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Metallisteve, I'm with you. I live right there. I don't see anything about that whole area as being dangerous as long as drivers are behaving and acting aware.
Not quite......it's the intersection of Driwood Court and Prosperity Church Rd.
Ahhh...gotcha. Then yes, I would agree that it's tricky. When Tijuana Flats used to be there, I'd frequent that entrance and you could end up in a hairy situation easily.
Unfortunately, CDOT has very limited options it can enforce there.
#1, it's very close to a major intersection...so a traffic light is likely out of the question
#2, if they restrict/block access there (e.g. make it a right in, right out, not median cut to make a left out or in), they'll catch hell from the owner of the development there. there was likely an agreement made when the site was developed that said they could have a median cut on Prosperity.
#3, given the tight constraints in the area, turn lanes are likely out of the question too.
I don't see anything about that whole area as being dangerous as long as drivers are behaving and acting aware.
Everyone else can.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Metallisteve
#1, it's very close to a major intersection...so a traffic light is likely out of the question
#2, if they restrict/block access there (e.g. make it a right in, right out, not median cut to make a left out or in), they'll catch hell from the owner of the development there. there was likely an agreement made when the site was developed that said they could have a median cut on Prosperity.
#3, given the tight constraints in the area, turn lanes are likely out of the question too.
I don't know if the busyness of the road was simply underestimated or if promises were made to the developers, but regardless of origin, road safety should not be compromised for anyone.
CDOT actually mentioned in their email response that they have considered preventing left-hand turns, but "At this time, we do not feel it is necessary to move forward with that restriction and we do not have the funds allowed to install a left turn lane without a documented crash problem"
IMO, the CDOT has also made a mess of the next intersection going north/west on Prosperity Church Rd too - where it meets DeArmon Rd in front of the Bi-Lo supermarket.....in fact, it would have been difficult to think how they could have designed it any worse.
Not necessarily in their defense, but as someone in the engineering profession, I wouldn't want any part in trying to untangle the curved and oddly aligned roads ANYWHERE in this city! And that goes for Dearmon & Prosperity Church as well. I won't say they've done they best possible there, but I'll say it's better than leaving it as a rural two-lane country road like other areas of the City have been simply because urban sprawl has outrun funding and the time to do projects.
To address the "need for crash data," they're simply following established protocol...which unfortunately, is based on a "show me the proof" type of system. It does seem counter-intuitive, but it's currently the only mechanism to make a retrofit project happen on roadways in situations like this. CDOT is not going to make a huge project out of what's nothing more than a business entrance (regardless of how unsafe we may think/know it is)...not without justification, that is.
I would need to observe the intersection to say anything specific but I know that some roads require speed and turning restrictions. Congestion and speed can make any road or intersection deadly. Traffic deaths are never caused by the design of the road but by other causes..< Former State DOT employee
And that goes for Dearmon & Prosperity Church as well. I won't say they've done they best possible there, but I'll say it's better than leaving it as a rural two-lane country road
I just think it would have been more sensible to extend the 2 lanes of Prosperity Church Rd all the way to Ridge Rd, as 90% of the traffic seems to be headed that direction anyway. (Side note: was there any good reason to put that office building in the Prosperity Crossing medical plaza so close to the road??)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nativechief
Traffic deaths are never caused by the design of the road but by other causes..< Former State DOT employee
Very true
However, in lieu of simply hoping that people will drive in a responsibly at all times, I think it's better to take preventative measures wherever they exist to 'protect the innocent'.
Just got back from my daily walk around the area in question and in the matter of 45 seconds saw:
1/. a driver make an illegal u-turn on Prosperity Ch Rd....apparently driving 0.08miles further to make a legal u-turn was out of the question
2/. a driver pull out of Driwood Ct and caused the westbound traffic on Prosperity Ch Rd to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting them
3/. a second driver made a left out of Driwood Ct, couldn't complete the turn and instead sat in the middle of the intersection. In the meantime, the backhalf of their car was sticking-out into eastbound traffic on Prosperity Ch Rd and traffic ground to a halt while they waited for the driver to complete their manouvre.....approx 5 seconds later.
A police officer drove by me about 1 minute later and I cursed their bad timing.
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