A reader asserted the Cambria and Depot intersection, just at the railroad crossing, was not the "worst intersection" in town and had seen "great" improvements. A previous blog had stated it was one of the worst.
And while the long, protracted, extensive town reconstruction there is finally complete, this intersection in Historic Cambria can still be quite dangerous.
That "great" improvement to the intersection was required due to railroad concerns, and the need to create barriers to stop impatient drivers from running the caution gates at the train tracks. Sidewalks on the downtown side of the tracks are all but absent for business patrons or residents on foot. There is little or no curbing to provide better road definition or control parking, which is very limited and mostly requires drivers to back into oncoming traffic.
The marked pedestrian crossing is around a blind curve, which drivers notoriously already don't slow down for as they cross the train tracks. If you've ever been midway across the street, in the crosswalk, and a car suddenly shrieks to halt -- drivers aren't looking sheepish. They appear angry because some stupid "pedestrian" caused them to use their brakes. And the paint used to mark the crosswalk washes away after three good rains or 5,000 tire tracks (whichever comes first).
Helter-skelter parking, high train traffic, and cars speeding through Historic Cambria and this asymentrical intersection is one reason it is so heavily patrolled by town police, even given the "great" improvements. The locals are always glad to see an officer on patrol as a means to calming hurried or distracted drivers down.
Come to think of it, there are a lot of dangerous or tricky intersections to be found along Christiansburg's main routes. There are not, however, many bike or pedestrian friendly routes (see more on VDoT plans to give non-motorist transportation options equal consideration).
Watch the CHS running team try to cross North Franklin at Depot or Independence Boulevard. Drivers turning left at the "downtown bypass" don't stop, even for right on red, much less foot traffic.
What about the infamous "oops" intersection, where traffic is coming off of the 460 by-pass on North Franklin and turning right onto Cambria across two oncoming lanes? This was belatedly "fixed" and must have received an award for the most bizarre design in the Commonwealth. How could highly qualified state engineers and town planners not anticipate high traffic here, missing the mountain of townhouse roofs, adjacent popular recreational facility and satiated shoppers streaming home? How did they not see that problem coming, converging over 17 lanes of fast moving traffic? Didn't they study this for years before receiving funding? Or did the by-pass project money run out when it got to Christiansburg? There is another, unbuilt section of road going off this exit that just .... ends, in a dirt pile.
Wrecks at Roanoke Street and the 460 bypass, beneath the underpass at exit 118-B, happen regularly. Poor visibility or driver's who can't judge distance or speed of oncoming traffic? Even though it's posted as 45 MPH, locals know to figure people are moving as if they're still on the interstate. That area sees a lot of pedestrian traffic, too, heading toward the terminus of the Two-Town-Trolley. Hopefully, those walkers are capable of sprinting -- with or without a baby stroller in front of them -- in the event an accident occurs while they are crossing.
A town police officer's car was struck at the intersection of Roanoke, Depot and Arrowhead streets last fall, at a point that used to shift from 35 MPH to 45 MPH. Looked as if both vehicles were totaled. Five years ago, the speed limit there was changed due to safety concerns and traffic volumes -- but people still blast through the curved intersection's traffic light at better than 45 MPH. No contiguous sidewalks through here, and no bike lanes, either. This, along a commercial thoroughfare surrounded by dense residential development, and less than a mile from downtown or one of the three in town bus stops.
Or that bizarre shift off West Main onto Moose Drive and then scrambling left onto Mudpike? One more stop sign might make things clearer -- and safer for the many school buses traveling on those roads. No sidewalks or bike lanes there either, although immediately adjacent to the middle school. The turn lane from Route 8 into town, left onto Moose, was an afterthought.
Are these problems with intersections due to poor driving habits? Does poor design, explosive growth, ineffective and outdated code requirements, or bad planning contribute to the problem? Isn't design supposed to take into account driver limitations? Growth projections?
Sitting between Interstate 81 exits 118 and 114, along with Business 460 and Route 11, Christiansburg sees many travelers just passing through. "Neighbors" jump off the interstate and pass by on their way somewhere else, in a hurry to get to work or to shop. Out of state drivers may simply be trying to figure out how to maneuver around town and get back onto the interstate.
Do you know of a decent, well planned intersection, or where you can turn off the roadway into an entrance -- and not scrape the bottom of your car? If so, enjoy it. It could disappear next year with the next redesign or development of adjacent property.
What's your vote for Christiansburg's worst intersection along a major town thoroughfare? We'll happily post the "Top 10." Until then, drive carefully and be ready to run if you're in a crosswalk.