So - there is a hidden exit from the airport that exits on to the main road by my house. The speed limit on this main road is 55 mph, but people regularly go much faster than this on that road. It seems that everyone cutting thru the airport wants to head west on the main road, which is a left turn out of the aiport.
This means they must make a left turn across 2 lanes of traffic headed east bound, plus the lane turning into the airport, plus the lane for east bound people to turn left also at that intersection. Also, there are usually a ton of cars already on the main road, headed west bound. AND a good number of THEM turning left INTO the airport as well. So at this intersection, the people exiting the airport to head west bound must yield to both the people headed east and west on the big road (2 lanes EACH) but the west-bound people wishing to turn left into the airport.
Well, this traffic setup, especially at rush hour, causes a great backup of people coming out of the airport, waiting to turn left. And they get really impatient. Many times, as we are headed east or west bound on that road, we've almost T-boned people darting recklessly across as they feel they've already waited long enough - not realizing I'm sure the exact impact a large SUV like mine will have on their car if I can't stop in time.
This airport exit is so dangerous, even when we are exiting the aiport to come home, we take a longer route to avoid it - we've seen NUMEROUS accidents there. And they are always VERY SERIOUS.
So yesterday I have to pick up Sarah from the airport to return to my house to get her car. We exit the airport via the long route to avoid that intersection. As we are west bound on the main road, traffic comes to a standstill. Hmmm.
Eventually, traffic brings us to a County Sheriff directing traffic into an office park. Everyone seems to be blindly following her direction.
I stop and roll down my window "excuse me! We can't detour into there - there's NO OUTLET! IT IS NOT A DTEOUR, JUST AN OFFICE PARK WITH NO OTHER EXIT! Also - i live on this main road! I cannot turn around, THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO MY HOUSE"
She just tells me to go into the office park, seeming irritated that I question her authority. I reiterate that THERE IS NO OTHER WAY HOME, AND HAVING EVERYONE PULL INTO THE LOT IS DUMB. I just wanted to wait in line for the road to re-open, but apparently that was not allowed either. (NOTE that in December, the police routed us into an office park for an accident as well. Then they reopened the road w/out letting the office park people out first - well, the people that had to sit west bound (which got there after the office park filled up) wouldn't let us out, because they were so impatient. That evening, it took me 2 and 1/2 hours to go the 1/2 mile to my house from that office park. I hate the sheriff's department assinine traffic rules - why couldn't WE wait on the main road? Why fill up the office park first? There are WAY more cars than would ever fit into that office park, so it's not like they had a hope of clearing the road)...
So I turn around and head back to the airport, thinking maybe if I take that bad exit, it'll bring me back out onto the main road at a point after the accident. Nope - that is where the accident is. ( the road ends up being shut down for an hour and a 1/2! They had to bring in a helicopter) Not that I want anyone to be hurt, but I can only hope the people that are seriously hurt are the ones that caused the accident, not the people that were just driving along when they darted out. It seems to me, the ones darting out would be more hurt, as they usually get Tboned.
Anyways - we can't get out that way - as all EIGHT LANES (4 travel and 4 turn lanes) are blocked by firetrucks and ambulances. So I turn around AGAIN and go back into the airport to the exit for the Greenway (a $3 per trip) road to get home. To go the FOUR MILES to my house took us over an hour. Because the County won't put a stoplight there. There need to be 3 DEATHS/serious incidents at an intersection before they're required. BUT the accident has to be offically reported, and emergency personnel are not required to report them, so they usually don't get reported. Someone has to take the time to call and report and no one ever does. Peronally, I've seen the remnants of way more than 3 serious accidents there, but no light yet.
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