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DEADLY INTERSECTION
A crash occurred at the nearby intersection of South Johnson and East Rutledge and he heard a scream. Rushing to the scene, he knew immediately a passenger ejected from a Department of Special Needs Board van during the collision had been killed. He asked his wife to fetch a blanket from their home. A final straw, the fatal accident prompted Dr. Boggs and other residents of the street to petition the state for better traffic control. While their pleas resulted in new street signs and road markings, Boggs said the problems haven't stopped. With the Cherokee County Public Library serving as a magnet for pedestrians and many children, Boggs believes the latest accident to occur there proves even more needs to be done. The most recent accident occurred Sunday, April 20, at about 5:30 p.m. when a 1987 Ford headed south on South Johnson Street lost its brakes and failed to stop for a stop sign, according to a report from Gaffney police. The driver of the Ford struck a vehicle headed east on East Rutledge, deflecting the Ford toward the Cherokee County Public Library before it came to halt in the library's front yard. That the April 20 accident may have been attributable to something mechanical didn't change Dr. Boggs' belief the intersection would benefit from a stop light, a four-way stop, or at least speed bumps before and after the library. "I don't think a lower speed limit will help because I don't think people will observe it," he said. Following the fatal 2006 accident, Dr. Boggs sent his concerns and a petition from residents directly to the governor's office. He said he will likely lobby state officials once again. "I don't want to see anybody else get hurt," he said. Gaffney City Councilman Boone Peeler, who lives about a block away from Sunday's accident, said he shares Boggs' concerns. "We're in an interesting spot," he said, "where highly residential roads are some of the most traveled." Additionally, he said these are roads traveled by many people who aren't as familiar with the area. Not only does he agree some additional traffic control is needed at Rutledge and Johnson, Peeler believes additional traffic control is needed at other intersections such as College Drive and Petty Street. "Nobody likes four-way stops, but they work," he said. "At least somebody is going to stop." One fact that makes change difficult, however, is most of these roadways are state roads and the city can't act on its own. City Administrator James Taylor said the city is aware of the concerns and has been trying to do something about them. "We know we cannot dictate what the state does but hope to offer suggestions," Taylor said. Several weeks ago, he asked City Engineer Scott Keller to look at several intersections. The city will be meeting with state highway officials within the next two weeks to discuss possible changes. Among the intersections the city plans to talk to the state about are Rutledge and Petty, Rutledge and Johnson, College and Petty and College and Johnson, Taylor said. While a stop light near his intersection would undoubtedly pose noise concerns from cars stopping and starting in the residential neighborhood, Boggs believes it's the best solution. Boggs has lived near Rutledge and Johnson for approximately 20 years. It's really been in the past 10 years that he's noticed a higher frequency of accidents. He believed there had been at least eight or 10 accidents, and he's personally seen three of them, in the past decade alone. While accident reports now contain coordinates that allow researchers to pinpoint the exact location of all crashes, the city itself does not maintain a database of where all the accidents occur, according to the city police department. Crash statistics are compiled by the state Department of Public Safety's Office of Highway Safety Statistical Services, which publishes state and county totals. |
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