Barriers make driving unsafe for Deerfield residents
For the past several years the traffic entering or exiting the Deerfield community was made safer by the access to the traffic light Hardees and Murphy fuel on U.S. 17 Bypass. Recently, access has been closed off by barriers. This forces those drivers going out of or into Deerfield to risk their lives crossing the roadway.
The Deerfield community has mostly permanent residents who need safe access to go to work, school, etc. The tourist season isn’t here yet and the bypass is clogged. When the Honda dealer built the dealership they offered to pay for the light installation but were turned down by the state.
We were told that it takes three fatalities to get a traffic signal at an intersection. The other lights in the area serve Burroughs and Chapin projects and had no fatalities involved as far as is known.
Whose life will it take to sway the states’ position on public safety?
Charlie Horn, Deerfield
This story was originally published September 27, 2015 at 5:45 AM with the headline "Barriers make driving unsafe for Deerfield residents."