Mon, 15 Jun 2006
Chadds Ford Post
Bus stop at Atwater and Webb has to Move

This week there was yet another unnerving experience at the dangerous intersection of Atwater and Webb Roads due to the school bus stop located at this junction.

I was turning left into Atwater; a child had spilled her books in the middle of the road within 50 feet of the corner; she and several adults were gathering them up.

Fortunately, I know to slow down at the turn entering Atwater. Many drivers do not exercise this kind of caution.  

One parent motioned for me to stop, but that would have increased the hazard and I went slowly around them.  Anyone unfamiliar with the situation and making a quick (blind) right onto Atwater would have had a good chance of hitting these people or, if my car had been there, pushing my car into them.

The township management has permitted speculative over-development with a potential 60% increase in population of Atwater; children can no longer walk down the road safely, which they used to, due to increased traffic and construction vehicles.

The school board will not move the bus stop until these same developers dedicate their road to the township so that the bus can traverse the street and pick up the children at a safer location.    

I spoke to these points at a Chadds Ford Supervisors¹ meeting in 2004.

In addition, Webb Rd. has become a more heavily trafficked street where children skate-board and people jog; vehicles are driving at 50-60 mph around curves and over hilly terrain to take the short cut between Rt. 1 and Rt. 202.

Although there is now a left turn lane on Rt. 1 into Webb, there is no traffic light and, in addition, drivers are permitted to make U-turns at that intersection.

These situations point to a fatality waiting to happen.