There are two extremely dangerous intersections in the greater New Carlisle area.  The first made the news again.  Unfortuneately, somebody else had to die for that to happen.  Obviously, I am talking about Timothy Road and Indiana 2.  The other intersection of note is US 20 and 900 E (commonly known as County Line Road).   We will cover that intersection in a future effort (but not too far in the future).

Before I go much further, on behalf of everyone here at MQOL, I wish to extend our deepest sympathies to all who were involved in this most recent tragic incident.  I also wish to extend our much belated sympathies to the families that have been affected by all the previous accidents.  In the most simple terms possible, this has to end, and it has to end NOW!!!!  I may need to call on some of you to help us bring some meaning to the loss of your loved ones, and I apologize in advance for having to call on you.  I just want this madness to end.

Over the next several days, I will be attempting to collect some ideas from our members on what can be done without having to wait the years it will take IN-Dot to get anything done.  I have heard many ideas expressed on the local TV News and in the forums/feedback sections of the local media outlets.  

I would like to start this process by letting you all know that I have little confidence that we will see a 4 way stop, a roundabout, a stoplight or even a flashing light any time soon.  There is so much paperwork and so many studies required for any of these ideas to happen, that I am considering them to be possible "long term" solutions, but not providing enough immediate relief to be practical at this point in time.  What we need is a short term solution that can happen with minimal expense so that local government has a decent chance of getting something done before someone else has to die.

With that said, a few of the ideas that I have heard so far include:

Install an island between the right turn lane and the left turn/straight ahead lane.  That island would have its own stop sign, along with the existing stop sign moved ahead for the right turn lane.  This keeps a stop sign in the line of sight of the driver which I think could help the current setup.

Install a solar-powered flashing light on the approach to the intersection on Timothy Road to draw attention to the sign at night.

Install rumble strips, like those in the approach to Toll Booths on the Indiana Toll Road.  They are placed several hundred feet before the intersection to "wake-up" the driver going south on Timothy.

Paint chevrons on the road surface prior to the intersection with highly reflective paint.

Any of the above or combinations thereof can be implemented as a first step in making this intersection safer for people driving on Timothy and Indiana 2.  None of the above are out of line in the expense category, so they should be possible with just a bit of education for the  St Joe County officials.  Trust me, this will be an easy call for them to approve the types of measures mentioned above.

I will be setting something up over the weekend to allow anybody else who has ideas for the intersection to share their ideas with us so we can share them with the appropriate local officals.  

Please tune in as we begin the task of making a bad situation a bit more tolerable and possibly (likely) saving a few lives in the process.

- Tom  Pietrzak - Michiana Quality Of Life Webguy