Saucon Valley motorists have chimed in about allegedly unsafe turns at a driveway at the Creekside Marketplace shopping center, after a post last week by Tim Mease about how some drivers are using the auxiliary entrance as a shortcut to get to the Giant supermarket at 1880 Leithsville Road, Lower Saucon Township, stirred discussion.
The post appeared on Saucon Source publisher Josh Popichak’s Facebook page.
“Josh, do you know the measures to go through to get something done about the idiots that turn left into Giant just past the elderly home,” Mease wrote, referring to the Weston Rehabilitation & Nursing Center at 1896 Leithsville Road. One of three vehicular access points to the shopping center is located just north of the home, and is designed for southbound Rt. 412 traffic to turn in or out of the parking lot.
Mease’s reference to the people who “turn left into Giant” at the driveway is a reference to northbound motorists who turn across the southbound lane and into a curved turning lane that was designed for southbound traffic. A small triangular median is there “to prevent people from doing it, but they almost do a U-turn to get in there,” Mease said.
A diamond-shaped, north-facing yellow warning sign mounted on a bent pole in the median appears to have been struck at some point by a turning vehicle.
“(Turning there is) dangerous as well as stupid and possibly illegal,” Mease wrote. “Why can’t people just use the light? … I have almost rear-ended people numerous times because they don’t even use their turn signal on top of it.”
Heidi Sattler Pritchard suggested that a “No Left Turn” sign be installed to face traffic on the northbound side of the road.
“It is illegal and some people have been warned and also ticketed,” she commented. “One would think common sense would prevail considering the setup of the island, (but) since there isn’t a sign that says you can’t, people just assume they can, even though I’m quite sure most of them have questioned themselves as to whether it’s a good decision.”
Dane Janas agreed with the suggestion to reinforce the prohibition by installing a sign.
“I think the reason people make the left is because there is no sign, hence there’s nothing posted saying you can’t do it. I think a replacement sign would fix the issue,” he said.
Janas also suggested that the turn-in lane on the south side of the median be filled in since “nobody really uses it to access Giant from southbound 412.”
What do you think? Should a No Left Turn sign be installed to remind northbound drivers to make the turn into the shopping center at the traffic light? Should the turn-in lane that’s being used improperly be filled in? Tell us by posting a comment, and take the poll.
Are you concerned about northbound Rt. 412 traffic turning into the "south entrance" at the Giant shopping center in Lower Saucon Township?
- Yes (51%, 45 Votes)
- No (45%, 40 Votes)
- I don't know. (3%, 3 Votes)
Total Voters: 88
Loading ...
Saucon Source readers say the southernmost entrance to the Creekside Marketplace (Giant) shopping center in Lower Saucon Township is dangerous because northbound motorists on Rt. 412 frequently turn into it–even though it wasn’t designed for that turning movement.
Motorists who turn into the south entrance to the shopping center (pictured, at left) may be trying to circumvent the traffic light at the main entrance further north on Rt. 412.
