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Avoid red faces; stop at white lines

By LORRIE LYKINS
Published October 15, 2006

You have to hit the white line if you want to stop seeing red. That's what Seminole reader Bob Cooper wishes more drivers knew.

Cooper wrote: "Somehow, we need to let drivers know that when they stop at an intersection, they should stop at the wide white line so the computer will know they are there. Yesterday, I was fourth in line for a left turn at Park Boulevard and 113th Street and had to sit through three light changes without a green turn signal because the first car in our line was too far back. The driver evidently finally decided the light was out of order and went straight ahead. The next car in line was then at the wide white line and we got the left turn green signal."

I have to sheepishly admit that I too have been guilty of a white line goof. I once rolled too far over the white line, encroaching into the pedestrian crosswalk. An elderly woman shook her finger at me sternly and shook her head in disgust as she skirted around the front-end of my car, which was clearly in the crosswalk.

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Speaking of intersections and traffic signals, I recently heard a law enforcement officer advising motorists to wait three to five seconds before moving forward on a green light. This strategy gives all the red-light runners the opportunity to clear the intersection. He theorized that it is better to have the vehicles behind you lose their patience and honk at you than to get T-boned.

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Reader Mike Dispenza recently wrote in about a traffic-flow phenomenon that occurs on northbound Interstate 275 near 54th Avenue N.

"As soon as traffic approaches the little hump around 54th Avenue N, everyone for some reason hits their brakes, I guess in case the road disappears on the other side. On the other side, going south, the same thing happens at the hump by Gandy Boulevard. Every lane comes to a complete stop even though all lanes are clear. I never could figure out what gets the first driver in the left lane to think it may be a good idea to just hit the brakes," he wrote.

I've noticed that the same thing occurs on westbound 275 in Tampa near West Shore. I think the ebb and flow of visibility may be what gets folks a little antsy, hence the unexpected tap-dancing on the brakes. But it is alarming to be clipping along at about 65 mph and suddenly hitting a sea of brake lights when coming over a rise or around even a slight bend. That's why the old car-length rule we learned in driver's ed should always apply. The only thing worse than unexpectedly encountering brake lights on the interstate is knowing that a car is riding your bumper doing 65 mph plus.

* * *

If you regularly travel 54th Avenue S near 28th Street, make detour plans now.

Starting Monday, St. Petersburg's Water Resources Department will have a contractor working on a wastewater collection line between two manholes on 54th. About 500 feet of road will be affected for about two months.

Eastbound traffic on 54th will be limited to one lane. Westbound drivers on 54th won't be able to turn left at 28th. Conversely, northbound drivers on 28th won't be able to turn left onto 54th.

* * *

Heading north? Don't take Alt. U.S. 19. The Department of Transportation has begun a three-year road construction project on Alt. U.S. 19 from Meres to Anclote roads and Tarpon Avenue from Alt. U.S. 19 to U.S. 19. The $13.7-million project began Oct. 2 and won't be completed until 2009.

The project includes milling and resurfacing 2 miles of Alt. U.S. 19 and 1 mile of Tarpon Avenue, water and sewer upgrades for the city of Tarpon Springs, highway lighting, signalization upgrades and sidewalk enhancements. There will also be improvements to the Anclote River Bridge. Construction will be ongoing during the day and night, with lane closures between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Until next week, happy and safe motoring!

Please share your traffic concerns, comments and questions with Dr. Delay via e-mail at docdelay@yahoo.com.

[Last modified October 15, 2006, 08:44:07]