Each day the students and staff traveling to the Branson High School are exposed to a “time bomb” that is ticking down. When, not if, it finally goes off we will all grieve and mourn our loss, wring our hands, and, incredulously, knowingly shake our heads and say, “Well it finally happened, maybe now someone will do something about it.” The sad thing is that those having the power to either diffuse the time bomb or mitigate the effects of its explosion are well aware of its existence and are simply, in the opinion of an Ole Seagull, failing to take the appropriate actions to eliminate or control the threat.
What is the “time bomb?” It is the unsafe conditions that exist on Buchanan Road and in, what the Ole Seagull refers to as, the “Corridor.” The corridor is the area running west from the southeast frontage road, located immediately east of the northbound exit ramp from Highway 65 at Highway F, west to the southwest frontage road located immediately to the west of the south bound Highway F entrance ramp to Highway 65.
How does one know they are unsafe? Just drive them! Drive Buchanan Road from the high school to Highway 248 as the Ole Seagull did this week.Observe first hand the narrowness of the road, its sharp curves, steep drop offs, virtually non existent shoulders, lack of guard rails, and the danger posed by its intersection with Highway 248. In an Ole Seagulls opinion, from a safety perspective it’s just a matter of when the next accident is going to occur, how serious the injury will be, and when one of them will be fatal.
Drive up the northbound exit ramp from Highway 65 to Highway F at the height of the morning “school rush.” Or, more appropriately, creep up the ramp because there will be a large traffic backup waiting to enter the corridor which, at times, extends down the ramp and back out onto the lanes of Highway 65 itself. To enter the corridor each driver must make a left hand turn to the west as they cross three lanes of traffic, with two of the lanes containing traffic approaching from opposite directions at a posted limit of 45 miles per hour. Like Buchanan Road, it too is just a matter of when the next accident is going to occur, how serious the injury will be, and when one of them will be fatal.
Even as this is being written the time bomb is ticking and time is crucial. Who can do the most, in the quickest way, to buy time while an effective solution is found? From an Ole Seagulls perspective, in order, it is the parents, the students and staff members that drive to and from the high school, and the Taney County Commission.
Some might say, “What about the school board and school administration?” It’s an Ole Seagulls opinion that their primary mission and authority is to educate our children not build or maintain public highways and roads or control the traffic traveling on them. At the very least, they are not the ones that can do the most the quickest.
That responsibility falls first squarely on the parents who must take whatever steps are necessary to insure that their teenage driver(s) do not use Buchanan Road, between Highway 248 and the high school. Obviously the next step is for those driving to and from the high school, be it students, faculty or parents to avoid Buchanan Road, between Highway 248 and the high school. Next would be the commitment of those driving to school, from the south on Highway 65, to patiently wait to turn west off the Highway 65 Highway F exit ramp and, once the turn has been made, their further commitment to drive, from that point, cautiously and in compliance with all posted speed limits and other traffic regulations.
The County Commissioners have control over F Highway and Buchanan Road. Outside of the parents and drivers themselves, they are in the best position to provide a temporary quick fix to mitigate the situation until a more effective solution is found and take the lead in coming up with such a solution.
In an Ole Seagulls opinion, at a minimum, this temporary quick fix should include the immediate assignment of a traffic control officer at the junction of the northbound exit ramp from Highway 65 at Highway F during the morning school rush hour, the installation of appropriate guard rails on Buchanan Road, particularly at its intersection with Highway 248, and the establishment of a “blue ribbon” committee, appointed by the commission, consisting of all the parties necessary to reach a permanent solution of the problem with a 30 day deadline to recommend its solution.
The Ole Seagull realizes full well that there are those who will say that this proposal is too simplistic and that much more study must be done before any action can be taken. From an Ole Seagull’s perspective he must handle the complex, if at all, in simple, understandable, manageable, and prioritized parts. He will leave it to others more qualified to add the complexity and excuses but meanwhile the time bomb is ticking, tick, tick, tick….
Gary Groman, a.k.a. “The Ole Seagull,” is an independent columnist and the editor of the Branson Courier. He may be reached by clicking here or by calling 417-339-4000.
