{"id":6466,"date":"2014-06-25T14:26:32","date_gmt":"2014-06-25T18:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=6466"},"modified":"2014-06-25T14:26:32","modified_gmt":"2014-06-25T18:26:32","slug":"letter-denton-hollow-safety-concerns-real","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=6466","title":{"rendered":"Letter: Denton Hollow safety concerns real"},"content":{"rendered":"

To The Editor,<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Letters1\"<\/a>The concerns raised by residents regarding the traffic situation on Denton Hollow Road resulting from the detour of Route 52 have been misconstrued by some as whining and crying by a few people who simply don\u2019t want to see more traffic on their road.\u00a0 That\u2019s not it \u2013 we are concerned township residents who see a recurring dangerous situation facing everyone using Denton Hollow.\u00a0 Finally, after weeks of requests to the Supervisors, the increased risk has been quantified.\u00a0 A County traffic count was conducted at the Denton Hollow Bridge in May.\u00a0 Here are the results –<\/p>\n

1. Average number of cars per day during the count period was 1385, a 1298.8% increase. (i.e., from 107 cars a day to almost 1400).
\n2. Average number of trucks per day was 400.
\n3. Average speed at bridge 19 mph.<\/p>\n

Email from County Engineer with results sent to Unionville Times<\/i><\/p>\n

These increases might not be problematic, except for Denton Hollow\u2019s unique character \u2013 narrow width, no shoulder, sheer drop-off, steep slope, sharp turns, limited sight distances, and single lane bridge – all in less than a half mile stretch.\u00a0 We recognize Denton Hollow is not the only narrow, curvy street in the township, nor the only one with increased traffic.\u00a0 However, stating \u201cIt isn\u2019t the only road with increased traffic in the township\u201d is not a rational argument for ignoring its risks.\u00a0 We hope others will speak up about problems on their roads.\u00a0 This is how the township can be improved \u2013 resident participation.<\/p>\n

We have been requesting the above traffic count results since May 14. \u00a0It is extremely concerning that the traffic count data was received by Pocopson Township at 12:23 pm on June 9, yet the Supervisors stated during the June 9\u00a0evening meeting and again during the June 23\u00a0meeting that they had not seen the information.\u00a0 We believe a 13-fold increase in traffic would be worth reading.\u00a0 Why was this information not released?<\/p>\n

While the Public Works Department has been prompt in installing additional signage on the road, it is disappointing that the Supervisors have lacked a sense of urgency in addressing questions raised months ago.\u00a0 We can\u2019t just hold our breath and wait for 52 to reopen – not with the 926 Bridge closure around the corner.<\/p>\n

The ostrich complex was sadly evident at this week\u2019s meeting, when the Supervisors stated they had not requested the legal opinion concerning the viability of changing the road to One Way, as they had committed to in every meeting since April 28th, and advised they will not commission a traffic study on Denton Hollow Road because they are concerned what the results might be.\u00a0 They admitted that they did not want to be bound by the findings.\u00a0 So our Supervisors don\u2019t want to know if the road is a public hazard?\u00a0 Such a mindset from our leadership is frustrating, dangerous, and counterproductive.<\/p>\n

Risks relating to the increased traffic which can be mitigated \u2013 excessive speed, head on collision, etc \u2013 must be addressed.\u00a0\u00a0 As a resident on Denton Hollow, changing the road to \u201cOne Way\u201d during the construction process would be quite bothersome, but worth the increased safety it would provide to all users. \u00a0But that is only one option.\u00a0 We need our township leaders to find and implement solutions as all of us struggle through the roundabout construction process, and prepare for 18 months of upheaval created when the 926 Bridge is rebuilt.\u00a0 Withholding information integral to the issue is not the answer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Randy and Sarah Mims<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pocopson<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To The Editor, The concerns raised by residents regarding the traffic situation on Denton Hollow Road resulting from the detour of Route 52 have been misconstrued by some as whining and crying by a few people who simply don\u2019t want to see more traffic on their road.\u00a0 That\u2019s not it \u2013 we are concerned township […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[4055,484,4056,2830,3989],"class_list":["post-6466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-letters","tag-denton-hollow-rd","tag-pocopson","tag-rt-52-detour","tag-safety","tag-traffic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6466\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}