The New Restriped Robinson Street Has Residents Utterly Confused

Homeowners have been sharing photos of the new restriping the city has done for Robinson Street and we have to ask- how are you supposed to drive on this?

There has been a lot of construction happening all around El Paso, including near the UTEP area. Mesa Street keeps closing lanes so necessary road improvements can be done and the residential areas aren't immune.

Robinson Street is a busy roadway that connects the Kern neighborhood to Scenic View and the central part of El Paso. The street is frequented by vehicles, pedestrians, bikes, and more all using the two-lane road. The close proximity to the Billy Rogers Arroyo also means the road frequently sees rushing water, sand, and other debris during monsoon season. Because of how heavily trafficked the road is, and previous damage from heavy rains, Robinson Street was recently repaved by work crews so it could better serve people who use the thoroughfare.

After the improvements were complete, residents saw crews repaving the lanes and were excited that the road would be ready again for use. Instead, people were left confused with the lanes Robsinson street now has.

When you look at this photo (please excuse the dirty windshield, I took the photo while driving) you can see the road has a new addition to the clearly defined centerline. The white lines on the side road allowed a clear area where vehicles could park but the size of the different sections of the road are what confused poeple. There was no possible way two cars could be parked on the sides and two cars could safely pass each other now on the road.

Who was in charge of this?

Well, after plenty of people poking fun at the unusual painting of the street, the City of El Paso released a statement to the Kern Place Association saying this was a mistake:

"There was a misinterpretation of the plans and also the contractor did not stripe the corridor correctly for the bike program. The contractor will be correcting this mistake this week. They will also be adding the shared bike lane decal that will visually denote that the traffic lane for vehicles will also be used for cyclists."

Looks like the problem should be solved soon. Until then, don't try passing a car when there are other vehicles parked on the sides.