Readers will no doubt find it's another "good news, bad news" week.
The good news? PennDOT traffic technicians completed their study of the problematic merge points that readers submitted for review.
(These are points on various county roads where two lanes merge into one rather abruptly, and drivers believed either the signage was not placed at a sufficient distance prior to the merge point or the merge lanes were too short.)
The news that many will no doubt find less-than-satisfying?
The placement of the signs all fall within PennDOT's accepted standards.
In the best-case scenario, merge lanes are 350 feet long prior to the merge point. However, that standard applies only to intersections "that are designed from scratch," PennDOT spokesman Greg Penny said.
That standard merge-lane length is lower for intersections upgraded as part of an overall highway improvement program.
The problems with lengthening lanes at existing intersections involve land acquisition and costs.
Simply, Penny said, "it's expensive to keep extending the [merge] lane. We would have to acquire more right-of-way, and we would have to conduct an environmental impact study to assess what would happen by extending the roadway."
In such cases, he said, "there would be an impact on the property owner [whose land was being acquired] and it would mean increased costs for PennDOT."
Consequently, he said, there is often "not sufficient space" to construct a longer merge lane.
As far as signage, the requirement is that two signs must announce an upcoming merge lane. The first sign warns drivers of the upcoming merge. The second sign is a "diagramatic" sign which uses arrows to indicate the lanes are merging and is located at the merge point.
Again, Penny said, sign placement can be difficult at existing intersections if there is no open ground for the sign (Buildings or walls may be located at the location so signs are placed at the first available open space. This can cause problems, Penny said, if the only available open space is near the merge point and drivers do not receive ample warning.
Of course, The Watchdog, who spends a considerable time driving around the county and witnessing various types of driving "styles" (to be polite), would like to point out the elephant in the room: More than a few drivers know the merge point is looming, but use the "extra" lane to try and pass cars and move up in the traffic line.
All the signage in the world is not going to stop them.
Which is why The Watchdog often recalls the observations of Trooper Anthony Thomas, a state police spokesman, which were noted in this column a year ago.
"People are always trying to get somewhere fast," he said about problems at the merge point for Routes 222 South and 30 West. "People don't care about other drivers anymore. Everyone's in a hurry."
Something smells
A reader wondered why a portion of ripped-up sidewalk on the northeast corner of North Charlotte and West Orange streets was producing some foul odors.
"The accumulation of wet toilet paper and other smelly gunk seems to indicate a broken and leaking sewer line. On dry days the pungent sewer odor of this wastewater area is quite evident. Is this not a public health issue?"
The reader wrote:
"If it were my basement just feet away from open sewage percolating into the soil, I would be raising a fuss. As it is, I live downhill, and water flows downhill, as does you-know-what."
Indeed it does.
City Public Works Director Charlotte Katzenmoyer said the problem was not with the city's sewer main but with a broken lateral running into a West Orange Street property. Repair of the lateral is the responsibility of the homeowner, not the city.
An end to the odiferous situation is, in sight. The Watchdog re-checked the location Thursday and observed a worker with a backhoe preparing to excavate the area and install a new lateral. A re-inspection Friday showed the work had been completed.
Light malfunction
A reader who gets caught in traffic at Routes 741 and 462 west of the city thinks he knows what causes the problem.
Cars are backed up, he said, "because the left-turn lights for turning onto Columbia Avenue [Route 462] stay on longer than needed. If the left-turn cycle was shorter, the straight-through lanes could turn green sooner, and stay green longer, so the backup on 741 could be alleviated."
Turns out he was dead-on.
East Hempfield Township Manager Bob Krimmel dispatched the township's signal company to the intersection and, he said, they found a malfunction in the signal's detection equipment.
It will be repaired this week.
