A compilation video of drivers plowing through a Denver, Colorado intersection over the span of more than a year is getting a lot of attention.
The clips show drivers clearly not paying attention as they speed past the stop signs at the intersection near the city's downtown.
"I think it's definitely unsafe," Adam Williams said.
Williams says he first started noticing the distracted and impatient drivers from his window when he began working from home during the pandemic. The compilation includes clips as old as May 2020 and as recent as Dec. 2021.
"High speeds, high accelerations. All sorts of different behavior," Williams said.
— Adam Williams (@ACW5) March 3, 2022
He posted the video on Twitter recently to show the city why a protected bike lane is necessary. It got a lot of attention there and on Reddit, with people responding expressing how confused they were watching the video.
"I wish I knew the answer, I can only guess," Williams said. "But I'm not sure what's going through the minds of drivers."
The video was shared with Nancy Kuhn, the director of public information for Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI), and she was just as perplexed.
"Seems like people are impatient," said Kuhn. "They're passing each other, then missing the stop sign. They're not adhering to the stop sign at all. They're not taking their turns."
Authorities reviewed the intersection and determined there is nothing wrong with it. However, there are plans in place that may create a way to force drivers to pay more attention.
"We hope that in putting the bike lane in, we have a place that people on bikes feel comfortable riding, and then you are slowing down people in cars as they're seeing things happening," Kuhn said.
The bike lane, which should be installed later this year, won't be protected, as Williams had hoped. But, Kuhn is hoping it'll be reason enough for drivers to slow down and come to a stop.
This story was published byPattrik Perez of KMGH in Denver, Colorado.
