An open letter to the City of Solon, Ohio

Every weekday afternoon I drive on 422-East, take the Harper Road exit and turn left. Every weekday afternoon, I notice that the red light is extremely long while the green light is extremely quick. Every weekday afternoon, people do not want to wait through the first red light, and definitely do not want to wait through a second one. They are impatient, yes, but this is a long red light.

In order to avoid that second dreaded red light, they follow closely to the car in front of them, hoping that will be the difference between being legal (yellow light) and breaking the law (red light). Even when there is a red light, some still continue to dangerously travel through the intersection simply so they can avoid that dreaded second red light.

I must confess that, yes, I have followed too closely. Yes, I have gone through a couple yellow lights. However, I have never gone through a red light. I am not in that much of a hurry.

Recently, the state and the city commissioned 2 signs to be added to the right side of the 3-lane exit.

I have no problems with this sign. It is well designed, has a cool graphic and yellow is always a fun color. I do have a problem with the intent. The city and state truly believe that this sign will stop cars from following too closely. Keep in mind, these people are going through a red light, which last time I checked, is still illegal. Do they really believe that one sign or even the same sign repeated will stop people from trying to go through a light?

Oh, wait. This sign is on the right side of the exit, not the left side, which is the lane I use most. Which is the lane that I see people following too closely. Currently this sign is trying to alert people who are turning right, since they forget that you need to stop at a red light before you can actually turn right. Fair enough, that cause is fine and this sign might work for that purpose.

However, what about the other side of the exit? What is the city going to do about that? Just yesterday, I waited through two red lights and one green light before I was able to actually pass through the intersection. I even had time to turn off my engine, allowing me to save at least some of my precious gas. And the problem isn’t the waiting, I have no problem with the waiting. The problem is that I was only about 8-10 cars back and I was forced to sit through two lights before being able to go on my way.

If the city would simply increase the time of the green light by even a few more seconds, traffic could move more smoothly, and no one would have a reason to follow too closely and rear end the unsuspecting car in front of them. It is a win-win situation for everyone.

So what is stopping you, Solon? Oh right, it is that never ending red light.

Where I Found It:
Solon: Police hope new signs reduce rear-end collisions