bgrant1220
Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Virgina
I was stopped by a Fairfax County police officer yesterday and charged with failure to obey a highway sign. This was at the intersection of Rt 50 and Lee Rd. I had just gotten off Rt 28, where the exit ramp flows into a right turn only lane at Lee Rd. The right turn only lane is rarely used, since it goes to a restricted area near Dulles Airport. It's approximately 1000 ft between the end of the ramp and the intersection, and approximately 500 ft between the end of the ramp and the signage that it is a right turn only lane. The highway is actually in construction after the intersection because the three lane highway (not including the right turn lane) converts to a 2 lane highway just after the intersection, meaning that anyone exiting Rt. 28 is required to merge not once but twice in the span of about 1200 ft. They just began working to expanding the 2 lane section to 3 to alleviate some of the traffic problems.
I don't know if anyone has driven in this area at rush hour, but it's like trying to shove 50 lbs of meat in a 4 lb sausage, and traffic backs up bumper to bumper for at least a mile or two before the intersection, both on Rt 50 and on the exit ramp on Rt 28, and VA drivers are notorious for not letting other drivers merge in. I had tried multiple times to merge into the rightmost lane that was not the turning lane (which also ends right after the intersection) with no success, and slowly moved up the turning lane. Eventually I knew the lane was ending, so I stopped all motion, had my left blinker on, and waited for someone to let me through. Eventually, someone did and I went on my way.
Apparently, there had recently (probably within the last 15-20 min before my arrival) been a minor fender bender at this merge point, and an officer was sitting just after the intersection in the merging lane where the 3 lanes turn into 2. He was just pointing at various drivers doing the same thing I did and signalling them to pull over. He did that at least 3 times that I witnessed, one before me and one after me. He ticketed the first driver with presumably the same offense as me, and let the third one go after a minute or two, I'm not sure why. The officer stated I had plenty of opportunity to merge prior to the point I did (I was about 100 ft or so before the intersection when I merged) and that they were enforcing the signage (4 right turn arrows on the roadway) because they have 13 fender benders a day in this area. I personally believe it is safer to find a merge spot where someone is willing to let you in than to try an jam into traffic in the small window of opportunity available between the exit lane and where the first sign that it's a right turn only lane occurs. I have actually witnessed other drivers attempt to to make it all the way from that exit lane from Rt 28 to the left turn only lanes, meaning they have to merge through the 3 straight lanes to the 4th or 5th lane on the left side, which I think is just suicide.
Anyway to make a long ranting story short, this offense is a four pointer in the state of VA, and I am trying to come up with the best way to fight it. I moved to Virginia a year ago and I've already taken the safe driving course, but I also have another unrelated traffic charge that I am going to court for in the next few weeks, and I am not sure how that will end up or how it might or might not affect my options here.
I was stopped by a Fairfax County police officer yesterday and charged with failure to obey a highway sign. This was at the intersection of Rt 50 and Lee Rd. I had just gotten off Rt 28, where the exit ramp flows into a right turn only lane at Lee Rd. The right turn only lane is rarely used, since it goes to a restricted area near Dulles Airport. It's approximately 1000 ft between the end of the ramp and the intersection, and approximately 500 ft between the end of the ramp and the signage that it is a right turn only lane. The highway is actually in construction after the intersection because the three lane highway (not including the right turn lane) converts to a 2 lane highway just after the intersection, meaning that anyone exiting Rt. 28 is required to merge not once but twice in the span of about 1200 ft. They just began working to expanding the 2 lane section to 3 to alleviate some of the traffic problems.
I don't know if anyone has driven in this area at rush hour, but it's like trying to shove 50 lbs of meat in a 4 lb sausage, and traffic backs up bumper to bumper for at least a mile or two before the intersection, both on Rt 50 and on the exit ramp on Rt 28, and VA drivers are notorious for not letting other drivers merge in. I had tried multiple times to merge into the rightmost lane that was not the turning lane (which also ends right after the intersection) with no success, and slowly moved up the turning lane. Eventually I knew the lane was ending, so I stopped all motion, had my left blinker on, and waited for someone to let me through. Eventually, someone did and I went on my way.
Apparently, there had recently (probably within the last 15-20 min before my arrival) been a minor fender bender at this merge point, and an officer was sitting just after the intersection in the merging lane where the 3 lanes turn into 2. He was just pointing at various drivers doing the same thing I did and signalling them to pull over. He did that at least 3 times that I witnessed, one before me and one after me. He ticketed the first driver with presumably the same offense as me, and let the third one go after a minute or two, I'm not sure why. The officer stated I had plenty of opportunity to merge prior to the point I did (I was about 100 ft or so before the intersection when I merged) and that they were enforcing the signage (4 right turn arrows on the roadway) because they have 13 fender benders a day in this area. I personally believe it is safer to find a merge spot where someone is willing to let you in than to try an jam into traffic in the small window of opportunity available between the exit lane and where the first sign that it's a right turn only lane occurs. I have actually witnessed other drivers attempt to to make it all the way from that exit lane from Rt 28 to the left turn only lanes, meaning they have to merge through the 3 straight lanes to the 4th or 5th lane on the left side, which I think is just suicide.
Anyway to make a long ranting story short, this offense is a four pointer in the state of VA, and I am trying to come up with the best way to fight it. I moved to Virginia a year ago and I've already taken the safe driving course, but I also have another unrelated traffic charge that I am going to court for in the next few weeks, and I am not sure how that will end up or how it might or might not affect my options here.