Road Warrior

The in basket: Jerry Johnson writes, “I, like a number of other people, walk along Salmonberry Road between Jackson Avenue and Long Lake Road (in South Kitsap). On a daily basis, I observe motor vehicles drive by at an estimated 45 to 70 mph. The speed limit is 30 mph. With the side streets and driveways along Salmonberry, we just wait for that tragic accident to happen.  I have noticed a deputy sheriff clocking with radar occasionally, but certainly not often.  Is there any hope of a little more attention to what many of us call Salmonberry Raceway?

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The in basket: My step-daughter, Ronda Armstrong of Central Kitsap, carpools to and from Madigan Army hospital south of Tacoma, a carpool that must stop at the Purdy park-and-ride lot. She says their driver tries to choose between the Burnham Drive and Purdy/Highway 302 exits from Highway 16 to minimize their delay, but both have become so congested it takes a long time to get to the park and ride either way.
She wonders if any help is on the way.

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The in basket: Hans Kreigsman writes, “A recent Saturday night, the Southworth/Fauntleroy ferry was delayed at Southworth for about 25 minutes because the ferry was diverted from Vashon to West Seattle with an ambulance aboard. This delay rippled through the rest of that night’s ferry schedule.
 ”While a half-hour delay is certainly no big deal if resulting from a medical emergency, I question why, if the emergency were serious enough that the ambulance could not wait 1/2 hour for the regular scheduled ferry, an air transport would not have been not only much faster, but cheaper in the long run? 
“How are these decisions made?” he asked.

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The in basket: We’ve discussed white line pavement markings intermittently in this column over the years, dealing with driver uncertainty over when or if they can cross them.
Sometimes the answer is yes, and sometimes no.

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The in basket: John Schroer read the June 19 Kitsap Sun article about consumer advocates upset that gasoline retailers don’t adjust the price to reflect the impact of hot days on gasoline, which gives less power per dollar. He wrote, “Was too much made of this? Isn’t gas stored underground where the temperature is relatively constant? Gas expands in a hot car tank, but that’s after it’s purchased.”

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The in basket: Motorcyclist Rod Rodriguez of Central Kitsap wonders about how large groups of ‘cyclists, such as those in a road rally, will be charged to cross the Tacoma Narrows Bridge when tolls go into effect on July 15.
As many as 200 to 300 can be traveling as a group in such events, he said, creating quite a challenge for the toll booths.

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The in basket: Bob Paynter writes, “Frequently, there is the smell of raw sewage when crossing Clear Creek on Bucklin Hill Road between Blaine Avenue and Levin Road. It’s not always noticeable, but it’s been happening for years. Any idea where it’s coming from, and how it can be stopped?”

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The in basket: Liz Sander wants to know how to get the city of Port Orchard to put speed humps on the stretch of Melcher Street where she lives, running from Pottery Avenue to Sherman Avenue.
“This street is used as a drag racing strip,” she said.

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Oops alert: Have you put your transponder on your windshield yet, the little adhesive card that will let you pay your toll to cross the Tacoma Narrows Bridge without stopping at a toll booth?
It turns out their installation isn’t as foolproof as I had assumed.

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The in basket: John Harper of Hansville said the highway destination signs in North Kitsap make no mention of the Hood Canal Bridge, and he meets people who have stopped to ask directions. He specifically cited the signs near the Bond Road-Highway 104 intersection west of Kingston, but said it’s true elsewhere too. The signs mention Port Gamble and specific highways, but not the bridge.

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