2008 Woodie Awards
Inefficient Roads In Potsdam
Katie Jones
Issue date: 2/6/06 Section: Opinion
For a town with a strong engineering school as one of the focal points, it is surprising how bad the roads have been designed. I have never seen a town with as many 'no turn on red' signs or intersections that do not have ninety degrees between roads.
For starters, the intersection right across from the Hamlin-Powers dorm is extremely annoying. If you are coming from downtown Potsdam, you can either go left, straight, or turn right. However when you turn right, you can either keep veering right and go over the bridge or wait at another red light to either go straight or turn left. I see no reason why this intersection could not have just been a four-way intersection.
As you drive into Potsdam on Main Street, there is no way to turn left onto Market. In order to access the shops in the old buildings on this street, including the bookstore, you can either turn around in the parking lot next to the hotel, or you can turn left on a one-way street and then turn left again on Elm. The other option is to take the bridge around downtown, then turn right on Market, and then go through a few lights before finally reaching your destination. Again, why could this intersection not have been a normal three-way with a light, which would provide an easy access to turning left on Market Street?
They have designed the intersections so that most of them forbid turning on red, which is annoying if you are waiting behind another car that, in any other 'city' would be allowed to turn. There is always a small road or driveway, which rarely has any cars using it at all, that impedes the convenience of most drivers.
Also, Route 11 diagonally cuts across the outer parts of the village, creating even more confusing intersections.
When I first began driving through Potsdam, I was constantly confused and wondering whether it was ok to turn or not. This problem was especially annoying because downtown Potsdam consists of only a few streets and most of the intersections could be better.
With a university full of well-qualified civil engineers, and as a civil engineering major myself, I see no reason why Potsdam could not have designed the town more efficiently.
For starters, the intersection right across from the Hamlin-Powers dorm is extremely annoying. If you are coming from downtown Potsdam, you can either go left, straight, or turn right. However when you turn right, you can either keep veering right and go over the bridge or wait at another red light to either go straight or turn left. I see no reason why this intersection could not have just been a four-way intersection.
As you drive into Potsdam on Main Street, there is no way to turn left onto Market. In order to access the shops in the old buildings on this street, including the bookstore, you can either turn around in the parking lot next to the hotel, or you can turn left on a one-way street and then turn left again on Elm. The other option is to take the bridge around downtown, then turn right on Market, and then go through a few lights before finally reaching your destination. Again, why could this intersection not have been a normal three-way with a light, which would provide an easy access to turning left on Market Street?
They have designed the intersections so that most of them forbid turning on red, which is annoying if you are waiting behind another car that, in any other 'city' would be allowed to turn. There is always a small road or driveway, which rarely has any cars using it at all, that impedes the convenience of most drivers.
Also, Route 11 diagonally cuts across the outer parts of the village, creating even more confusing intersections.
When I first began driving through Potsdam, I was constantly confused and wondering whether it was ok to turn or not. This problem was especially annoying because downtown Potsdam consists of only a few streets and most of the intersections could be better.
With a university full of well-qualified civil engineers, and as a civil engineering major myself, I see no reason why Potsdam could not have designed the town more efficiently.