The in basket: Ian MacKenzie wrote on June 3 and said, ” I wrote to you a while back regarding the intersection of Randall Way and Kitsap Mall Boulevard (in Silverdale). I worried about the implication of both the southbound lanes able to turn left on a flashing (yellow) arrow.
“I just came home from a trip to Home Depot in Silverdale and made that left turn and I see that the county has installed a large sign between the signals informing people that Left Turns Yield on Flashing Yellow,” he said.
“This is the exact sign that the City of Federal Way has installed at all their flashing yellow (turn) signals.
“I would like to think that maybe we had an impact in getting that sign placed and improving the safety of the intersection.” he concluded.
The out basket: I suppose we contributed, but accident history prompted the sign’s installation, notably a fatal left-turn accident at the Kitsap Mall Boulevard-Randall Way intersection.
The same sign has been put on the left-turn signal cross-arm on Myhre Way southbound at Ridgetop Boulevard, also in Silverdale, reader Harry Gilger notes. None of the other county intersections with the yellow flashing lefts nor any of the other directions at the two in Silverdale have gotten the signs.
“We are placing that sign at intersections where collision data support additional awareness,” said Doug Bear of Kitsap County Public Works.
Apparently they’d rather wait for people to be injured or killed than to be proactive and place the signs before people get hurt. 🙁
Mase,you are so right. It is sad that someone has to be in a serious accident or even killed in a vehicle accident before something is done about it. Of course in the case of this intersection it took the death of a Navy Commander (friend of the family) for the county to say hey that was not very good. It is just like right turn coming off the 303 to Ridgetop where vehicles constantly stop where there is clearly not a stop and drivers jumping across the road across Ridgetop to Sid Uhnick road which in many past blogs is stated it is illegal because the vehicle is not going 100+ feet before making a safe lane change. Someone will get injured or worse because the county is clearly relying on a white line will keep people from crossing the road or a street sign that drivers clearly dont notice that shows a continuous lane with no stop, before they finally do something to prevent an accident.
I actually commend the county for using actual traffic data and science to support road improvements. The City of Bremerton appears more focused on grant data and political posturing than actual traffic data or science.
Have you heard of any plans to put a flashing yellow at the Fred Meyer light off of 303? That is a loooonnnggg light cycle. Especially when there are clearly no cars coming from the other direction.
Bremerton is more concerned about profit then safety. The city engineer doesn’t even know the 85th percentile speed of Wheaton way, the key component to determining yellow light timing. They profit off of red light runners and so ignore anyone that brings up safety concerns.
The delays at the Fred Meyer light on 303 seem to come and go, but to the degree they are a problem, it results from the offset between the Fred Meyer main access and the street across 303, requiring separate phases with each cycle, rather than let the left turners entering 303 go at the same time. I know of nothing in the works to change that.
The state’s position (it is a state operated traffic signal) is that it will not consider any lessening of control at an intersection, such as adding yellow flashing lefts, without a substantial upgrade to that intersection, They also say they don’t hear much demand for the yellow flashing lefts except from Kitsap County, and they haven’t added any to their signals on state highways here. Chances of the Fred Meyer light getting one are not good.
Road Warrior
I want to ask the commenters who predictably decry street engineers’ waiting for accidents to prove the danger at an intersection before making safety improvements if they would not themselves use accidents as a key part of choosing how to divide up a limited amount of money, if the decision was theirs to make.
Road Warrior
Thanks for the reply on the Fred Meyer intersection Travis.
In regards to the accident numbers related to improvements I think the perception is nothing is done until someone is hurt or worse dies. The fact is, as you stated, limited resources and money to upgrade/fix intersections and more and more cars/people on the road lead to more complicated fixes and priorities. Accident numbers should absolutely be part of the equation, I just don’t think the public is generally aware of what, if anything, the county/city is looking at for other improvements to the roads and intersections. We only notice the specific improvement and key in on a report of an accident or death and automatically assume the improvement was based solely on that event. Human Nature.