Back in the day (CS6??), you could navigate to the desired edit point using the arrow up/down keys then hit CTR D and your default transition would be applied to that point.
In the recent versions of PPro CC, when you "arrow up" to the desired edit point, the forward clip is automatically highlighted and the CTR D shortcut will not apply the transition.
In order to use CTR D you must click elsewhere such that no clips are highlighted, or lasso both of the adjacent clips so that they are both highlighted.
This is an amazing nuisance- is there anyway around this such that you can navigate quickly to the cut and CTR D apply the transition???
Thanks

Flying blind as I am still on CS6, but I assume the current version still has the editable key functions; if so, just edit the up/down arrows. That would probably still be edit >keyboard shortcuts, then "go to previous edit point" (make it "up" with the up arrow) and "go to next edit point" and make it "down" with the down arrow. Can't test this but I hope it at least gives a clue.

The arrow up/down keys work correctly as far as navigating the edit points on the timeline.
I think the culprit is the playhead (CTI). Whatever clip the playhead is positioned over, or when placed at the edit point (frame 1 of the adjacent clip), that clip is automatically selected (highlighted). This is what is preventing the CTR D application of the default transition.
I think this is the new behavior: that the CTI automatically activates the underlying clip.
I don't know how to turn that behavior off.
P.S. I just checked on my old version of CS6 and sure enough, movement of the CTI playhead does not cause the underlying clip to be activated.

Got it!!
On the top pulldown menus: SEQUENCE>Selection Follows Playhead - uncheck this item.
Now I can navigate edit points with arrow up/down, and CTR D will drop the transition on the selected point :-)

Thanks Robert, this had been driving me insane!

Same here.
I simply put up with it for the longest time.
Finally the other day I just said no more!

Beware, if you choose the Color workspace it will automatically set it to Selection follows Playhead.

Good call Ann.
That's probably what started the whole episode.

Ann, are you able to turn this behaviour off at all in CC2014?

I've found the toggle in CC2015, but going back to work on a 2014 project the option is not available in the SEQUENCE menu.

CC14 does not have this feature.
Selection follow playhead was not added until CC15

The default behaviour is different from previous versions though:

Prior to CC2014 to place a default transition you simply needed to have the track selected/active and the playhead at (or very close to) the edit point. Using this method it was very easy to place multiple default transitions just by using the up/down arrows and the Ctrl+D shortcut. It was also easy to add a transition as you were watching a sequence.

In CC2014 you need to select either the edit point (for a single transition) or the clip (for both start & end transitions). If you don't have those selected, you won't be able to add a default transition.