Letter to the Editor
Concern About Main Street Lane Revision
Dear Editor:
I am writing regarding the proposal to change the traffic flow on Dayton's Main Street (from Front Street to the west city limits) into a two-lane road with a left turn lane in the center.
It appears that the focus was entirely on making a safe passage for pedestrians across the Main Street bridge, but I am concerned that those who sponsored this proposal overlooked how it will change the overall traffic patterns.
The current four-lane road within city limits allows traffic to sort itself out before getting to the main downtown business core, or before it heads west toward Waitsburg. If that stretch of West Main is removed, it will create a problematic situation for people jockeying for position in the busy downtown section of Dayton. The proposal will remove roughly twothirds of the area available for the traffic to realign.
At the west end of town, there are many families who enter and leave the highway to come and go to their homes. The proposed street change would bottleneck exiting traffic and the straight highway area immediately west of town would be the logical area to "put the pedal to the metal" and pass slower traffic. Also, about one mile west of town, a very dangerous blind rise occurs in the highway. More people have been killed on that rise than have been killed crossing the Main Street bridge. Living that way and working our farm fields next to this rise, I have many times seen people trying to pass other vehicles in that area.
The Dayton City Council's proposal will put a lot more pressure on people to pass slower traffic on that unsafe stretch of highway, and it will make a more deadly situation than the one they are trying to solve. I hope the Dayton City Council monitors the situation closely and ensures that the "No Passing" area west of town is clearly marked.
Perhaps the wisest choice would be to keep the road system "as is" and seek funds to build a pedestrian bridge similar to the one between the city park and the football field. If there is truly a desire to have safe passage for pedestrians and safe passage for traffic to pass slower vehicles before arriving at the downtown business area or heading to the open highway with deadly obstacles, these potential hazards need to be discussed by the entire community.
Glenn Warren, Dayton
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