Route 30 safety
This June will mark a tragic anniversary for Route 30. On June 6, 2006 on a clear, dry afternoon, a tractor-trailer ran a red light at the intersection of Route 30 and Roosevelt Avenue, ending the life of my friend and co-worker Michael Euculano. My intent is not to rehash the details of that accident or to place blame but rather determine “what have we learned?”
I am privy to information from a study done on Route 30 by a Task Committee of The York County Chamber of Commerce with information provided by local/state police, and PennDot. This study attempted to examine signage, light cycles and enforcement along Route 30. Sadly, there is no one solution and shockingly it was reported that enforcement has only had short-term results (days) on driver behavior.
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Members of the York County Chamber and other volunteers informally and voluntarily visually observed some of the Route 30 issues on May 13th. At different intersections, it was estimated over 1,500 vehicles traveled Route 30 in an hour. About 1.5% of these vehicles had “Red Light Violations”. That violation is not defined as running a yellow light but rather entering the intersection AFTER the light is already red. That equates to over 20 cars an hour. Worse yet, it was estimated that side streets had up to 600 cars enter/cross Route 30 in a 2-hour period with over 8% guilty of observed Red Light Violations, or about 24 violations per hour.
Route 30 no longer serves as the “by-pass” it was intended to be. We all have to recognize that in order to change long-term behaviors. So, the next time you “run” a red light, remember Michael Euculano and ask, “what if it was your family member, what if it was your friend or co-worker, what if it were you?” They say character is not what you do when people are watching but how you behave when you are alone. Only you know if you are part of the problem or the solution to Route 30 safety.
Steve Gohn
West Manchester Twp.
Chris Hutton · May 22, 2008 9:18 AM
Just give every intersection on Rte. 30 longer yellow lights and a 3 second red light in all directions. Some people following a tractor-trailer through an intersection aren't aware what color the light is.
Dave in Myrtle Beach · May 24, 2008 4:49 PM
Re Chris Hutton...
I like the idea of "all directions RED for three seconds".
However, if you cannot see the traffic light when you are follwing a tractor-trailer, wait until you can.