scanlist said:
I'm not surprised that an accident of this magnitude occured at that intersection. With the increase of housing development and the fact that the truck traffic increases radically on road 19 on days the port of entry is open S. of Platteville.
While the increase in `civilization?' in the area definitely has been a factor it has *always* been a problematic intersection. (Another thing that caused an `uptick' in accidents was the extension of the paving on 24 through to 21 1/2 around approximately 10 years ago.) As for the truck traffic... Yeah there is a bit, not huge, of an increase in it. The most significant increases are when there are new gas and oil wells being put in and with the recent call for more NG it gotten a bit crazy now and then. (*We* have had *3* new wells put in on this place in just the last couple years. They just completed the last of the three only a bit over a month ago! [Smack dab in the middle of the space West of our house and East of our West boundary. I was actually able to jury-rig up a CCTV camera on our back porch and watch the whole affair from the ACed comfort of our house. {GRIN!} Made tapes for the children so they could actually see them setting up and tearing down the rig which occured whilst both were in school since they hadn't ever seen it. {CHORTLE!} Don't know if the pics are still around since I did it on one SWMBO's `time shift' tapes though.]) Anyways... Truck traffic has basically always been pretty `good?' on 19 for quite some time.
That plus the tendency of people to just blow through the stop signs in the area as well. I have seen this way too many times recently. Too many transplants moving into the area bring their idiotic city driving habits with them.
Yeah, that is definitely another factor, `city people' bringing their `habits' and preconcieved notions with them, that is causing another `uptick' in the accidents at 19 and 24. Whilst "idotic city driving habits" can be part of the `equation' the major part seems to be the `notion' that being `out in the country' means less traffic which means that they can drive faster with even less attention to what is going on around them in the case of `transplants'. In yet another case, and probably too `un-PC' for certain people and organizations, we have a growing problem of illegal aliens packing way too many people into whatever vehicle they happen to be driving, either not knowing or ignoring basic good driving `rules', and, adding even more, most likely not even truely knowing *how* to drive. *`Seven?'* people crammed together into a Camry!? {YEEEESH!} Unfortunately this is SOP for the way quite a few of the illegal aliens travel whether with `coyotes' or on their own. (Is it `culture' or `economics'? I'll bet that it would make for a good subject for someone to either do a `termpaper' or `study' on? Not that it would most likely actually offer a way to some sort of `solution'. {FROWN!}) I am not claiming that any of the occupants of any of the vehicles were illegal aliens but, rather just pointing out something *I* have been noticing recently. (For *anyone* who tries to claim that *I* am `anti-immigant'... Hell No! I happen to have immigrants in my family history only 3, counting my generation, back. The main thing is that they `followed the rules' and `integrated themselves into the culture' basically from `day one'. )
FWIW I use this intersection as an alternate going home when highway 66 has construction or accidents. [/quote]
A good `use' / `plan of action' and you *also* know the `conditions' / `limitations' of the route and act accordingly. I suspect that there are others out there that also do so, too. (That probably comes from either already knowing the area or initially taking the time to know the area for just what things may be / are like for those times one uses the route *and* `staying on one's toes' afterwards. Both something that `others' don't seem to don't do.)
Unfortunately this and other encroachments of `civilization?' that seem to be part and parcel the overall situation are the reasons why my family and I are trying to get out of here and move somewhere else. Whilst this particular accident made it to the `news' this intersection, only basically a mile away from us, `plays host?' to many more that don't `make the news'. There has also been an increase in accidents at 19 and 26, which is basically in our `backyard', that has been following along with those at 19 and 24 and with the attendant increase in traffic that is part of it there is also an increase of other types of `incidents'. (I previously mentioned `jury-rigging' a CCTV camera to watch the progress of a recently drilled well but, that was basically only possible because I've had to have other installed CCTV cameras around the place. It wasn't until fairly recently that I had to install them and only grudgingly did so because of some incidents that happened. While we really weren't as `rural' as a lot of other farms may be we *were* `rural' enough that we didn't have many problems and something like a CCTV system would have been more like a `toy' more than anything else. This `exodus?' from, or of, `civilization' has made this and several other changes that are something we find disturbing and don't feel `healthy' overall.) I suspect that when, possibly within another 6 to 9 months or so, the farm just to our West, which was sold only about a year ago, is finally `developed' not only will things like this accident at 19 and 24, accidents at 19 and 26, and other things will increase dramatically. (BTW, 19 and 26 is the NorthEast corner of the *current* Firestone city limits. Which, if we struck around, would put us in Firestone which is something we really don't like the idea of being part of. Hence my `location line'. {GRIMMACE!}) It's hard for us to face giving up the farm that my wife was born and raised on along with where both of our children were born and raised so far but we have resigned ourselve to do so because none of us are really `city folks' and don't want to have to struggle to try being such.
Our hearts and prayers go out for those who have been put into such a `perilous' situation by a moment of inattention or otherwise by one person and wish them a speedy and complete as possible recovery. Our condolences go out to the families of those who didn't / don't make it.
Just an `Olde Fart's' 2¢ worth, hopes and prayers. {WAN GRIN!} (any spelling or grammar errors are the fault of my computer. {CHORTLE!} *I* spell and grammar checked it myself but there are days that it seems my computer has a mind of it's own.)
