GRIDLOCK GURU : Johnson reconsiders stop for rail
Posted on Friday, May 2, 2008
Stop signs once caused drivers to pause before they slipped over the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad Co. crossing at Main Drive in Johnson, but the mayor got them removed a few years ago.
Now, there’s a different mayor, Lonnie Barron, and he’s interested in putting up the stop signs again.
Barron’s thinking about this topic started after Paul Lindblom of Fayetteville asked The Guru about the safety of the crossing.
The first topic this week is the Johnson crossing. Afterward, The Guru deals with a Springdale traffic signal that makes drivers stop when there no cars are coming in the other direction.
Question: “I relocated to this beautiful state from Florida almost a year ago and have been surprised at the large number of ungated railroad track crossings,” Lindblom writes. “Last week, an unfortunate lady was killed at one of these. However, the one that troubles me the most is Main Drive in Johnson. Although it is only a two-lane road, it handles a high volume of traffic, especially during rush hours. Not only does it not have a gate, it doesn’t even have a stop sign. And it is difficult to see very far in either direction.” Answer: Mary Guthery died Saturday morning when a train hit her car as she drove on Wilson Street in Greenland. It’s a terrible reminder of the danger the crossings create.
As for Johnson, having a gated signal seems unlikely. Although Main Drive is busy, the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department provides federal money for five or six gated crossings each year. With 2, 700 crossings in Arkansas, only 900 having gates or flashing red lights.
Richard Long, the former Johnson mayor, had the Main Drive stop signs removed when an ice storm made it hard for drivers who stopped to get going up the slight incline to cross the tracks.
“The stop signs were more of a hindrance than a help,” Long said. “Ron Sparks (the railroad’s safety guy ) disagreed with us, but we took them down.” Barron on Thursday talked with the city’s police chief, Vernon Sisemore, and street superintendent, Randy Birtchfield, about the crossing. They didn’t immediately decide what they’ll do about the stop signs.
“It’s possible that I’ll bring it before the City Council and see what they think,” Barron said.
Sparks favors stop signs at every crossing.
“If they aren’t there, it’s because a city won’t allow it,” Sparks said.
Q: “Why does the light at Shady Grove Road and Thompson Street sometimes turn red toward Thompson when there is not a car in sight on Shady Grove Road ?” writes Springdale resident Norma Tomboulian. “Does it have to be so silly ?” A: Tomboulian put up with the unnecessary wait several times in April. She must have wondered whether ghosts were driving on Shady Grove.
A city worker checked out the intersection this week and made a minor adjustment to the Video-Trak detection system, said Springdale traffic technician Dub Janczys.
The city plans to monitor the signal for a few days. Robert J. Smith, aka The Guru, writes on traffic issues in Northwest Arkansas each Friday. He can be reached at gridlockguru @arkansasonline. com or www. nwanews. com / gridlockguru.
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