Editorial -- Improving Roadway Safety

The Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments recently got a grant from the US Department of Transportation for improving roadway safety in the five-county area that it serves. They are seeking public comments to develop a plan. People are encouraged to go to the Regional Council website and leave comments. Comments are being accepted until May 22nd. Herewith are our suggestions, which are not mutually exclusive from any other ideas people may have.

The first is that we need to crack down on speeding. Most drivers around here are safe and considerate, but there are certain ones who treat the road like their personal race track. They will pass cars right and left, even when it means passing cars on hills. Lane markers and shoulder markings mean nothing to such people. We see dead animals and pets along the roadways all the time from people who were not considerate enough to watch the road and slow down. There is an inherent risk of an accident happening anytime one steps into a car, but there are steps that we as individuals and as a society can take to minimize risk.

The recent road tax passed by the legislature has helped improve the quality of roads in the area. Many projects, like repaving 46, replacing the Marlowe Creek bridge west of Grant City, and doing more maintenance on lettered roads, needed to be done. But there are several other projects that we can think of that need done:

—The “Y” east of Sheridan. When turning left from 46 onto 246, it is really difficult to see motorists over the hill coming from the east. We had one near-miss when we didn’t see a car coming. When stopping on 246 to head east to Grant City on 46, we have had to hit the brakes plenty of times when a car pops out of nowhere around the curve. And some motorists don’t see the stop sign right over the hill and shoot right through it.

—Route 246 and E at Allison Corner. Some motorists headed south on E from Bedford don’t always realize there is a stop sign and fail to stop.

—Route 246 from Five Mile Corner to Hopkins. The DOT came in and replaced a culvert near Gary and Amber Hart’s, but failed to restore the road. We have to slow down to 35 or 45 to avoid jolting our car. And while they came through once to fix potholes, there are still plenty of potholes on that stretch.

—Route 136 at the Mozingo Lake intersection. It is very difficult to see westbound motorists coming over the hill at that intersection when turning right from Mozingo Lake onto 136. That is an accident waiting to happen when motorists on 136 are going 60-65 mph.

—Mowing (in general). We take the road from Grant City to Eagleville regularly, and we feel a lot safer when Route 46 is regularly mowed. That road has some of the heaviest deer populations in the area, and keeping the roads mowed helps motorists to see deer quicker and avoid accidents.