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Just visited Charlotte and the lack of lighting made my driving dangerous and contributed to my getting lost a bit (hey, I'm good at directions, but it's not an area I know). I got off of 485 and it was very very dark. Where the ramp ended and the next street began was very hard to know - no signs. Looking for street signs is harrowing. Can't see the name of the streets out in the more suburbian areas and with drivers behine, can't really use directions very well with no illumination of the signs, streets, etc. Needs more street name identifiers for intersections and the like. I think money is the issue, and NC is having growth at a staggering rate. But it is a real driving safety (and sanity, lol) issue.
Along these lines, I don't seem to have much problem on highways as there is usually other traffic as well as the reflector things. But a lot of the surface streets can be pitch black at night. Obviously the rural areas aren't going to have lights, but one off the top of my head that is extremely dark is 73 between Huntersville and Denver (yes it is rural at times but is still heavily traveled).
Street lights make it easier to see obstacles in the road - like pedestrians who jaywalk and then end up on your hood or windshield. Street lights also provide a measure of safety in commercial areas. Headlights only project forward; it helps to see beyond the range of the headlights in many cases.
Anyone else noticed the pink markers that have been placed along 485 between Johnston Road and I-77? They're spaced roughly a quarter mile apart at spots that would make sense for street lights.
Anyone else noticed the pink markers that have been placed along 485 between Johnston Road and I-77? They're spaced roughly a quarter mile apart at spots that would make sense for street lights.
If you see a street or highway light that is not working, note the precise location and send an email to the appropriate agency (City DOT or NC DOT). And, for the city, call 311 and give the precise location, i.e., directly in front of BOA* branch on Monroe Road.
From experience, I know that the City and or Duke is slow to respond. I charted and marked 9 street lights out on Sardis Road and it took months for the lights to be repaired. At any given time, 10 percent of the city's street lights are burned out. Regardless, we (the taxpayers) pay the full 100% for lighting whether 10 or 50 percent of the lights are out. SO, we pay for the lighting. Make the call and keep a record because the City and State have liability if they have been notified of an unsafe (no lighting) conditions.
*You would THINK the people at the bank would make the call, since good lighting is a safety issue for their customers and employees.
Im impress, you driving from Florida without a GPS but it would make life so much easier investing in one. They start at only $75 bucks then you would kow when a roads ends the way it curves plus what it intersects with and some even tell you street names.
Yes, a GPS is my next purchase, but that still doesn't completely take away all the issues I mentioned. One of the ramps I used seemed to be a "under construction" type and GPS may not have been updated. I know a LOT of our taxes in florida go for road improvements and it shows. NC has had such growth, esp in country areas growth, that it's got to be expensive to add the improvements. I think I got spoiled by Fla's signage, road improvements etc.. We had to help all the tourists ! I like Charlotte, even thinking of moving there and it wasn't my first trip. Being unfamiliar was the worst part, but I am starting to know the areas I've been to before. Will be getting a gps, couldn't hurt!
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