The in basket: Shun Hung Ling e-mails with the latest complaint I’ve gotten about the somewhat unusual intersection of Greaves Way and Old Frontier Road west of Silverdale. About the only problem there he didn’t mention is the visibility of the traffic island where westbound Greaves traffic turns right onto Old Frontier, the most common complaint I get about that spot.

“The signs indicate the traffic on (eastbound) Old Frontier Road heading towards the mall has the right of way,” his e-mail said, “including when they make a left turn to continue on towards Trigger Avenue.

“The traffic on Old Frontier Road heading south must turn left onto Greaves towards the mall or right towards Anderson Hill Road.  The problem here is the two lanes on Old Frontier going south have a stop sign.  The inside car trying to turn left can not see the oncoming traffic when there’s a car in the outside lane trying to turn right.

“When traffic coming east on Old Frontier Road and turning left to continue north has the right of way, they tend to drive somewhat fast and turn left cutting corners, threatening the car wanting to turn left on to Greaves Road.”

Traffic will continue to build with the opening of the new shopping plaza at Greaves and Highway 303, he said, making those problems worse.

He thinks the intersection needs a traffic signal or at least to have the Old Frontier stop signs moved back five or six feet “so both car lanes on Old Frontier heading south can see the traffic coming from their right before they make their turn.

I asked Kitsap County Public Works if any modifications to recognize the increased traffic with the opening of the new plaza are planned.

The out basket: Jeff Shea, county traffic engineer, says, “Before developing the Greaves Way project we looked at current and future traffic volumes. The signal at Clear Creek Road was warranted for current volumes, and installed at the time the road was developed.  The then-current volumes did not warrant the signal at Frontier Road.

“We evaluated it using estimated future volumes and a signal was warranted based on growth and future development’s bringing additional vehicle volumes.

“We did install much of the underground electrical system for a new signal at Frontier Road based on that evaluation.  We continue to monitor the traffic volume at that intersection. As it gets close to meeting volume (criteria), we will propose a signal installation as a future project.

“Stop lines for multi-lane stops can be difficult to navigate when traffic occupies both lanes,” he said. “Stop lines at non-signalized intersections are not usually staggered. Motorists tend to stop as close to the intersection as possible, especially drivers that are familiar with the intersection.

“We consider a couple of things when placing stop lines.  They have to be at least four feet behind the nearest line if there is a marked crosswalk.  We mark them as close to the intersection as possible to give motorists better sight distance to see cross traffic.

“We also try to keep them out of shoulders to help protect pedestrians and bicyclists.

“State law states that a driver must stop at the stop line if one exists, but the driver is allowed to move forward after stopping to see oncoming traffic better,” Jeff said.

The in basket: Eric Blair says using the eastbound Bucklin Hill Road left-turn lane to reach Randall Way is sometimes made difficult by would-be left-turners going the other way with one too many options for reaching the adjacent shopping center.

“I routinely travel east, coming down Bucklin Hill, and want to turn left onto Randall. I am frequently blocked from getting into the left-turn lane, because someone coming west on Bucklin has entered the turn lane, across double yellow lines, so that they can turn left into the parking lot for Kitsap Credit Union. Has the county considered blocking this to force traffic to travel a bit further and turn left into the next entrance?”

He envisions something like what the county did on Myhre Road at the access road running down between Pet Smart and Ashley Furniture – a row of pylons to prevent left turns there.

The out basket: Jeff Shea, Kitsap County’s traffic engineer, says, “We recently completed a traffic study on that segment of Bucklin Hill Road. The study looked at congestion and other aspects of traffic, bicycle and pedestrian travel between Anderson Hill Road and Silverdale Way.

“One of the problems identified was the left-turn lane, the two-way left-turn lane, and the business approaches your reader mentions.  The study recommended traffic controls at those accesses.

“This was also a topic of keen interest with the Central Kitsap Community Council when we discussed this corridor with them.

“We are contacting business owners in this area and discussing potential impacts these changes will have on their businesses. Based on the data we collect, we will identify and consider potential solutions that can meet the needs of the business and motorists who use that corridor. “

The in basket: Bremertonian Mark Henson e-mailed an interesting anecdote to Sun reporter Josh Farley, who figured it to be Road Warrior fodder and forwarded it to me.

Mark said he was driving on Highway 303 April 13 around 7 p.m.  “It was a grey afternoon with a dull sky, with wipers on low,” he said. “I noticed a white car heading northbound without its headlights on, I did what I am accustomed to do when I see a car heading towards me without their lights on . .  I remind them by giving them a quick ‘flash’ of  my high beams as a gentle reminder that their lights are off.”

He didn’t realize it was a State Patrol car until moments later, when it went past, then turned around and stopped him.

“He asked me why I flashed my high beams at him. I (told) him that his headlights were not on. He said, ‘I don’t have to.'”

Mark was of the opposite opinion, relying on state law RCW 46.37.020 that says when headlights must be on, including “when, due to insufficient light or unfavorable atmospheric conditions, persons and vehicles on the highway are not clearly discernible at a distance of 1,000 feet ahead.” Otherwise, it’s from a half-hour past sunset to a half-hour before sunrise.

“I began to explain that it was inclement weather and it was beginning to get dark,” Mark said, “and he reiterated the RCW and then mentioned that ‘flashing’ one’s high beams is against the law. He (said) ‘I’m not going to give you a ticket NOW, but  . .  .  please drive safely.’

“I tried to tell him that the inclement weather conditions are covered under the same RCW that he quoted, but I think he was more unhappy with the fact that I gave him a reminder that his headlights were off.

“I would like to hear your comments!” Mark concluded.

The out basket: I did have some comments, but chose to share them privately with my State Patrol contact, Trooper Russ Winger.

For public consumption, I asked if it’s really illegal to flash your brights at a car without its headlights on at night, and if so, what does the state patrol recommend to alert a driver that his lights are off? And how about when you meet a car with its lights steadily on bright?

I have flashed such drivers many times in 50-plus years of driving and have been flashed for the same reason. I have appreciated the gesture since I first realized what it meant.

I’ve found that it takes less of my attention off driving to flash my brights than to turn my lights off-on-off-on for that purpose.

Russ told me, yes, “it’s illegal to shine high beams in another motorists eyes,” even for a brief moment as a warning or reprimand.

“‎Conditions; light, rain etc. other than legal times are subjective to interpretation and the WSP feels that it is not a good idea for motorists to interpret the law and single out other motorists for corrective ‘hints,’ however well intended. Flashing high beams at the wrong person at the wrong time just might lead to an altercation.

“Can you be stopped for (flashing your brights), yes. Will you be cited, maybe but not likely.

“Motorists typically forget to turn lights on in town where there is plenty of lighting and they have just entered the roadway from a parking lot or such. Very rarely do you see a vehicle driving down the road without lights in pitch dark conditions.

“I think if a driver feels absolutely compelled to ‘do something’ when a motorist forgets to turn on the headlamps, the quick on/off of the low beams usually does the trick, provided the driver doesn’t have to look down in search of the light switch. If you cannot operate your vehicle’s light switch without fumbling around in the dark, let it go. Someone else will probably do it if the driver doesn’t just figure it out themselves and turn them on first.

“Another option is to give us a call and report the driver if one thinks that it is possibly dangerous. We might have a trooper or another officer in the area that can look for the vehicle and stop it.

“DUI drivers sometimes fail to turn their lights on and will also leave the high beams on and not respond to the old on/off method to alert them. We will happily stop this vehicle when possible and have a quick chat with the driver and make sure everything is squared away.”

The in basket: Greg Marshall of Belfair has a question about police patrols in the Navy Yard City area just outside the Bremerton city limits.

He spent a lot of time the past winter remodeling a house that had been in his family for many years, he said, and saw a lot of Bremerton police cars. He grew up there and it was always Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office that patrolled back then. He wonders if something had changed to explain it, whether they write tickets there and where the money goes, if so.

The out basket: “Nothing has changed,” replied Bremerton police Lt. Pete Fisher. “That is KCSO jurisdiction and no, we do not get reimbursed if we respond there for a call.  Our officers do not write tickets there, but if they did, the tickets would be written into (Kitsap County) district court.

“If we are in that area, it would be to look for a suspect in a Bremerton crime, or to assist KCSO at their request,” he said.

The in basket:  Each year about this time, Kitsap County Public Works asks for citizen nominations for future road projects to be considered for the six-year road improvement plan that will be adopted in December. The plan to be adopted this year will cover 2016-21.

I wondered if this request is just eye wash, a nod toward citizen involvement, the holy grail of local governments the past couple of decades.

The out basket: Jim Rogers, transportation planner for the county, said 15 of the 58 projects in the 2015-20 plan, which can be see online at www.kitsapgov.com/pw/sixyear_tip.htm, were citizen-initiated. That includes the top priority project, paving 2,400 feet of Hansville Road’s shoulders between Ecology and Eglon roads in North Kitsap this year.

Most of the 15 are shoulder improvements to be done by county employees rather than contracted out.

The others Jim listed, with their priority ranking and year to be done, include:

– This year’s $2 million roundabout and shoulder paving at and near Holly Road at Seabeck Highway (8 –  2015)

– More Hansville Road shoulder paving between Eglon and Twin Spits roads (16 – 2016),

– Widening the intersection of Widme and Totten roads  in North Kitsap to benefit truck movements (19 – 2016),

– Sidewalks  on both sides of Fairgrounds Road between Central Valley and Nels Nelson roads (26 – 2017)

– Paved shoulders on Suquamish Way between Hyak Lane and Division Avenue (27 – 2017 )

– Paved shoulders on Chester Road and Madrone Avenue in Manchester (36 – 2018)

– Paving shoulders and improving drainage on Beach Drive in South Kitsap between Daniels Loop and Jessica Way (37 – 2018).

– Six-foot paved shoulders on Sidney Road in South Kitsap from the Port Orchard city limits to just past Lider Road (38 – 2018).

– Paved shoulder on Alaska Avenue in South Kitsap between Mile Hill Drive and Madrone Avenue (40 – 2018).

– Paved shoulders on Island Lake /Road between Gallery Street and Camp Court (41 – 2018)

–  Paved shoulders on Anderson Hill Road in Silverdale for about 100 yards on both sides of the Frontier Place roundabout (42 – 2018).

– Add traffic lights and turn lanes at Nels Nelson and Bucklin Hill roads (52 – 2019)

– Building right-turn lane on southbound Hansville Road at Highway 104 (55 – 2020)

– Paving shoulders and resurfacing of Seabeck Highway between Gross and Newberry Hill roads (57 – 2020).

If you have a road project you’d like to nominate, you can do it online at http://www.kitsapgov.com/pw/Tip_Project_Proposal_form.asp