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Traffic troubles still waiting for solutions
(by Joan Demirjian - December 16, 2009)
Traffic troubles still waiting for solutions
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
Traffic congestion is a concern in Bainbridge and should be addressed, township Trustee Jeffrey Markley said.
It is a matter of making people's lives better, he said of solving some of the issues, especially along the Chillicothe Road (Route 306) corridor.
"We have to identify them and work with the police chief on what the problems are and help with the solutions," Mr. Markley said.
Main areas include the Route 422 freeway interchange and at East Washington Street, he said. There are backups on Bainbridge Road, east of Chillicothe Road as well, he said.
"If we wait for the county or state to do something, we could wait a long time," Mr. Markley said.
There could be ways in which the township could be involved in the remedies, he said.
"If it is an issue for residents, I would look at grant monies," he said of attempting to move some projects along to improve traffic conditions.
One of the points of congestion occurs on Chillicothe Road approaching East Washington Street.
Bainbridge Police Chief James Jimison said traffic congestion could be relieved with longer vehicle-collection lanes on Chillicothe Road at the intersection. The longer collection lanes would aid motorists trying to turn left from Chillicothe Road in the northbound direction and turning left from the southbound lane of Chillicothe Road, he said.
Because the collection lanes for left turns are not long enough for waiting traffic, motorists violate traffic regulations by driving into the yellow-lined area to wait to turn left, he said. Space is needed for up to 10 more cars, he said. "It would alleviate a lot of the problems with traffic in that location."
The state has not made any changes on Chillicothe Road at the intersection, but Geauga County extended lanes eastbound on East Washington Street, when the road was repaved, to alleviate some of the congestion, Mr. Jimison said.
Elected officials would have to address the concerns to Ohio Department of Transportation, he said.
"We do support them," he said of any improvements. The issues have come up in the past, he said. "The time has come to do something about the traffic."
In the past, police have ticketed motorists driving in the yellow-lined area. At the time, up to 50 tickets were being given in a day, Mr. Jimison said.
However, the Geauga County judge handling the tickets said he recognized the problem, but because there are such difficulties for drivers to turn there, discouraged ticketing in the area, Mr. Jimison said.
Widening and another lane on Chillicothe Road could be useful, but probably is not feasible in that area, he said.
The other major problems areas include the Route 422 freeway interchange at Chillicothe Road, Mr. Jimison said.
"We're waiting for the state to come with a plan," he said. "I have not seen it, but it's going to be a big help."
The interchange attracts a lot of traffic and is a central point from north, south and east, Mr. Jimison said.
A comment once was made that making improvements at Route 422 would attract more traffic, he said, but he does not believe that would happen.
Ohio Department of Transportation officials have said a plan is being worked on for the interchange area, and, when completed, it will be presented to Township Trustees.
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