There’s a good chance you’ve had this experience either while driving, riding a bicycle or just trying to walk across the street:
You’re at a two-way stop, anxious to move on, but you have to yield to cross traffic. It’s hard to see if anyone is coming along, so you creep out a little bit at a time, trying to be careful to look both ways. As you do that, you’re getting closer to any traffic, and someone zips by just a foot or so away.
I can think of a few intersections in Grand Junction where I’ve wished I could see a little farther down the street. Sometimes it’s difficult because cars and trucks are parked close to the intersection or there’s some other barrier, even low-hanging tree branches.
These situations are not just uncomfortable; they can be deadly. According to the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, “More than 50 percent of the combined total of fatal and injury crashes occur at or near intersections.” (FHWA 2023)
Pictures Courtesy of City of Lancaster, PA 2024
It’s good to know there is a relatively easy way to improve intersections to avoid some of those issues. It’s called “daylighting.” Daylighting is a technique communities and urban planners use to improve visibility at intersections for pedestrians and cyclists as well as for motorists. By limiting parking next to an intersection and extending the sidewalk into what was previously the street, daylighting reduces vehicle speeds by narrowing the road and improves visibility for everyone. You can read more about it here:
If you’ve encountered intersections that you think could stand some improvement to make them safer, we’d love to hear about them. We’re also looking for good examples of daylighting in the Grand Valley.
Just email GVSA at gvstreetsalliance@gmail.com. Thanks for reading and being involved!
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