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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Friday, August 31, 2007 2:04 PM CDT
Wreck just the latest at north entrance to college

By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com

MATTOON — Concerns with traffic safety by a state highway intersection resurfaced this week after two people were seriously injured Wednesday in a car-truck crash at Lake Land College.

LLC student Mollie J. Hoss was listed in fair condition Thursday at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, a hospital spokeswoman said. Richard L. Creek of Toledo was also seriously injured in the accident and treated at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center.

The crash occurred at 2:50 p.m. Wednesday when Hoss pulled her car from the north college entrance into the path of Creek’s pickup truck, according to police.

Lake Land College Public Safety Department Chief Randy Ervin said the mix of traffic from the college north entrance and U.S. Route 45 has been a concern for several years. And Wednesday’s collision is a classic example of how accidents can happen there.

“The north intersection has been an overwhelming problem for the college. There have been discussions the last few years involving college officials and Illinois Department of Transportation to do something to reduce the risks,” Ervin said.

The big problem there, Ervin explained, is that southbound traffic switches from two through-traffic lanes to one turning right into the college entrance and another continuing south along Route 45. There are no traffic lights, just signage and lanes.

“Some drivers are not paying attention to that change along 45, and there can also be an assumption on drivers turning that southbound traffic is turning when it is in the right lane. Then you have a southbound driver in the right lane say, ‘Hey, I’m in the wrong lane,’ and they switch over. Or those turning think it’s clear and you have a crash,” Ervin said.

Adding to the confusion is the high-volume of northbound traffic from the south entrance when many motorists are leaving the college.

LLC freshman Jessie White recalls how she almost made headlines at the north entrance to the college during the second day of classes for the fall semester.

“It would have been straight on if I had not looked in time,” said White, a Mattoon resident who works with the Navigator, the Lake Land student newspaper, and at a craft business north of the college.

“You see near-misses there just about every day,” said Clayton Hall, also a freshman from Mattoon. “You have students getting out of school and they want to leave as fast as they can.”

White said some students are under pressure to get moving because they have jobs or other responsibilities in or near Mattoon. When drivers are at the head of a long line of traffic there is pressure to turn quickly when more time might be needed to have a safer opportunity.

Heather Cribelar of Martinsville, an LLC sophomore, said she has not had any near misses at the north intersection, but she believes accidents occur there when some drivers “space out”

“Some people flip and don’t realize it’s two lanes there,” she said. “Or they’re in a hurry.”

Some have talked about adding a stoplight at the north intersection. This is especially pondered when two or three dozen vehicles are backed up during high-volume traffic periods, especially at noontime on weekdays.

“It wouldn’t bother me if it was there,” said Chandra Hohlt, an LLC freshman from Louisville.

Ervin said adding a stoplight has been discussed, but it has not been considered as a viable solution.

“IDOT felt uncomfortable with a stoplight with the high volume of traffic along that highway. They told us from the very first a traffic light will not be considered,” Ervin said.

However, more signage and roadway markings have been added along the highway near the college to warn drivers approaching the intersection. Ervin said that effort has been appreciated, but Wednesday’s crash shows more efforts might be needed.

He is supportive of suggestions for reducing the highway speed near LLC from 55 to 45 mph.

“I think that would be a good idea. With proper enforcement it could work. The signage right now is adequate for the turn lane. If a driver doesn’t notice the change now they never will,” Ervin said.

He said the college might also consider educating the student body and new employees on the intersection risks.

“We could offer information to incoming students,” Ervin said.

But Ervin said the ultimate responsibility for solving the problem rests with drivers exiting the north entrance of the college.

“Even if the southbound vehicle might be traveling at a high rate of speed or not traveling in the proper lane, the responsibility rests with the vehicle turning onto the highway. You cannot make the assumption that other driver is going to turn into the college.”

Hall said drivers at the college must be more cautious.

“Just wait the 30 seconds before turning. It is better than getting into a car accident and going to the hospital,” he said.

Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.

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misterdeez wrote on Aug 31, 2007 6:36 AM:

" IDOT feeling uncomfortable with a stoplight with the high volume of traffic along that highway? Am I hearing this right? So they, from the start, will not even consider putting up a traffic light. What morons!!!! So they want to put up more signs - like that will work. Both entrances need traffic lights and US45/IL121 should be widened to the Coles/Cumberland County Line. But that will never happen, so lets have more accidents and near misses until someone actually gets killed. Then, and only then will IDOT truly realize their error and do something! "

clumpton wrote on Aug 31, 2007 9:11 AM:

