There are few things that will always require more safety measures. One of such things would be roads. When you have multiple cars driving down these roads, even at slower speeds such as twenty to twenty-five miles per hour, any mistake can become an injury not only for you but also for the people. Road safety must be a priority. However, as a student who has acquired my driver’s permit and used it for multiple hours of driving, I have come to realize that the road safety that we, as citizens of Twin Falls, require is not as prevalent in certain areas as one may hope. Where might these areas be? Intersections.
It has come to my attention, both through personal experience and second-hand accounts, that some intersections are unnecessarily unsafe. There have been moments when, alongside my parents, I have come across intersections where we were unsure whether it was safe to proceed or not, all because a tree was blocking our right-hand view of the intersection. I cannot begin to describe the stress, as my mother simply told me to pull out farther, nearly crossing into the intersection, just to see if there were any cars coming. This should never be the case on a road where safety should be the utmost priority. This is especially detrimental to newer drivers, and is a crashing hazard for any parties involved.
To be specific, the place I am referring to is near Canyon Ridge. Occasionally looming over one of North Pointe’s brick walls, notably the North College Road and Wendell Street intersection, is a tree. This tree acts as an obstruction that, as you’re coming down North College Road, obscures your view of the intersection ahead. Even as you pull up to the stop sign, you’ll still find yourself unable to see far enough out to feel comfortable that nobody is going to T-bone you from the North as soon as you pull out. You may find yourself needing to pull past the stop sign just to ensure that a crash doesn’t ensue because of the lack of visibility. This is, of course, not the only case of such obstructions. Even hearing from my peers and teachers, I have become aware of multiple obstructions. Sometimes it’s a fence, sometimes it’s a large shrub, or, in my case, a tree. I even listened as someone described to me a low-hanging tree that blocked a street sign. This lack of consideration for visibility, one of the most important aspects of our time on the road, is something that desperately needs to be addressed.
Therefore, I wholeheartedly believe that restrictions should be in place for shrubbery, fences, trees, and any other potential points of obstruction at intersections. This is to ensure a bare minimum for road safety- visibility. Shrubs should not take up space on corners of intersections and serve as obstructions for driver visibility, and fences should not stretch nigh to the corners of roads. Trees should not hang over onto sidewalks or over signs. I implore the Twin Falls Street Department and the Traffic Safety Commission to consider these suggestions, or at the very least, address these obstructions in a meaningful way. The safety of our drivers should not be taken lightly. By addressing these issues, we can create a safer and happier Twin Falls.
