DIFFERENT TAKES ON 'STANDING' - The Washington Post -

A few columns ago, Dr. Gridlock asked readers whether they knew the meaning of "No Standing," a street sign often seen in the District. Growing up in the West, I had never heard of it. We got a lot of letters from good-hearted souls who think -- some in the most authoritative way -- that they know the answer. I suggested that the answer might not be what you think, and these letters make the point: This sign confuses a lot of people.

Later in the column, the top city parking officials provide the definitions of "No Standing," along with "No Parking" and "No Stopping," and what "Double Parking" means. Some of their answers are surprising to me, too.

Here is a sample of the responses: Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I can identify with the people who are puzzled by the "No Standing" signs in D.C. I came to this area from a small town in Alabama, and the first time I drove into the District I was amazed to find a parking spot right on the street.

The only signs I noticed said "No Standing." Having never seen signs like these before, I decided they must mean the same as "No Loitering," or maybe a warning to pedestrians not to stand too close to the curb because of the dangers of traffic. I knew I was not doing either, so I parked and left for my appointment near 18th and M streets NW.

You can imagine my surprise when I returned and found a ticket on my car as well as a "Tow Now" sticker slapped across the back window. I am still not sure what "No Standing" means, but I have learned to hunt for a garage. TRISHA CARR McLean Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I was born and raised in Washington, and it has always been my understanding that to "Stand" means to temporarily take a parking place while the vehicle engine is running. ANN MARIE SLATTERY Laurel Dear Dr. Gridlock:

"Standing" means you have stopped the car, remained with it and turned the engine off. W. PAUL BLASE Alexandria Dear Dr. Gridlock:

"Standing" means sitting in your vehicle with or without the motor running. TAWANA L. ARMSTEAD Washington Dear Dr. Gridlock:

Tut, tut! Thou writest a transportation column for this major urban area but knowest not the meaning of "No Standing?" It may be as confusing as Old English, but "No Standing" simply means no parking, no standing still with your engine running, no standing still with your engine off, even for just a minute while you:

Wait to pick someone up.

Have your kids take the groceries out of the trunk.

Make a quick call.

Check your makeup.

In other words, "No Standing" means KEEP MOVING. TERRY L. SULLIVAN Silver Spring

Tut, tut! That doesn't match up with the D.C. government definition. Nobody's got it yet. Please keep reading. Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I always thought "No Standing" meant not to stop and wait in that particular area covered by the sign. JEANNETTE L. HARITAN Bowie

That's what Dr. Gridlock thought, too. But that's too simple. Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I believe it means no idling. KATHLEEN B. JACKSON Arlington Dear Dr. Gridlock:

"Standing" means coming to a full stop but remaining inside the vehicle to wait for passengers. JESSE SMITH College Park Dear Dr. Gridlock:

It never occurred to me that anyone would have trouble with the sign. It seems obvious to me that "No Standing" means that you cannot park your car in that spot and then stay in the car. RONALD SEMORE Washington

It's not so obvious. Dear Dr. Gridlock.

"No Standing" means I may stop and let out a passenger, but I may not await his or her return. JOANNE DROPPERS Arlington

You're warm. Dear Dr. Gridlock:

To me, "No Standing" means no waiting. In other words, you can't wait while someone you've dropped off runs an errand. And you can't wait to pick up someone if they aren't there when you arrive. PAMELA CHAPPELL Bethesda

Getting warmer. Dear Dr. Gridlock:

"No Standing means that a brief, attended stop is allowed (e.g., to let off a passenger), but an extended stop (to wait for the passenger to return from shopping) is forbidden. CHARLES H. CHREITZBERG Severna Park

That's about the best of the answers. You win a mythical Golden Hubcap Award, Mr. Chreitzberg.

Now let's open the envelope.

Dr. Gridlock is trying to focus today on what the regulations are in the District because that's where so many of these signs are. I don't contend that the suburban regulations are exactly the same. It is enough to tackle the city today.

The sources for the answers are Gwen Mitchell, administrator of the D.C. Department of Public Works Transportation Systems Administration, and Warren Ramseur, chief of parking control. Here are their interpretations of the D.C. municipal regulations:

NO STANDING: Means you can't stop except "momentarily" to drop off and/or pick up a passenger. Dropping off means passengers are getting out right away. Picking up means passengers are "approaching" the car. "It doesn't mean that they are on the third floor or are two blocks away," Ramseur said. This doesn't apply to deliveries, pickups or errand-running. No dry cleaning, no banking and no bill paying.

D.C. parking-control aides, under Mitchell and Ramseur, issue most of the citations for parking offenses while police concentrate on violent crime. If an aide sees an apparent violation, Mitchell said, the aide generally will ask the driver to move on before issuing a citation.

