5th St. & B St. Intersection

The intersection of 5th Street & B Street has some traffic issues, and also hides a street name change:

• This intersection marks the boundary between Russell Boulevard (to the west) and 5th Street (to the east).
• On Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings, the Davis Farmer's Market cones off one of the two eastbound lanes on 5th Street, just past this intersection. Be ready for a quick merge!
• The left-turn lane from northbound B Street onto westbound Russell Blvd is one of the longest waits in Davis. You are almost always better off turning left onto 4th Street instead, and then turning right on University Avenue. You'll usually be able to make a left turn onto Russell Blvd from there before the left turn light at B Street goes green.
• Pedestrians beware when crossing Russell Blvd on the west side of the intersection. Cars making a right from Russell Blvd onto B Street have a yield sign, but are rarely going slow enough to actually yield to a walker. The high bushes at the corner don't help matters, as it makes pedestrians that much harder to see. The bushes have been cut back.
• Under the proposed redesign of Fifth Street through downtown Davis, bike lanes would be added to Russell east of A Street, and cars heading east toward B would have one lane for turning right, and one left lane for staying on Fifth. In the op-ed article that appeared in the Enterprise in February, the road diet proponents note that the amount of traffic going onto B is nearly the same as the amount of traffic continuing straight on Fifth.

2007-09-22 13:09:58   why are the cones there during the farmer's market. It makes no sense. Are they trying to prevent people from making rights onto C? —MattHh

2007-09-22 14:12:48   Its suppose to slow down traffic so people can cross 5th street easier. —JamesSchwab

2008-07-04 01:44:14   I would also assume that it is easier for people to cross the street with one lane of traffic over two. If one car stops for pedestrians with both lanes open, you still have to wait for (hope for) the other lane to let you go. With one lane, one kind motorist is all you need to clear your path (for one direction of traffic at least).

—MichaelAWoods

2009-04-08 16:04:41   But It's weird that they add the cones in order for pedestrians to cross there when there's no crosswalk or stop sign. They're basically facilitating jaywalking. It makes sense to try make it easier to cross from the parking lot to the market, but other then inferring from the cones, how are motorists supposed to know to yield to pedestrians crossing in the middle of the street? It seems dangerous, because just having the cones there does not legally require motorists to yield to a pedestrian trying to cross. Pedestrians and most motorists familiar with the area know the routine, but it is probably confusing for drivers new to the area. A good fix would be to post a temporary pedestrian crossing sign. A temporary crosswalk might be more difficult, but it's probably possible. —MatthewPearson

2009-07-31 22:24:45   I thought it is legal for a pedestrian to cross at any street corner even if there isn't crosswalk. —Kehaar