Chestnut Street to allow right turns, nothing to change

In what is clearly the biggest news of the day, City Council is planning on soon allowing drivers to turn right on Chestnut Street.

The strange rule banning right hand turns on the street dates to the late 1990s, when the ban on all traffic except buses was lifted. The right line was still designated bus only, which the federal government required in order to give the city $800,000.

I know it’s legal and all to place restrictions on federal money, but this sort of seems like the most confusing, weird requirement for money I’ve heard. (Well, it makes a little more sense than the highway funds-tied-to-21-as-the-drinking-age one, but still.)

The city lost the federal money when City Council lifted the right turn ban from Broad to Sixth in 2002, which means right now the ban on right turns is only from 18th to 15th.

Anyway, the right lane will remain bus only, but right turns will be allowed, which leads to some interesting questions about how that’s possible, but, really: does this really matter? Everyone turns right on Chestnut Street anyway. Heck, you probably did it today.

Chestnut St. right-turn ban may end [Inky]