Ohio Department of Transportation: The killer

"Although it carries far less traffic, Ohio 16 is taking its place alongside Interstate 70 as one of the most dangerous routes in Licking County..." are the ominous words that begin an Advocate report on the lousy state of the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Though the ODOT spokesman mentioned as a factor in roadway crashes the antiquated roads people in Ohio must navigate, more blame was cast on driver deficiencies.

I think it's the other way around. I think ODOT and traffic-deciders everywhere - including Newark Ohio - are too concerned about their images and their publics to do an honest job of protecting drivers from danger. And I think all these folks are far more concerned about the convenience of their contractors than they are about reasonable traffic flow.

I also think that waiting until after the fact - in road design and construction - does more to kill people than any other factor. Ohio 16 has been overloaded and therefore dangerous to drivers for many years. It didn't just happen. Running major highway routes through the heartland of Newark and Heath is another danger that should have been solved decades ago with the construction of bypasses and/or an outer belt.

An example of having more concern for contractors than drivers is the incredibly inconvenient way in which traffic in the Ohio 16 "construction" zone is made to crawl for unnecessarily slow mile after unnecessarily slow mile. Not just where construction is taking place, but also where no construction is or will be. It's just one long, nasty, irritating drive, when in reality slow traffic ought to be confined to the exact places and hours during which construction workers are nearby. All it takes is the timely placement and removal of traffic signs. Without this very small consideration by ODOT, Ohio 16 is a road-rage hatchery.

ODOT and other traffic-deciders place cones and flags willy nilly because, apparently, it makes it easier for the workers. A local example is when city workers sweep or maintain the freeway and route traffic over one lane for many empty miles unfrequented by other vehicles or humans, and when they shut down entire streets to avoid placing flaggers to direct traffic.

Traffic-deciders are inconsistent and often wrong in setting speed limits. An example of this is (the last time I noticed) the 45-mph limit in a miles-long stretch of Ohio 13 that passes Dawes Arboretum. It was suggested by a long-ago Arboretum employee who knew nothing about traffic safety. Meanwhile, traffic through Jacksontown is (the last time I noticed) 45 mph. And further down the road where the ODOT employees turn in and out on Ohio 13, the perfect and newly built roadway is (last time I noticed) apparently safe only at speeds up to 45 mph. And traffic on the new four-lane section of Ohio 79 bypassing Hebron and on down to the Interstate is a stupid 50 mph and the four-lane bypassing Granville is a stupid 55 mph, perhaps both so designated as well-heads to mayors' courts.

There are thousands of such "safe" speed-sign mistakes all over the place. That's why drivers have to decide for themselves which are reality-based speed signs and which are not, factoring in the likelihood of lurking speed-sign enforcers.

Same with those annoying and often unreadable interstate signs that have light bulbs supposedly helping drivers. More often than not they don't have anything to say but they are lit anyway. So who could blame motorists for ignoring them altogether?

Meantime, there are real danger zones (such as the intersection of the expressway off-ramp and Hudson Avenue where many motorists have learned the hard way about the consequences of running red lights) that are not flagged by any of ODOT's or the city's special warning signs - only flowers for the victims. What's with that? Are they afraid that flagging these roadway/traffic-light-designer flaws is an admission of guilt?

Same with the short entry ramp from Buena Vista onto the expressway. Why not flag that ramp by urging west-bound ex-way drivers to drive in the left lane? That solution would be far easier and offer more convenience to motorists than is the Great-Decider solution of tearing out the ramp.

Similarly, why won't ODOT place throughout the state signs along the Interstate instructing drivers to use the left lanes for passing and slower traffic to keep right? And why doesn't ODOT ensure that "resume speed" signs are always placed where resuming speed is legal?

ODOT's speed signs limiting trucks to 55 are deceitful when, if truckers were to obey them, they would do far more harm than good. Not enforcing them is the only way to avoid massive road rage. This stupidity was an Ohio legislature feel-good law passed when the last Bush screwed up the flow of oil to America, as I recall. It has been on the books ever since, almost universally ignored - which is one more reason Ohio drivers have for not trusting their ODOT.

ODOT needs to get with the reality of what makes and fails to make a safe and efficient flow of traffic. If that ever happens, drivers will start believing the value of road signs and the value of ODOT itself, but it will be a long, slow road getting there.