Evict the stoplight gremlin
The Idaho Transportation Department needs to fix the
stoplight at the hospital intersection south of Ketchum.
It’s driving commuters nuts.
If it’s not fixed soon, it’s going to be more than a
minor irritation—it’s going to start costing businesses and employees
money.
A red light for highway traffic is supposedly triggered
when a car on a lightly traveled cross-street stops and is ready to enter
the highway. That’s the theory, anyway.
The theory isn’t working.
Some mischievous gremlin seems to have taken up residence
in the light. The gremlin delights in triggering the red light for no
reason.
Driver after driver is forced to stop and wait at the
intersection–while absolutely nothing happens. Befuddled, they watch in
the rearview mirror as traffic stacks up behind.
Ordinarily, this would be a minor irritation, unworthy of
editorial comment. Just another piece of life in the big city¾ except
this isn’t the big city.
State Highway 75 is the valley’s economic lifeline—its
only highway¾ especially in the summer when most visitors arrive here by
car. Summer is when most tourist-related businesses do the bulk of their
business.
This summer drivers will have to contend with more highway
construction, all manner of slow-moving heavy equipment—and the
stoplight.
Last summer, highway construction delays caused employees
to be late to work, made it difficult or impossible for some businesses to
open on time and aggravated visitors.
Commuters are exhibiting patience with delays caused by
highway construction. They shouldn’t have to endure the stoplight as
well.
The busy summer season kicked off over the weekend and
traffic will continue to get heavier until it peaks some time in August.
The blasted stoplight will ensure that frustration will peak with the
traffic counts.
The discombobulated stoplight is inexcusable in a world
where satellites can take photographs of the family cat on the fence in
the back yard, and where information bounces its way around the planet and
back in a matter of seconds.
The ITD needs to evict the stoplight gremlin. That would
make everyone’s summer a lot more pleasant.
