Vocal point : Reduce speed limit at Valleyford intersection
One of the most dangerous intersections in southern Spokane County is in the quiet hamlet of Valleyford.
To my knowledge at least five accidents have occurred since June 2006 at Madison Road and the Palouse Highway. In nearly all cases, the cars were total losses.
The first one occurred last summer. Two cars collided in a T-bone accident in the intersection. The second one involved a car supposedly avoiding a deer and going through an intersection and running over a business sign and several small trees. (My sign and trees, last August.)
The third one occurred late at night in November – skid marks were evident the following morning and a car was in a ditch.
The fourth and fifth accidents were two-car T-bone accidents at the same intersection last month.
What makes this corner so dangerous?
No. 1: Madison Road (on the south side) is lower than the Palouse Highway. Sometimes people don’t see the cars barreling around the corner.
No. 2: There are a lot of trees to the west (on the Palouse Highway). While none obscures the sight within the clear-view triangle, it does create a sense of darkness even during the daytime. Without headlights, the person on Madison may not see the oncoming car.
No. 3: Sunrise and sunset do play a factor. At those times, the east and west views are obscured by the rising and setting sun.
The county has spent a great deal of money on widening sections of the Palouse Highway – repaving the surface, putting in reflectors on the roadsides, and making holes in the center lane so that anyone crossing will have a loud noise reverberate in their ears.
All of this has led to people speeding up. While the posted speed limit is 55, people frequently zoom by at 65-plus. From my shop, I see all the traffic zoom by.
The county has declared and zoned the corner properties at that intersection as part of a rural activity center. At this point, one property is occupied by the Valleyford Community Church. I occupy another, On Sacred Grounds: Coffee, Tea, & Specialty Shoppe. A boat repair firm occupies the third corner. The fourth is undeveloped.
It would seem that the county would want to promote business. Shouldn’t the speed limit be a little slower through a business district?
With the number of semi-obscured highways, the presence of the Valleyford Fire Station, a de facto deer and elk crossing zone and the proximity of the historical Valleyford Park, shouldn’t the speed be reduced to 45 mph throughout the zone?
The county has reduced the speed along the Palouse Highway to 45 mph from Ellis Street to Windmill Road because of the number of driveways.
With the severe accidents that have occurred in the past year, doesn’t it make sense to reduce the speed limit? How many more injuries, damage or deaths will it require before county engineers will consider the need to reduce speed? Which is more important: Getting somewhere as fast as the road allows or getting there safely?