Great Mills & Rte 5

[MiddleGround]

Have had the pleasure of driving through this area during the rush hour times over the last 2 weeks. Couple of things to note:

- Whomever said (or says) that the "road work" that blocked the outbound lane from Sheetz had absolutely ANY positive effect on the traffic most definitely needs to take their methadone! That place is just as screwed up as it has ever been!

- Been seeing a guy pan handling for money in the median. Yesterday, got the opportunity to see him run into Sheetz and use that money for 2 packs of smokes. After this, he stepped outside, used his iPhone to text his buddy to pick him up in their 2500 series pickup. I'm guessing he is not in too bad of a situation.

 

[NTNG]

Every county commissioner, regardless of their party, should be made to drive from LP to Callaway at 5 pm every work day for a month. Maybe then
FDR Blvd might seem a lot less important, and something might get done with the mess that is Rt 5 and GMR.

 

[itsbob]

I never knew this to be a problem.. I have NEVER had an issue with traffic there.. I think you're making it up, probably own an asphalt company..

 

[BernieP]

Every county commissioner, regardless of their party, should be made to drive from LP to Callaway at 5 pm every work day for a month. Maybe then
FDR Blvd might seem a lot less important, and something might get done with the mess that is Rt 5 and GMR.

Because it's not a priority to them, they aren't stuck in the traffic.

I never knew this to be a problem.. I have NEVER had an issue with traffic there.. I think you're making it up, probably own an asphalt company..

nor are you

 

[lucky_bee]

Have had the pleasure of driving through this area during the rush hour times over the last 2 weeks. Couple of things to note:

- Whomever said (or says) that the "road work" that blocked the outbound lane from Sheetz had absolutely ANY positive effect on the traffic most definitely needs to take their methadone! That place is just as screwed up as it has ever been!

Don't be so dramatic. I've had the pleasure of driving thru this intersection at rush hour for almost 5 years. I come thru there every day but I'm coming from Rt 5 South/Webster Field. Not having that cutback has made a huge difference in the bit of traffic I end up sitting in from my direction. We have fewer people riding the shoulder for over a mile down rt 5 to the intersection, cutting up GMR, and cutting around Sheetz. Without the cut thru I'm imagining less people from PAXR are taking Willows to Rt 5 because their "shortcut" has been thwarted and they have to sit in traffic regardless.

It's eased up on issues from my direction - not significantly - but I've noticed a nice difference. But until they decide how to proceed in fixing the whole intersection (they've been in research phase for awhile now), the rest of that intersection will continue to suffer.

 

[TPD]

Don't be so dramatic. I've had the pleasure of driving thru this intersection at rush hour for almost 5 years. I come thru there every day but I'm coming from Rt 5 South/Webster Field. Not having that cutback has made a huge difference in the bit of traffic I end up sitting in from my direction. We have fewer people riding the shoulder for over a mile down rt 5 to the intersection, cutting up GMR, and cutting around Sheetz. Without the cut thru I'm imagining less people from PAXR are taking Willows to Rt 5 because their "shortcut" has been thwarted and they have to sit in traffic regardless.

It's eased up on issues from my direction - not significantly - but I've noticed a nice difference. But until they decide how to proceed in fixing the whole intersection (they've been in research phase for awhile now), the rest of that intersection will continue to suffer.

Thx for responding. I haven’t been through there since the shortcut was blocked but I was certain it had to make a difference for people traveling Rt 5 from Webster through GM. Thx for confirming.

 

[BernieP]

I think it's been in the "research phase" for 20 years now.

 

[glhs837]

I never knew this to be a problem.. I have NEVER had an issue with traffic there.. I think you're making it up, probably own an asphalt company..

Iknowrite.... Now Hermanville/235, that place needs help...... (does really, but only becuase it's so crappily laid out that crashes are endemic.

 

[BernieP]

Iknowrite.... Now Hermanville/235, that place needs help...... (does really, but only becuase it's so crappily laid out that crashes are endemic.

