If you’ve ever been driving down Court or Union Street in Port Huron and had someone pull alongside you as if you were travelling on a two-lane road, you may have wondered which one of you were right. Are Court Street and Union Street one-lane roads or two-lane roads? And what are drivers supposed to do at the intersections?
Eric Witter, Port Huron City Engineer and Director of Public Works, said Court Street and Union Street are one-lane roads with parking permitted on both sides.
He also noted that there are no pavement markings or lane lines because there is only one travel lane, and drivers can pull alongside one another at intersections if parked cars are not in the way and they are proceeding in different directions.
The bottom line: drivers should form one line in the center of Court and Union Streets, and they can pull to the right, left, or stay in the center at intersections depending on the direction they’re traveling and available space.
For those who travel these city streets frequently, knowing the rules yourself may not prevent encountering deviations by other drivers. If someone begins driving alongside you as if the road had two lanes, you may have to slow down and let them pass to avoid issues when the road narrows due to parked cars. Additionally, even though both of these streets are clearly marked as “One Way”, it’s possible you may face another driver coming toward you travelling the wrong direction.
Whatever the case, be observant of the drivers, pedestrians, and bikers using these streets, and use caution when encountering someone who doesn’t seem to know the rules of the road. This is especially important after dark when there is a higher incidence of wrong-way driver accidents.
Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand
