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. “
