rates of speed, on the right, particularly at the Bond Road/Pugh-Foss Road intersection.
“Recently I witnessed a Kitsap County Sheriff do that very tactic. I have even been passed on the right going into Kingston with some driver using the ferry holding lane as a passing lane, which is very scary, considering the number of local residents using that as a sidewalk when there is no ferry traffic.
“It’s my understanding that to drive over the fog line is considered ‘driving off the roadway.’ Am I wrong?” he asks.
“We seem to have more and more advisory signage.. seat belts, burning material, pictured school buses, etc … How about strategically placed signs advising ‘Passing stopped vehicle on right illegal,’ especially at Pugh and Bond Road, as this seems to be a current high accident intersection.
“(Are there) any plans to add a left turn lanes at that intersection?” Jerry asked in conclusion.
The out basket: Jerry is correct, crossing the fog line to pass on the right is against the law, but as with speeding, it’s a common violation. I confess to doing it myself, albeit at a very low speed after coming nearly to a stop. Those who do it without slowing run a great risk of hitting a bicyclist or pedestrian on the shoulder, not to mention another driver who belatedly decides to commit the same infraction and pulls out of line to the right.
Despite the examples of signs that Jerry mentions stating other laws, the prohibition of passing on the right while crossing the edge line is not one of the “rules of the road” the state wants to spend money on signing.
“We typically don’t sign the ‘rules of the road,’ as the same rule or law applies everywhere and is widely known,” says Steve Bennett, state operations engineer for this area. “If we began posting signs stating, “Passing Stopped Vehicles on Right – Illegal” we could add hundreds of signs to the state inventory with probably little effect. Signs like this do little to stop aggressive drivers from passing on the right, even though they know it is illegal.
“In terms of Pugh Road, we have no plans, meaning (no) legislative approval or funding, to widen the highway to add a left turn lane (there) at this time.”
I to use Bond Road, but the main problem is Minder Rd and Port Gamble Suquamish Rd. Since the state “corrected” the intersection at Port Gamble Rd and St Hwy, allowing no left turns off or on to St Hwy, you are forced to turn left unto Minder rd. at either end neither one has a turn lane or any signs. The left turn is right across from Kingston Lumber exit, people pass on the right all the time (at high speed)most likely because of the 50 mph sign that is 30 yards up the road. How about moving the speed limit sign past the intersection that the state thinks is really okay.
I’m pretty sure there is at least one sign prohibiting passing on the shoulder… It is just past Allyn on highway 3 where there is a left turn onto Grapeview.
I just had to comment on the article in “Road Warrior” since I have written about that very same intersection in the past. We still can’t understand why someone from the state can’t do something about this as there have been several fender benders there and one of our neighbors has been rear ended there in the past.
You have people heading towards Kingston turning left onto Foss Road and the ones coming from Kingston towards Poulsbo turning left onto Pugh (both roads are opposite each other). When you add to this mix, drivers waiting on Foss Road and Pugh Road to turn onto Bond (or go straight across) and then the drivers turning onto one of the two roads, it’s just a disaster waiting to happen.
Each night we turn to go home onto Foss, it doesn’t matter how far in advance you signal or how soon you start applying your brakes, you have someone passing on the right and it’s gotten ridiculous. I don’t understand why the county and/or state (not really sure who’s responsible) wants to wait until someone gets killed there.
Just wanted to add my two cents worth on the possibilities of what will inevitably happen…….
Patty, just this evening at the Mukilteo ferry terminal I watched a guy with a walker start to enter an intersection against a don’t walk sign before someone stopped him, despite the fact that he was moving about as fast as a Jaime Moyer changeup. He is a local and is well known for doing this. He was not confused at all, just didn’t want to wait for the walk signal. Several others did cross against the signal, yet it is always government that “has to do something before someone gets killed”. I have plenty of pictures of people doing things that other people claim “is going to get someone killed”, yet they clearly don’t think it will happen to them. How simple and inexpensive it would be if personal responsibility became a more valued piece of our culture. One can dream….