" I'm not sure how much pressure was put on IDOT, but considering the atmosphere in our state's capital (that would be Springfield), I don't see any money coming our way for this project. In the meantime, heavy patrolling by LLC's Public Safety (& yeah, LLC should allow for extra or overtime hours) and whatever law enforcement agencies have jurisdiction in that area would certainly make drivers more alert. VISIBILITY! ENFORCEMENT! Maybe LLC should stress this to not only its students, but employees, as well. "

Chris 2.0 wrote on Aug 31, 2007 12:42 PM:

" Putting up a traffic light is not always the best answer to a problem. There are many factors that go into a traffic study to warrant a light, traffic count is only one of them. Putting up a light when not in order can cause a host of other problems. Widening to 4 lanes also does not make a road safer, actually does the opposite, how does making it easier for more people to speed make things safer? The intersection route 16 & Lerna road has traffic lights and 4 lanes and has one of the highest accident counts in the county. If IDOT says putting up a light is not an option, it is more than likely because it would make the area less safe then it allready is not because of funding. "

Chris 2.0 wrote on Aug 31, 2007 1:03 PM:

" The article has many references to the biggest problem here: ““Some drivers are not paying attention to that change along 45”**** “Hey, I’m in the wrong lane,”**** “You have students getting out of school and they want to leave as fast as they can”**** “some students are under pressure to get moving because they have jobs or other responsibilities in or near Mattoon”**** “accidents occur there when some drivers “space out”**** “Or they’re in a hurry.”**** pay attention, drive first, talk on your cell phone later. "

Texas T wrote on Aug 31, 2007 2:14 PM:

" Why couldn't they put in a light that only turns during school hours? During all other hours it is just a flashing yellow light on 45 and flashing red coming out of the school. Plus a flashing light might snap some people out of their fog. "

Fizzy wrote on Aug 31, 2007 2:58 PM:

" I think that the Public Safety department should have an officer out there at high traffic hours controlling the traffice, just like Charleston High School does. Stop the south bound traffic and let the students come out of the parking lot, then switch and let the south bound drivers go. Like in a construction zone. "

Pilgrim wrote on Aug 31, 2007 7:24 PM:

" I'm with you, deez. If having a high volume of traffic somehow disqualifies a site for a traffic CONTROL device (I repeat- a traffic C-O-N-T-R-O-L device!) then maybe we should extend IDOT's logic up the road a ways and remove the signals at Lake Land and Old State- heck, let's yank 'em out of that Wal-Mart intersection, too- IT'S nice and heavily-travelled! I can't believe IDOT would actually have to be told this, but expediting traffic flow isn't a best-case scenario when the vehicles are flowing into EACH OTHER! This kind of thought process reminds me of something David Letterman said about NASA several years back, when they were having problems: "You don't even have to be a rocket scientist to be a rocket scientist!" "

starbuck wrote on Aug 31, 2007 10:13 PM:

" Does LLC really have public safety officers? Have never see them. Let me guess they are undercover AKA inside their air conditioned shack. "

Dohbaugh wrote on Sep 1, 2007 8:49 AM:

" Yeah, they do, starbuck. Ironically that program is headed up by the same guys who approved the Mattoon firemen taking those gas guzzling firetrucks out for lunch. Surprised? "

medic57 wrote on Sep 1, 2007 11:57 AM:

" Maybe, if people would pay attention to their driving, there would be less accidents. I wonder how many people pulling into and pulling out of LakeLand College are talking on cell phones at that moment, you know, sorry, gotta go, I'm just getting to/ leaving class. "

clumpton wrote on Sep 1, 2007 1:13 PM:

" Starbuck: yeah, LLC does employ Public Safety officers and you'd be surprised at their duties both on and off campus WHILE on duty. It's always fun to poke at police officers regardless of whether they are in a big city, patrolling our highways, or protecting our campuses. Try walking any of these areas WITHOUT having any officers on duty. Regardless of what you might think, they do work and they do make a difference. As for patrolling the intersections, I have seen them out there a numerous occasions. However, they cannot be in two places at once and they are subject to payroll budgeting just as every other department @ LLC is! P.S. I liked Texas T's comments! "

ItsJustDave wrote on Sep 1, 2007 7:25 PM:

" "Hey, I'm an idiot who can't follow the basic rules of the road. If there's a car coming at me, I'll just pull out into traffic and get T-Boned." While I feel for the people who hit these fools pulling onto Rt 45 without paying attention, those who get hit get my nomination for the "Darwin Awards". These are supposedly local kids, smart enough to attend college, and they can't figure out that if they drive into the path of an oncoming car that they might get hit? Sure.... let's put a stoplight on a rural highway so traffic has to stop to allow the mentally challenged to enter said highway. Better idea? let's close the exits from Lakeland directly to Rt. 45 and make the geniuses enter the highway via the road directly east of the campus. It has a stop sign. "

clumpton wrote on Sep 2, 2007 3:15 PM:

