The Observation Deck

I was just driving down Madison Ave. today and noticed what could be a problem.

Sherwin Williams and Walgreens have built their building to the very corner of their lots. Sherwin William's' parking lot is to the east and south. Walgreen's lot is to the west and south. This completely shuts off any real view of Madison if you are coming from the south on Warren Road.

Could this limited view be an accident waiting to happen? I tried coming from the south and the view is unbelievably restrictive. Especially when you consider had the plans of one or both been reversed, it would have been much safer.

Random thoughts on a donut run.


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Jim--- I use that intersection many times during a typical day and don't find any problem. Currently, it's a little congested because of the construction barriers. But, with the new traffic lights by the fire station drive it should be okay.

(I did notice lots of doughnut sugar on the street 15 minutes ago)

Stan

Stan Austin wrote:Jim--- I use that intersection many times during a typical day and don't find any problem. Currently, it's a little congested because of the construction barriers. But, with the new traffic lights by the fire station drive it should be okay.

(I did notice lots of doughnut sugar on the street 15 minutes ago)

Stan

Stan

Actually it would have been coconut. But all pastires shops on the westside are closed. So I ended up at DoughBoys.

Walgreen is not built. Climb in the truck, head south on Warren then pretend you might want to beat a light. It is a very narrow opening to see what is coming. My real point was if they reversed their plans, the intersection would have opened up. which might have created other problems. Who knows?

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James,

I'm sure you're thinking that there may be may be big study money available for this dangerous situation.

I know that LO Consulting Group, LLC has become an important revenue generator for the Observer Media Group, but do you think you have the resources for yet another study?

Isn't everybody already working on Hogsback and that big Sloane/Vista Bridge redevelopement study? You know, the success of the proposed LO Pawn & Check Cashing (A wholly owned subsidiary) on Sloane is really going to depend on the access provided by Vista Bridge.

I'm not telling you how to run your business, but...

Steve

stephen davis wrote:I know that LO Consulting Group, LLC has become an important revenue generator for the Observer Media Group, but do you think you have the resources for yet another study?

Stephen

The LO Consulting Group LLC, has just finished our $2.37 study of Hogsback Road. We would have spent more but we found out that Cleveland owns the troubled area, so we decided to spend our money more wisely elsewhere.

So yes we do have the time and people power for another study.


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Up to 70 percent of municipal law enforcement time/money is spent dealing with traffic violations and traffic accidents.

By applying a reverse-causation-super-dyslexic reasoning the more traffic accidents there are the less other types of crime there will be. This will help property values.

Here is the view from a car heading North on Warren Road.



This was done Sunday morning with no person or people in the way. How is it when school lets out? Or during rush hour when cars and pedestrians are in a hurry?


Dan Slife shows just how tight the opening is. Barely room for an adult to walk through easily. How big of an obstacle is this for someone with sight problems or in a wheelchair?


Going around might be even more dangerous. A car speeds by Dan mere inches away. What if it was a wheelchair?

Random thoughts...



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Jim-- Now that definitely is a problem. (Especially if shopping carts clogged up the pathway).
Seriously, I am going to bring it up to those knowledgeable. I think it's the box that controls that traffic lights.

Imagine the HORROR seeing Slife as you're rounding the corner!

Stan

Stan Austin wrote:Jim-- Now that definitely is a problem. (Especially if shopping carts clogged up the pathway).
Seriously, I am going to bring it up to those knowledgeable. I think it's the box that controls that traffic lights.
Stan

Stan

If it costs the city anything, forget it. We have bigger issues.


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this issue is present in a lot of intersections but with parked cars. In Europe, the law says you can't park "x" meters (yards) from a intersection or street corner. It makes sense. Every time I pull out of my street it's a new adventure because I can't see oncoming cars from both sides and have to nudge my way into the middle of the street to be able to see the headlights of cars. Crazy!

This is a problem all over the 'wood. It is present on residential streets as well as commercial areas.
In commercial areas, I suspect the solution lies in not building so close to the street. Ever try to cross Madison on one of the North-south streets in a commercial area? By the time Madison car, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic is visible, side-street traffic is already committed to GO.
Since the Sherwin-williams and Walgreen Buildings are already in place, it is probably too late to do anything at this intersection. I am surprised that nobody working for the city seems to be aware of these issues.
Anyone who lives on the Parking side of a Lakewood side-street has a similar issue to deal with. It is difficult to see beyond a row of parked cars to pull out of a driveway. If a couple of SUVs, vans, or minivans are parked on the street, pulling-out becomes a sort of hail-Mary move.
At our house, we back into the driveway, minimizing exposure time when pulling out. We also make a point of "spotting" for any guests as they back into the street.
Exasperating the problem is the number of doubles in Lakewood, and the fact that some people on the parking side just park in the street all the time rather than risk pulling-out.
Apart from these practices, it might be best to limit the density of tall vehicles parked on the street.
Of course, if there is an accident, the person pulling out of their driveway is at-fault for violating the right-of-way of the driver on the street.