Something local officials have called ‘long overdue? on several occasions finally became a reality last week as new lights were activated on M-24 at Atwater, including a turn arrow.
The arrow, particularly for southbound M-24 travelers trying to access Atwater, was installed by the Michigan Department of Transportation (M-DOT) in early January and activated after some traffic-flow adjustments were made.
‘This light will not only prevent injuries, but it may save a life,? said Lake Orion Police Chief Jerry Narsh.
The LOPD responded to an accident in that intersection just days before the light was activated. The crash involved a vehicle hitting Seros restaurant in the northeast corner of the intersection, though no damage was done to the building.
‘It rattled the coffee cups inside,? Narsh noted.
Narsh said his department responded to accidents at M-24 and Atwater on a monthly basis, and when asked to estimate a total from over the years, he just said ‘too many.?
‘It’s when it is a continual run of accidents that we have a problem with an intersection,? he said. ‘It’s our highest crash-site in the village.?
Narsh added that the intersection has also created more injury accidents than any other in the area.
‘This fight has been going on for years,? he said. ‘There are a lot of people that worked very hard to get this done.?
Narsh said the fight for the turn arrow dates back to John Berchtold’s term as village manager.
The issue was one of several traffic items former Manager JoAnn Van Tassel dealt with early in her tenure.
‘We got the M-DOT people to come out and look at the situation on Atwater,? she said.
Both Van Tassel and Narsh cited a particular accident where a northbound dump truck ran the light and hit a driver, pinning her against Seros. The driver was injured and fortunate to survive the collision, and had she had a passenger, they would have been killed, they said.
‘That reinvigorated the effort to get that arrow installed,? Van Tassel said.
Signage, lights and maintenance of M-24 is all controlled by M-DOT, and local officials said their urging for a turn arrow at Atwater was both persistent and straightforward.
‘If we can interrupt traffic for commerce,? Narsh said, noting a light installed at the Home Depot further south on M-24, ‘then we can do it for safety.?
Van Tassel said that Atwater Commons (on the southeast corner of the intersection) was going to fund the installation of the arrow, but officials at M-DOT in Lansing dropped the ball.
She added that she continued to bring the issue forward at M-24 Access Management meetings in the past two years.
‘I was the squeaky wheel at those meetings that just kept bringing it up again and again,? she said.
Van Tassel credited M-DOT’s Steve Stramsak for his help, and said the new arrow should cut down on illegal turns into the Atwater Commons. She hopes there will be a new sign installed advising drivers to that effect.
In addition to the left turn arrow for southbound M-24 traffic, northbound traffic also has a turn arrow for those heading into the Georgetown Medical Building lot.
‘The other side would just be sitting there anyway,? Narsh said of the arrow for northbound travelers.
Drivers on westbound Atwater should also take note of the new light, the police chief said.
When approaching M-24, Atwater splits into two lanes. The left lane is solely for turning onto southbound M-24, while the right lane allows drivers to turn left or right, or even proceed straight into the Georgetown lot.
Narsh said a new sign along the road will soon help drivers along Atwater, and added that a second K-sign, or illuminated sign, in the intersection is in the works as well.
‘A few more tweaks and we’ll be at 100-percent,? he said.
Narsh said the installation of the new light is also a good time to remind drivers of yellow light safety.
‘You can only run through a yellow light if it’s completely unsafe to stop,? he said, noting yellow-light runners were largely responsible for accidents over the years at M-24 and Atwater.
Narsh added that drivers face the same fine and points on their license for running a yellow light that they do for running a red light.