First thing that would help is if people understood who had the right of way.
Followed by how to properly make a turn onto a multi-lane highway.

 

[TPD]

Iknowrite.... Now Hermanville/235, that place needs help...... (does really, but only becuase it's so crappily laid out that crashes are endemic.

Last week I saw some cameras on tripods at that intersection so maybe they are studying it for possible improvements.

 

[Goldenhawk]

Iknowrite.... Now Hermanville/235, that place needs help...... (does really, but only becuase it's so crappily laid out that crashes are endemic.

Regarding the accident rate at Hermanville/235, there's nothing really badly laid out about it - except that it doesn't have any features (other than the very obvious traffic signal) to deter cellphone-focused drivers from blowing thru the red light at 60 miles/hour. I suspect that median strips would at least tend to make people pay a little bit more attention for a few critical seconds as they enter the intersection.

For handling the large volume of traffic at each rush hour, it could be improved with additional turn lanes, especially on the Forest Park side. But I don't see how that has anything to do with accident rates.

I know - let's make it a traffic circle!

 

[glhs837]

I think that failure to yield from left turners is a higher rate than folks running the red lights. Just the offsets I guess? I'm not sure, but it just seems that I see more crashes there than most intersections. I know my threat radar going through there is set to max scan rate. I will not go through there turning north from Hermanville on the bike. And I try like hell to not do any crossing, other than taking my left leaving in the afternoon from base. And thats always a crap shoot if the person across is actually turning left, going right or straight. Then the idiots who are going straight and want to play "Courtesy Chicken" trying to wait you out until you make the illegal left in front of them.

 

[MiddleGround]

Don't be so dramatic. I've had the pleasure of driving thru this intersection at rush hour for almost 5 years. I come thru there every day but I'm coming from Rt 5 South/Webster Field. Not having that cutback has made a huge difference in the bit of traffic I end up sitting in from my direction. We have fewer people riding the shoulder for over a mile down rt 5 to the intersection, cutting up GMR, and cutting around Sheetz. Without the cut thru I'm imagining less people from PAXR are taking Willows to Rt 5 because their "shortcut" has been thwarted and they have to sit in traffic regardless.

It's eased up on issues from my direction - not significantly - but I've noticed a nice difference. But until they decide how to proceed in fixing the whole intersection (they've been in research phase for awhile now), the rest of that intersection will continue to suffer.

Was talking with a guy that travels that same direction. Was told that the traffic has not changed at all. In fact, it has gotten worse because those "shoulder runners" are now sitting in traffic with the rest of you.

And NO ONE is taking Willows. Why would anyone take Willows to 5 and sit in THAT traffic? That's just idiotic.

Bottom line is that shutting down that "cut-through" has done absolutely ZERO to help that intersection. Hell... people are now just trying to merge onto 5 via the incoming lane!! Have seen it 3 or 4 times now. Its ridiculous!

 

[Goldenhawk]

Not my experience at all.

Contrary to what you were told by "a guy," the reason the shoulder runners are not doing it is because the police have been actively policing it at the entrance to my neighborhood, Bay Ridge, at the request of our neighborhood association. They've been very good to work with us to increase safety; there had been frequent accidents at our entrance because of those shoulder runners broadsiding turning cars. Shutting those lawbreakers down - maybe a couple every few minutes at WORST - has a trivial effect on the traffic, compared to the high volume going thru there. And that change was initiated long ago - they first started the policing effort some years ago, and there have been very, very few shoulder runners ever since. That has NOTHING to do with the change to Old Great Mills Road.

Since I get home from the base via Willows just as often as Great Mills Rd, after checking Google Maps to see which side has the worse traffic, and since I often follow many other cars taking the same route from the base and then turning north on 5 like I do, your claim of "NO ONE" is absolutely incorrect.

Unlike "a guy", my experience as a very interested and involved participant, is that the intersection HAS flowed smoother - not hugely, but enough for me to be happy about the change. And since I routinely use both sides of the intersection, I think I can speak to it more comprehensively than "a guy" can.

