The in basket: About a year ago, Chuck McGuire of Sedgwick Road
in South Kitsap asked what could be done about cars coming south on
North Banner Road and blowing through the stop sign on
Sedgwick.
In December, he asked again in a letter to the editor, with Larissa
Lykins and Bob and Roxy Scott adding their voices to the plea.
“In the past seven years, 13 vehicles driving south on Banner ran
the stop sign
at Sedgwick, crossed Sedgwick through oncoming traffic, and
either
crashed into a deep swale or through a chain link fence,” their
joint letter said.
The in basket: About a year ago, Chuck McGuire of Sedgwick Road in
South Kitsap asked what could be done about cars coming south on
North Banner Road and blowing through the stop sign on
Sedgwick.
In December, he asked again in a letter to the editor, with Larissa
Lykins and Bob and Roxy Scott adding their voices to the plea.
“In the past seven years, 13 vehicles driving south on Banner ran
the stop sign
at Sedgwick, crossed Sedgwick through oncoming traffic, and
either
crashed into a deep swale or through a chain link fence,” their
joint letter said. .
“Two such accidents occurred in (November) involving people who
know and live in the area,” they said. “These accidents were
investigated by the
county sheriff’s office and public works, as well as the
responsible
state agencies. The county continues to pass the responsibility of
the
signs and lights to the state and the state back to the county.
“I can’t believe all the cars haven’t collided with someone rushing
to the ferry,” Chuck said in his phone call last March. But most
did need towing by a wrecker, he said.
The out basket: This phenomenon is puzzling since the cars are
traveling on an upgrade to the stop sign on Banner. I asked the
state when Chuck first called what accident records show for that
intersection, but didn’t hear back.
Now, though, whether it is accident history or the spectre of how
bad an accident would result if someone ran that stop sign at just
the wrong moment, when someone is passing by on Sedgwick at highway
speed, the state plans a correction.
“By the end of April, (we) will install a four-foot long,
yellow and black double headed arrow across from where North
Banner intersects with (Sedgwick),” said Lisa Murdock of the
Olympic Region of state highways. “Additionally, Kitsap County
improved the situation by removing vegetation,
which increases visibility of the stop sign.”
I can’t think of anything in the terrain that distinguishes the Banner/Sedgwick intersection from other T intersections in the county. I live quite close to the intersection of Banner and Burley-Olalla Roads, and I’ve observed that people northbound on Banner Road do sometimes forget to stop when they reach the intersection. One of these incidents involved a county sheriff’s deputy driving an official vehicle. To my knowledge, none of these people were unlucky enough to broadside a car traveling on Burley-Olalla Road. As to what the county road people can do at intersections like this, I can’t really add any suggestions beyond the obvious ones of making sure that the sightlines aren’t hindered by brush or trees, and posting a large reflectorized two-headed arrow sign.
– Pete
What appears to be being missed in this discussion are the uphill grades (on Sedgewick) when approaching North Banner on Sedgewick from the east and when approaching Banner on Sedgewick from the west. At the rate of speed allowed within this range on Sedgewick, there is also a vision issue of the oncoming traffic when trying to turn from either of the “Banners”. Many people, including myself, are transiting just to cross Sedgewick and remain on Banner, northbound or southbound and it can appear that the road is clear when actually there can be a vehicle just below your sight line. There should be consideration of at least a lower speed limit on Sedgewick in this area.