A local resident approached the Riverton City Council this week to thank the city for addressing a traffic issue at the intersection of West Main and Hill Streets.
Chuck Rodgers presented the concern to the council last year, and he said he has spoken with the Fix Our Roads Citizens Committee “a couple of times” about the problem, too.
Since then, he said, the road striping in the area has been modified to direct traffic more safely through the intersection – “especially as you’re coming from the college, from North Hill.”
“There’s a yellow island, (and) the arrows direct you to pull up at a little bit of an angle at the end before you cross the street,” Rodgers described. “And the lane markings have been changed.”
‘You’ve taken action’
Having “watched a lot of vehicles mind the new markings” over the past couple of weeks, Rodgers said he thinks the changes have “already saved some accidents” from happening.
By contrast, on the few occasions he’s seen people ignore the new traffic pattern, he said the situation turned dangerous quickly.
“I’ve seen two people who didn’t pay any attention to the markings, and they just went the other way,” Rodgers said. “One of them, if the car coming from the highway … had not been tuned in and shifted over to the (other) lane, there would have been a horrendous accident – and I’m sure that the person who drove through there had no idea.”
By changing the markings, Rodgers said the city has given motorists entering the highway an extra 10 seconds of “lead time” to see approaching vehicles.
“That’s a tremendous difference – (so) thank you,” Rodgers said, “You guys have listened, and you’ve taken action.”
For more information call the City of Riverton at 856-2227.