[RP TownTalk] on the subject of dangerous intersections: Old Dumm's Corner

[Dwight Holmes]

Starting a new thread so as not to jumble up the one about the Queensbury-W
Beale intersection.

It's on my list of things to do on a mythical day off to sit in front of
Dumm's Pizza with video camera at the ready to take footage of people
turning left off Lafayette onto Riverdale Rd (in other words, negotiating
Dumm's Corner).  I added it to the list just a couple of weeks ago when
twice in one day I was nearly front-ended by nutjobs cutting that corner as
I was approaching the intersection.  The best part is, of course, the way
they glared at me for being in their way.  One of them had a cell phone on
their ear as well.  OK, enough grousing - on to solutions!

For my solution, I want to borrow from a very common place convention used
in European cities. Anyone who has traveled there will have seen these. I
did find one photo in a quick Google Image search - not the best but good
enough to show what I'm talking about.

The link is here: *http://tinyurl.com/SafeDumms

*Of course the photo must be from England, so you have to reverse things
(it's directing drivers to the left side of the island, rather than the
right). The idea is you have a small island right at the intersection with
a sign with an angled arrow pointing you to the right, correct side of the
island.  It's a well-marked (and well-lit - the signs are always lighted
from the inside) barrier that forces people to drive where they are
supposed to.  (The photo also shows a traffic light but that's not at all
necessary - it's the arrow sign in front of the traffic light, pointing
down at the street, that I'm talking about).

This would be a major plus for safety at that intersection in two ways: It
would keep drivers turning onto Riverdale Rd on the proper side of the
road; and it would also slow them down (they have no stop sign), making it
safer for the many pedestrians crossing the street there.

Yours in traffic,
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