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MORNING STAR
✳ OCTOBER 12 - 18, 2006
Traffic, kids playing near street are dangerous combination By Tony E. Windsor For 10 years Sharri Montoya says she has seen traffic conditions in her neighborhood worsen and now it is “an accident waiting to happen.” During the Monday , Oct. 2, meeting of the Laurel Town Council, Montoya asked for a four-way stop sign system to be placed at Front and Poplar streets. “People are using that Poplar Street as a way to bypass the traffic light on Market Street,” she said. “When these vehicles come around that corner they are moving so fast that they end up riding up on the curb and sidewalk, sometimes almost hitting the fire hydrant. We have even yelled at some of them to slow down.” Montoya said there have been two accidents at the corner of Front and Poplar streets, and given the number of children in that area who are under 15, she fears that something even worse may happen. “I would not want one of these children to be out on the sidewalk or near the road when one of these vehicles comes around that
corner. If you go down there you can see the tire tracks from so many vehicles running up on the curb and sidewalk. I think having four-way stop signs would help to slow the traffic down at that intersection.” Mayor John Shwed told Montoya that he had charged Laurel Police Chief Jamie Wilson with looking into the situation and he would listen to Wilson’s observation of Montoya’s concerns. Wilson said the area along Poplar Street where Montoya lives is “a unique area.” He said given the one-lane bridge and the on-street parking, the area can become very congested. He said he had an officer do a traffic study on Monday afternoon between the hours of 4:30 pm. and 5:30 p.m., when traffic is at a peak. In all, 145 vehicles traveled Poplar Street with the highest speed recorded at 31 miles per hour. “I don’t think speed is an issue,” Wilson said. “The speed limit in that area is 25 miles per hour and when you live that close to the street and have such a narrow corridor even that can seem like 50 miles an hour,” he said. “I think it is more
a problem with the layout of the area than excessive speed. I really feel that because you have the narrow bridge and cars needing to go around vehicles parked on the street, a four-way stop sign would cause more problems and most likely create a bottleneck in the traffic flow.” He said if children are playing in the road that is a safety issue and there can be contact made with parents in that area. Montoya said that homes on that stretch of road have no front yards and the children wind up playing on the sidewalks. “If a ball goes out into the street, it is hard to expect a 3-year-old not to run out after it,” she said. “I have certainly tried to watch children out there and warn them not to go into the road, but it happens.” Montoya said she feels the town should try to convince those people to park in the municipal parking lot nearby and avoid parking on the street. Councilwoman Terry Wright asked if it may be possible to consider lowering the speed limit. Wilson said that may be possible and currently the speed limit on the
Poplar Street Bridge is 15 miles per hour. “We can look at lowering the speed limit from 25 miles per hour from the bridge to Market Street as well,” he said. “I think we will find it is more an issue of congestion than speed.” Shwed said the town will monitor the situation and see if some of the suggestions made by the council and Wilson can address the traffic concerns, as opposed to a four-way stop sign. Montoya said she appreciated anything the town could do. “This is not a main street, it is a side street. But people use it like a main street to avoid that traffic signal. If you can at least get people to slow down for now I will appreciate that,” she said. Councilman Don Phillips said he understood Montoya’s concerns. He said he saw first-hand the problem for 30 years when he operated his family’s clothing store at Market and Poplar. He said, however, that he wants to be sure that lowering a speed limit can by done without input from the public. Shwed said that concern would be researched and “we will do the right thing.”
‘People are tired of development without planning’ Continued from page 16
anyone living here. I moved here for the quiet and peacefulness of this area. I want a project that will not disturb my way of life. This project is large enough to impact everybody’s quality of life. I am against this project at its current size. Kirk Drew, Park Lane in Colonial Acres I was born and raised in the country. I have been here for 16 years. I wanted to come here from the city. I got tired of sirens and kids running up and down the streets. Now you want to come in and destroy my water and bring crime to my neighborhood. We have no voice in this and we can’t vote anyone in or out of office. This project is not about kids, it’s about money. Most kids don’t stay entertained too long. Ball fields will do nothing and this place will do nothing for anybody. It won’t help this community. The people building it don’t even live in Laurel. The contractors that come in to build this project will bring their own construction crews; they won’t hire anybody from around here. I want to know what happens to my front yard when you make Discount Land Road a dual highway. Are the developers going to pay me for my place when I have to step out of my house onto a dual highway? These developers are good salespeople. I just don’t understand why the Horseys are involved in this thing. I am going to sit down because I am getting madder by the minute. Felicia Culver, Discount Land Road This is also an issue of safety, not just the living here, but for those people coming to the town. When you have a large group of children it also brings pedophiles. There are 32 convicted sex offenders in the Laurel area and 25 of these are pedophiles. Three of these are within three miles of this project site. These people merge in with the people and you are not aware they are out there. I hope the police force is increased. I hope you take this into consideration and realize the possibility
exists. For one child to be molested or abducted is unfathomable to consider in my neighborhood. I am worried about our peaceful way of life being destroyed and you cannot get that back. This is a way of life I am not ready to give up. Sarah Culver, Discount Land Road I am a junior at Sussex Tech High School. I live in a peaceful neighborhood and I want it to stay that way. Why can’t it stay that way? Sure, I am a teenager and I like shopping at the malls, but I don’t want it outside my house. My neighborhood is beautiful and peaceful and once you interfere with that it can’t be brought back. I am not into sports or physical activities. I like music and the arts. And what about the animals who have no voices and can’t be heard? It is unfair that seven people make this decision that will affect other people. You don’t live on my street, so you don’t know how beautiful it is. If you want it so bad, build it in your neighborhood, don’t come into my neighborhood. Sandy Kirby, Camp Road With all due respect, I have heard nothing from the developers about what this project will do to impact our schools. Where will all these children go to school? I see no beautiful pictures of schools. I also see that you are considering building a fire station on the project property. My daughter died on the street in front of a doctor’s office in the middle of Laurel. It took 30 minutes for the emergency people to respond. How long will it take if they have to come from out there on the other side of US 13? I am a big fan of the Shorebirds and I go to their games. But, the Shorebirds can’t fill the 5,000 seats it has; how can a town the size of Laurel fill a 6,000 seat stadium? Harvey Highland, Irene Avenue I am running for the Sussex County Council in District 5, and when I ask the people what their top three concerns are they tell me “development, development, development.” People are tired of development; especially development without
planning. I do feel that the Horsey family is spending time on plans for this project. But, two years ago the town of Laurel increased every service fee in the name of a new, upgraded wastewater treatment plant. It looks like this development has already outgrown the system that has yet to be built. If annexed, the property will
need additional wastewater service. According to the Laurel ordinances, if the wastewater lines run by your home, you will be charged a frontage fee. So, beware of hidden costs. I believe this project is important to the town of Laurel because it is greasing Laurel’s palm.