10/29/14 New parking lot empties on U.S. 62 from East Street; time is of the essence

  • By Nick Sabo
  • October 29, 2014
  • 390
                        
The access point for a 51 space parking lot in Berlin could be a wildcard in the goals of an ODOT project to widen U.S. 62. The project, which will widen Main Street and add a center lane, is aimed at reducing crashes. It should further make for better traffic flows in the eastbound and westbound lanes, because the center lane will hold traffic for persons waiting to make left turns. It also wiped out an estimated 42 - 45 parking spaces along the US 62 roadway. The loss of parking raised the ire of merchants. To replace the parking, ODOT agreed to fund construction of a parking lot. Last week, the lot’s location was revealed to be a field behind businesses in the 4000 block, behind businesses on the south side of Township Road 1001. The entrance/egress point is East Street, a narrow thoroughfare a block west from the US 62/state Route 39 intersection. With tourists making turns into and out of East Street, the free-flowing nature of traffic on U.S. 62’s new, wider lanes could be affected. It will also effect the experience of tourists as they navigate the busy streets of Berlin. This experience can be measured, in miniature, by trying to make the turn yourself. In six attempts I made on Monday, Oct. 27, a left-hand turn from East Street onto US 62 took anywhere from two minutes to a few seconds. A left hand turn from US 62 to East Street rarely took more than a few seconds, mostly because someone in the eastbound lane let me through. This happened more often than not when eastbound traffic was at a standstill. I timed the turns using a stop watch. For the turn from East Street, I started the time after coming to a full stop at the stop sign. I started the time for the turn from US 62 onto East Street when I activated my turn signal. I made all of the turns observing traffic laws and without taking any unnecessary risks. Traffic was moderate to heavy and typical of Berlin at the height of the fall season. The first left hand turn from East Street onto US 62 took one minute and 57 seconds. Traffic was heavy, and I couldn’t make the turn until traffic in both lanes came to a standstill. On the second, I could have pulled out immediately accept for two ladies who couldn’t decide if they should cross East Street in front of me or wait. The second turn took 24 seconds. On the third try, eastbound traffic had come to a complete stop and a driver waved me into the road. But westbound traffic was still going, and I had to edge into the eastbound lane until I found enough space to finish the turn. Time, 47 seconds.The next go was 45 seconds. For the fifth try, the turn took one minute 10 seconds. The sixth and final turn I made took one minute, seven seconds. I had much better luck making a left-hand turn from US 62 onto East Street. My first attempt took 5.5 seconds after a trucker waved me through as soon as my turn signal was on. All other turn into East Street were under 45 seconds. This was mostly because traffic was stopped or moving very slowly, and motorists stopped to let me turn. The longest wait was one minute, in which I finally pulled out in front of a white Hyundai in the westbound lane traveling at about 10 miles an hour. There was only two car lengths between its bumper and the car in front of it, and I never would have tried the turn if the Hyundai was traveling at the 25 mile per hour speed limit. While waiting to make the turn onto East Street, I was passed on the right once, by a large black SUV. Of course, most tourists leaving Berlin will probably be headed toward I-77 and will turn west from East Street as they leave, a right hand turn. Letting these drivers out will still slow traffic. Making the turns took me through the project area several times. Looping back through Berlin was a reminder of how erratic traffic there can be. As I went down County Road 120 to on my way back around to U.S. 62, a woman on a bike came pedaling straight toward me, in the left lane of traffic. She didn’t even brake to avoid me, just swerved to the shoulder and scooted on by. My longest wait in town was at the U.S. 62/County Road 120 intersection, when a vehicle three car lengths ahead of me was trying to make a left turn. The driver let the light cycle twice before attempting it (this is a problem the center holding lane should abate quite a bit). Passing on the right, which is a citable traffic offense, goes on all the time. Again, the holding lane should correct this somewhat. Completely unpredictable is the human factor. Accidents occur for the most part because someone makes a stupid decision. The longer someone sits at an intersection, the more impatient they become. I didn’t have a car full of tired kids or a cranky spouse telling me after the fact that I “could’ve gone then”. The real danger is when that factor comes into play.


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