Lots of Traffic Gripes in Strongsville: Here's a Round-Up
Motorists share what honks them off about driving here
Photos
The Pearl-Royalton intersection -- specifically, heading north on Pearl and trying to turn left onto Royalton -- was the traffic problem mentioned most by Strongsville Patch readers last week.
Motorists complained only a few cars are able to get through the short left-turn signal.
"Sometimes, only a semi makes it through," one driver wrote. "If we race and everyone is on the ball, sometimes four cars can make it through."
Strongsville Patch ran a story last week about plans by Coucilman at Large Joe DeMio to identify the most troubling traffic spots in town and start working to fix them. In the story, we asked readers to offer suggestions for DeMio's list.
And they did, both in the comments section and in emails.
The other biggest traffic headaches from readers:
• Turning left into the Plaza at SouthPark from Route 82. The turn lane isn't big enough and the turn signal isn't long enough.
• Turning left from Shurmer onto Howe Road can take five minutes.
• Trying to get onto I-71 north in the morning. Drivers want police to ticket the people who don't wait in line to get on the interstate, instead driving in the left lane and then cutting in. Better yet, erect barriers to prevent it.
• Pearl and Westwood is "a mess," one reader said. Others agreed that cars waiting for the light at Route 82 to change spill into the intersection, causing gridlock. "It took five light changes to turn right (south), and I was the third car in line. Cars repeatedly block the intersection," one person wrote.
• The southern entrance to Westfield SouthPark mall on Howe Road needs a left-turn arrow.
• Several readers said sensors are needed so vehicles don't have to wait during off-peak hours, especially at Albion turning left onto Pearl and from the rec center driveway in front of Target turning left onto Route 82. "At 7 a.m., there are times when there are absolutely no cars in sight going east or west on 82," one woman said.
• Howe Road traffic turning onto Route 82 should be allowed to turn right on red again.
Thanks for your input, everyone. We've passed the complaints and suggestions on to DeMio, who said he plans to start discussing the problems Feb. 21.
Stephen diLauro
12:39 am on Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Heading south (from Rt. 82/Royalton Rd.) on Howe Road, drivers should use both lanes until the merge (not yield!) point, just past the light at the southern mall entrance. Currently, most drivers feel that they need to get into the left lane [only], which often results in a huge traffic backup, sometimes as far back as Rt. 82. And, unfortunately, some drivers in the left lane straddle both lanes, illegally preventing cars in the right lane to continue in the right lane to the merge point. Strongsville's Traffic Dept. needs to install [just past the northern mall entrance light] a sign, instructing drivers to "Use Both Lanes To Merge Point" (and police should cite any drivers observed straddling lanes to block the free flow of traffic).