The region’s first major snow of 2022 paves the way for “sneckdown” season

The region grappled with its first major snowfall in years Monday, with parts of Greater Washington getting as much as a foot or more of snow.

From a temporary halt to Metrobus service, to power outages, to closed COVID-19 testing sites, to drivers stuck overnight on I-95, the snow caused disruption for many. But for pedestrian safety advocates, the snow brought a silver lining: the return of “sneckdowns” on our streets.

The word sneckdown is the combination of “snow” and “neckdown,” a wonky word meaning the traffic calming curb extensions or bulb-outs you see at intersections. As drivers pass through unplowed roads, the tracks they leave allow us to see where drivers aren’t using the road, revealing natural locations where potential traffic calming measures could be added.

The hashtag and phenomenon of #sneckdown spotting was made popular by Streetsfilm director Clarence Eckerson Jr. back in 2014, and since that time a growing number of advocates and even agencies have started pointing out “neckdowns. We wrote about them in 2019 during the region’s last major snow event.

Here are some of the sneckdowns people have spotted in our region this week:

GGWash contributor Jared Alves tweeted about the potential traffic calming measures sneckdowns revealed on Logan Circle Monday.

Can we get a road diet on Logan Circle? One lane and no more complicated traffic signals. @DDOTDC @ANC2F #sneckdown pic.twitter.com/rNeJyimgst

— Jared Alves, AICP (@JAlves6) January 3, 2022

David Ramos spotted sneckdowns in Adams Morgan.

It’s #sneckdown time! This is the weird wide pseudo-circle at Harvard and Lanier, on the agenda for @AdamsMorganANC next meeting. pic.twitter.com/WEOVK8IaSi

— David Ramos (@imagineterrain) January 3, 2022

Where in your neighborhood have you spotted a sneckdown?