Bus only lane on 7th Street NW. I saw these on our photo club outing to China Town today and quite frankly, was surprised to see the designated lanes. Something new for me, but based on a posting from the crew at DC Metroblogs, it's something that has been around since at least July of last year. Am I really that unaware of my surroundings? How can you miss those BIG LETTERS painted in the street? That tells me that I must have avoided 7th Street NW since July of last year, but is that really the case?

So, you're cruising along in the left lane, where the less than worthy cars belong, and you need to turn right... how long can you "transit" in the bus only lane before one of DC's Finest pulls you over for being in the designated "Bus and Bicycle" lane? 50 feet? 100 feet? Are right turns effectively banned? As if people really listen anyway...