 

[Goldenhawk]

Regarding the shoulder runners, reference this article from 2012 discussing exactly this issue, at the entrance to my neighborhood.

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That's when the enforcement started, and they've done it several times since - most recently maybe six months ago. Most people "got the memo" and it's now fairly rare.

If you're talking about people using the turn lane legitimately once it starts near the top of the hill, then turning left onto Old GMR, that's not "shoulder running" as such. Yes, I'm sure that was still happening. But I fail to see how preventing that activity makes the problem worse. It resulted in exactly the same number of cars passing through the intersection, only from a different direction. In fact, as the SHA asserted, NOT allowing that activity makes it better by eliminating merging conflicts.

 

[MiddleGround]

Not my experience at all.

Contrary to what you were told by "a guy," the reason the shoulder runners are not doing it is because the police have been actively policing it at the entrance to my neighborhood, Bay Ridge, at the request of our neighborhood association. They've been very good to work with us to increase safety; there had been frequent accidents at our entrance because of those shoulder runners broadsiding turning cars. Shutting those lawbreakers down - maybe a couple every few minutes at WORST - has a trivial effect on the traffic, compared to the high volume going thru there. And that change was initiated long ago - they first started the policing effort some years ago, and there have been very, very few shoulder runners ever since. That has NOTHING to do with the change to Old Great Mills Road.

Since I get home from the base via Willows just as often as Great Mills Rd, after checking Google Maps to see which side has the worse traffic, and since I often follow many other cars taking the same route from the base and then turning north on 5 like I do, your claim of "NO ONE" is absolutely incorrect.

Unlike "a guy", my experience as a very interested and involved participant, is that the intersection HAS flowed smoother - not hugely, but enough for me to be happy about the change. And since I routinely use both sides of the intersection, I think I can speak to it more comprehensively than "a guy" can.

It is your contention that those who were removing themselves from traffic by using the shoulder (whether it was right or not) and now have to sit in the traffic and wait... thus adding to the congestion... have somehow made the traffic flow... better???

And... how exactly can you say this:

Shutting those lawbreakers down - maybe a couple every few minutes at WORST - has a trivial effect on the traffic, compared to the high volume going thru there.

But then, say this:

...the intersection HAS flowed smoother - not hugely, but enough for me to be happy about the change

If the shutting down of lawbreakers AND the change to Old Great Mills has had NO effect... according to you... then what exactly has made the flow "smoother?"

 

[DoWhat]

If the shutting down of lawbreakers AND the change to Old Great Mills has had NO effect... according to you... then what exactly has made the flow "smoother?"

Yo dip $hit.
It is the merge from two lanes to one at the intersection of Rt. 5 North and OLD GREAT MILLS RD.
The dickheads that cheat the traffic can no longer mess up the merge trying to get on RT.5 from Old Great Mills Rd.

 

[black dog]

Yo dip $hit.
It is the merge from two lanes to one at the intersection of Rt. 5 North and OLD GREAT MILLS RD.
The dickheads that cheat the traffic can no longer mess up the merge trying to get on RT.5 from Old Great Mills Rd.

 

[MiddleGround]

Yo dip $hit.
It is the merge from two lanes to one at the intersection of Rt. 5 North and OLD GREAT MILLS RD.
The dickheads that cheat the traffic can no longer mess up the merge trying to get on RT.5 from Old Great Mills Rd.

Yo Dumba$$...

That traffic had little to no effect on the overall problem. There has been very little to no change in the backups at rush hour. Regardless of what people think of "the flow" it is still at least as bad as it was before the change at Old Great Mills.

Do us all a favor and re-read the conversation so you can catch up and not look like you are lost

 

[Goldenhawk]

In fact, it has gotten worse because those "shoulder runners" are now sitting in traffic with the rest of you.

That traffic had little to no effect on the overall problem.

I'll just leave this riiiiiight here with the logical inconsistency.