NO PARKING: Surprisingly, you can park under some exceptions, such as drivers who are dropping off and/or picking up people or freight. You can deliver a piece of furniture in a NO PARKING zone. You can drop off packages. Delivery services, the U.S. Postal Service and couriers use this exception, but the exception is not limited to commercial interests. The keys here, according to Mitchell and Ramseur, are that drivers not stay for an "extended" time and not block traffic flow. Making those determinations is left to the discretion of parking-control aides. NO STOPPING: Means just that. No exceptions.

NO PARKING ABREAST: Double parking is allowed in the city if the vehicle is not blocking traffic flow or pinning in a vehicle at the curb. This one at first amazed me when I came to Washington because double parking so obviously constricts traffic flow. However, this also is a city built without a good system of alleys to accommodate delivery truck traffic, and city officials are understandably sensitive to helping to facilitate commerce, so sometimes we have conflict between commerce and parking regulations. Resolving that conflict is left to the discretion of parking-control aides, within the spirit of the city guidelines above.

Dr. Gridlock has had complaints from people about chronic parking violators. A lawyer complained that illegal parking in an alley blocked his firm's access to its downtown garage. Readers regularly complain that motorists illegally parked during rush hour -- on 23rd Street in the evening and 18th Street in the morning -- create gridlock. Other readers say package-delivery trucks consistently block traffic in some downtown locations.

The city wants to hear about these, Mitchell said. In fact, the city welcomes calls about parking violations even if they aren't chronic. "We take all requests from citizens for enforcement; we don't want citizens to wait until problems are chronic before they call," Mitchell said. The number to call is 202-541-6031.

Sorry this can't be more definitive. What I think we've learned today is that there is a lot of confusion about "No Standing" signs; the city has provided us with some guidelines; the city is trying to be tolerant of commerce; we have a number to call and complain.

Dr. Gridlock is interested in what you see happening out there. Are you getting a response at that complaint number. Tell me (again, in some cases) about those chronic problems AFTER calling this number. Tell me about your experiences in "No Standing" zones, and maybe, working with city officials, we can hatch another column to fine-tune the situation. We are trying, anyway. Metrobus Drop-Off Test

Metro has started a test in bus transportation that sounds intriguing. During a demonstration program for a few months, Metro bus drivers will drop people off on demand, whether there is a bus stop or not, on certain routes. They are: DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Anacostia-Congress Heights Line -- Routes A42, A46 and A48.

Mayfair-Marshall Heights Line -- Route U6.

Deanwood-Alabama Avenue Line -- Route W4. MARYLAND

Martin Luther King Jr. Highway Line -- Route A12.

Veirs Mill Road Line -- Route Q2. VIRGINIA Wilson Boulevard-Fairfax Line -- Routes 1B, 1C and 1D. Washington Boulevard Line -- Routes 2A, 2B and 2C. Fort Belvoir-Pentagon Line -- Routes 9A, 9B and 9C.

Some restrictions:

It's up to the Metrobus driver to determine whether it is safe to stop at locations other than bus stops.

The rider must give adequate notice.

On Virginia Routes 1B, 1C, 1D, 2A, 2B, 2C, 9A, 9B and 9C, operators will honor requests for stops only outside the Beltway and where they can pull off the road.

Maryland Route Q2 operators will honor requests for stops along Veirs Mill Road or Georgia Avenue only when they can pull off the roadway.

Metro will review the test after a few months and will consider adding other routes. The agency wants to hear from participating riders. Call 202-637-1328 between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays.

However it works out, Dr. Gridlock applauds Metro for trying a new approach for passenger convenience. Send In Those Resolutions

Dr. Gridlock is soliciting your New Year's resolutions for local traffic officials. They should be short. We normally get most of them in the newspaper, and officials sometimes fix the problem. Here are a couple of my resolutions:

Resolved, that the National Park Service expedite the completion of roadwork on the Baltimore- Washington Parkway at the District-Prince George's County line. Motorists are suffering continual gridlock.

Or, resolved, that the District of Columbia Department of Public Works light the exit ramp from outbound Kenilworth Avenue (Route 201) onto Route 50 East. That ramp, leading to a major artery out of the city, is easy to miss in the dark.

The first resolutions in are the first to run. Thank you.

Dr. Gridlock appears in this section each Thursday to explore transportation matters. You can write to DR. GRIDLOCK, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. Please include full name, address and day and evening phone numbers. Please do not send letters you do not wish published. CAPTION: Readers and Dr. Gridlock alike had trouble discerning the meaning of the District's "No Standing" signs.

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