As residents plan to enjoy the traditional close of the summer driving season this weekend, they should also be aware of increased police presence to keep that enjoyment under control.
Fewer people will be traveling over the holidays, according to the AAA Motor Club, thanks to economic concerns. Nearly 1 million fewer Americans will travel 50 miles or more this weekend.
But expect a slight increase in Hoosiers traveling by car – 674,000 total this weekend. Nationally, automobile travelers will make up 87 percent of all holiday travelers.
With increased traffic comes increased police presence, and this year will be no different.
More than 2,400 law enforcement agencies across the Midwest are participating in the nationwide crackdown on impaired drivers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number of drunk-driving fatalities fell across the country from 2008 to 2009, but the numbers are still high. In 2009, 10,839 people died in crashes where a driver or motorcycle rider was at or above the legal limit.
That means there will be more police out on the roads during the holiday weekend, especially during high-risk night and weekend hours, when impaired drivers are most likely to be on the roads.
So I caution you to all have a great holiday but try to have a safe one, too.
Email bag
Q. Is there any way there can be a three-way stop installed at the corner of Bahama Lane and Andro Lane? There are young drivers that fly down Bahama Lane, and this is very dangerous for the children of the neighborhood. – Dennis Crabill
A. Dennis, there is a way, but you will have to work for it.
The change you want falls under the city’s neighborhood street traffic calming policy – as does the desire to lower neighborhood streets to 25 mph. Requests are typically made through neighborhood association presidents and require a petition showing that 75 percent of affected property owners approve of the change.
To get started, you can contact traffic engineering at 427-1172 for more information or check this link online: www.cityoffortwayne.org/publicworks/traffic-engineering.html. Good luck.
Festival closure
Indiana 8 was closed starting Friday in Auburn to allow for Labor Day festivities. The detour is North Van Buren Street to East First Street to North Union Street, adding a half-mile for through traffic. The road will be reopened at 6 p.m. Monday.
Radio Sage
This week’s bonus audio item comes from Adam Greb, who asked about utility work being done on U.S. 30. The segment originally aired Friday afternoon on WOWO and can be found online at www.journalgazette.net/roadsage.
