Another look at a rural and sometimes dangerous intersection
- Published: August 27, 2013
The intersection at Grinnell and Clifton roads was the site of the death of a local teenager in June. While the Greene County Engineer has said that experts have installed as much safety signage as is warranted there, such as multiple “stop ahead” signs on both sides of Grinnell Road and “caution” signs on both sides of Clifton Road, several neighbors of the intersection say that the crossing is not safe. They have urged the engineer’s office to continue to study the intersection and find ways to make it safer.
2 Responses to “Another look at a rural and sometimes dangerous intersection”
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I travel this intersection twice each week. My recommendation for this and other intersections is to look each way twice. I developed this practice not only because of my experience with my auto, but also with my bicycle. I found one look each way to be inadequate for me, if the oncoming auto does not have headlights on and appears to merge into the background. Several times I have nearly had an accident from a single look.
When I come to this intersection, I usually have a passenger who also looks, and we verbally confirm to each other that we do not see a vehicle coming from either direction. This intersection has adequate STOP signage, but it is still the responsibility of the stopped driver to spot oncoming cars.
The blind hill on the left is the real problem as well as the light poles and signage on both sides which occlude the view. Folks come up over that hill really quickly and don’t have time to react to something in the way. I live out this way and have to remind myself to be really careful as I go through this intersection every day…several of my neighbors have had accidents here even though they are familiar with the hazard. At an accident there a few weeks before the last tragedy, I talked with the SHP officer on the scene and expressed my concern about the intersection. He told me that it wasn’t any more dangerous than any other intersection that drivers had to be more careful. Right about then a car came over the hill and nearly plowed into other vehicles stopped for the accident. The officer hurried to get a car with flashing lights on the other side.