Clay wants traffic light at Clay-Palmerdale, Old Springville
By Gary Lloyd
CLAY — The city of Clay, since its first administration, has wanted a traffic signal at the intersection of Clay-Palmerdale Road and Old Springville Road.
City Manager Ronnie Dixon says one could be erected in a month, citing work with the Jefferson County Engineering Department and two drawn designs.
But there is one holdup.
Roger’s Quick Stop is located at the corner of this intersection, and Dixon says Roger Roper, the owner of Double R Realty that owns the service station, has said no to the idea, which could bring a guardrail or curb along the backside of the building, possibly eliminating some parking spaces.
Dixon said a guardrail or curb would also prevent people from cutting through the Roger’s Quick Stop parking lot, forcing motorists to obey the signal.
Dixon said Jefferson County’s plan is “sound and makes sense.” He said the traffic signal would be better served to be erected with two cantilever poles instead of one.
“The city has taken a big lead in working with the county to finally get this traffic signal,” Dixon said.
Dixon said Roper would have to sign a right of entry order so that the guardrail or curbing could be installed. If he doesn’t sign, a judge would probably have to decide on the matter, Dixon said.
Roper said Tuesday that he’s “all for” a traffic signal at the intersection, but that it could be done in a more “up-to-date” way. He hasn’t seen drawings, he said, and he’s only been contacted by phone about deeding some of the Roger’s Quick Stop property.
“I think they could update the drawings and put a more modern type traffic light here, from what they tell me they’re going with,” Roper said.
Roper said he wants an “up-to-date signal” at the intersection and for it to hopefully be done without acquiring any right-of-way property from him.
“It’s something they’ve been talking about for 10, 15 years,” said Roper, whose business has been located at the intersection since 1983.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Randy Christian said that nine traffic accidents were reported at the intersection of Clay-Palmerdale Road and Old Springville Road in 2013.
“I don’t know how that compares to other intersections, but I do know that any intersection, especially one that is a high traffic area is dangerous if there is the least bit of inattention by a driver at or approaching the intersection,” Christian said. “Generally, we can all get home safely if every driver involved pays attention to the road and strictly obeys the traffic signals and rules of the road. They are in place to keep us safe. Just the least bit of inattention can lead to an accident in the blink of an eye, most especially in highly traveled areas such as Old Springville at Clay-Palmerdale.”
Christian advised motorists to be defensive drivers 100 percent of their time behind the wheel.
“Try to anticipate what the other driver may do that isn’t paying attention,” he said. “That can go a long way in not becoming an accident victim of someone else being careless.”
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.