" For those who don't have the need to travel this "rural" road, you might want to venture a drive there on a weekday around 8 a.m. With cars & semi's entering & crossing lanes from the I57 exits, to those heading west & trying to turn left into LLC, to those turning right to enter 1 of the 2 entrances -- it is CRAZY! This might seem to be a rural area, but it is not! There's a community college with a large student body as well as employee's, a gas station and an apartment complex. Dav, it might have been a rural road (say 1975 or 1980), but it is a very heavily traveled & used highway now. It deserves a second look by IDOT & the BOT of LLC. As for your "mentally challenged" comment--well, some comments speak for themselves & the level of intellegence of the speaker/writer. I can assure you that the young lady (and those who have been injured or killed in the past) were not as you described. Hopefully their families & friends aren't reading any of this. "

ItsJustDave wrote on Sep 2, 2007 5:43 PM:

" Clumpton: I kinda, sorta see your point. Every injury or death has devastating effects on those close to the person involved, but to make laws, or to inconvenience the majority of the population to protect a few from themselves is also unfair. Take the guy who is severely burned while dumping gasoline onto a smouldering fire: tragic? Yeah. Outlaw campfires? No. Someone is hit by a train while walking on the tracks - tragic? Sure. Fence off all train tracks? No. Motorcyclist hits a pole - tragic? You bet. Eliminate all utility poles and require all cables and lines be put underground? Nope. People make bad decisions every day - some result in tragedy. As for the 'traffic' on south route 45? You gotta be kidding. A light at the college is silly...why not put traffic lights at the old Kal-Kan and Donnelley intersections north of town, too? In fact, the light on the NORTH side of I-57, for a gas station and a McDonald's, is also unnecessary. "

clumpton wrote on Sep 3, 2007 9:17 AM:

" Dav, you need to compare peaches to peaches, apples to apples. The congestion (to fill to excess; overcrowd or overburden) is the problem. During specific hours that stretch of highway is NOT rural, but a CONGESTED area of travel. Again, I suggest you drive out there, park in the Citgo lot or along side the "rural" hwy and observe the "congestion". When it is not congested, changing a stop light to yellow-flashing (as suggested by another poster) would solve the issue for those who prefer to fly by on their rural highway. "

just_me wrote on Sep 4, 2007 5:07 PM:

" Hey, here's a better idea. Lets just hope they FINALLY pass the law where a teen can not get their license until they turn 18(and it appears they are closer to that happening). Then how many of us will even feel safe to drive on that road at all considering that is the "typical" freshman age? And by the way, cell phones were not an issue when I attended Lake Land and I seen plenty of accidents back then as well. They need a stoplight or an alternative road! "

medic57 wrote on Sep 5, 2007 5:19 AM:

" Simple fact is, is if drivers paid attention to their driving, there would be no wrecks. I have been driving for 34 years and the only accidents that I have been involved in were when I was rear ended, and I avoided 1 rear ender by running a stop light to avoid being hit from behind, (always pay attention to the traffic coming up behind you) I attribute that fact to being a defensive driver that pays attention to the road around me. AT ALL TIMES. "

Mrs. Wilson wrote on Sep 5, 2007 9:29 AM:

" so just_me, aren't we going to run into the same problems at 18 that we do at 16? unless of course we allow them to get their learners permits at the same age they do now and make them wait to get their actual licenses when their 18. because if we just make them wait altogether to drive when their 18, won't we have a bunch of inexperienced 18 year old drivers instead of a bunch of inexperienced 16 year old drivers? at least at 16 they're still in school and can learn with a teacher, whose job it is to KNOW all the rules of the road instead of just with a parent who may have forgotten some of the finer details after 20+ years of driving. just a thought..... "

ItsJustDave wrote on Sep 5, 2007 6:37 PM:

" Medic57: Didn't you read the thread regarding teen drivers? You ran a red light to avoid betting hit and injured? For shame. That is ILLEGAL. Just ask 'Yawn' , 'amomoftwo' and our rsident legal expert "Good Grief". With the admission you just made, you'll probably be arrested and jailed within days. Don't need proof, it's FACT. Bwahahahaha. "

medic57 wrote on Sep 6, 2007 4:38 AM:

" Itsjustdave ----- The cop at that intersection gave the guy a ticket who slid into my place, buy the way, that was 22 years ago, the last time I was in an accident. "

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Traffic moves through the intersection at the north entrance of Lake Land College along U.S. Route 45/Ill. Route 121 south of Mattoon on Thursday. Kevin Kilhoffer/Staff Photographer