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Editor's Notes
I have been living and working in Jackson for nearly 4-1/2 years and during that time have seen numerous automobile crashes in that area. It is a no brainer that with the speed limit increasing from 45 to 55 that people are not going to be able to stop as quickly, therefore creating greater risk for those making left-hand turns in the area. Despite what people may think, I do not enjoy covering automobile crashes for The South Alabamian, but it is news and people want to read about it. It would not hurt my feelings one bit if I never had to cover another wreck or any other bad event for the rest of my career. The "good news" is what I thrive on. But, the harsh reality is that bad things happen and our readers want to know about them, so as a steward of the press, I am bound to report both good and bad, which includes serious wrecks involving death or injury. The crash that occurred last week in front of the Tack & Rack store, was the second of its kind in about a month's time. My suggestion to drivers driving in the area from where the turn lane ends at Sears to McVay Road, to go a little slower. Of course, making such a suggestion and actually seeing the majority of drivers follow it, is probably like beating my head against a brick wall. It won't get a thing accomplished, except to give me a headache. But, if at least a few people follow my suggestion, maybe that will be a few more wrecks that won't occur in that area. I have talked with city and county officials concerning the need for a turn lane in that particular area, as well as law enforcement personnel. All have given me positive feedback and are encouraged that a study concerning the matter is currently being conducted by the Alabama Department of Transportation. Let's hope their assessment starts the wheels in motion to obtain the much needed turn lane. Another troubled area for motorists seems to be the first entrance/exit for the Wal-Mart shopping center. As has been suggested by several of our city councilmen, I believe this should be made into an entrance only turn, because most wrecks seem to occur when someone is pulling out onto Highway 43, usually to make a left-hand turn to head south. There seems to be fewer collisions occurring at the north entrance/exit, which indicates it is obviously difficult for drivers to judge how much time they have to pull out from the south entrance. I would suggest leaving the north entrance/exit the way it is and change the south one to an entrance only by northbound traffic only. If it is made an entrance only without the latter, I'm afraid drivers will still misjudge when turning across the northbound lanes, and nothing will have been solved. A third area of concern is for the many motorists heading south on Highway 43 who top the hill at McVay Road and encounter a slow moving log truck that has pulled from the road into the southbound lane. With the speed limit still at 65 MPH there, I am worried that it is only a matter of time before someone tops that hill and is unable to stop in time to avoid getting a log through his or her windshield. My suggestion would be that as part of the study for the turn lane, which would end in that area, an exit lane from McVay Road should also be looked at. Everyone knows that all of these things will cost big bucks to complete. I am certain that there are many other problem areas such as these all across the United States, where motorists are suffering serious injuries and sadly, death. But, we should be concerned with what is happening here in our area, because we can only fix the world one small area at a time.
We should all take time to contact our state representative and senator about these issues.
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