This glimpse of public opinion favors a traffic light at Florida Avenue
Over a quarter of respondents like the idea of a roundabout
By Andrew Harris, image from Google Maps
One of the big questions when considering development in Wellsville is how the recent burst of new business on the Bolivar Road/Route 417 west of the village. It is already very busy with fast food, Tractor Supply plaza, two nursing homes, the village maintenance headquarters, the village wastewater treatment facility, Tops Market, Community Bank, BSI engineering and manufacturing, and Hair by Kathee. A new “drive-thru” Walgreens has just opened and a Quicklee’s/Tim Horton combination convienent store is planned for 2023 adjecent to the Tractor Supply plaza. A Runnings department store is set to open in the early part of next years. There is a lot going on west of the Genesee River.
While by no means is the area causing traffic jams or an abnormal number of vehicle accidents, but increased traffic volume is inevitable during 2023. A NYS Department of Transportation study has been done on the area as part of the recent development and those results will be released in the near future. To date, the town of Wellsville has not requested any traffic modifications from the NYS Department of Transportation.
Based on this little poll of our readers, 513 responded and the clear majority of votes favor a new traffic light at Florida Avenue, adjecent to McDonald’s. That is of interest because for many years, residents in that nieghboorhood lobbied for a traffic light. As part of the recent NYS traffic study process, models indicated that the light would likely divert traffic to Florida Avenue, creating congestion on that small side street. Upon reviewing the likely implications of installing a traffic light at the Florida Avenue intersection, residents have largely reconsidered.
Almost 27% considered the new idea of traffic circle valid, but this would demand a major infrastructure project. Could that be a future answer to a growing bottleneck of traffic? Time will tell but if development continues to inch west on the Bolivar Road/Rt. 417, or if a high volume business moves into the vacancies in the Tractor Supply plaza, the idea may gain traction.
The next most popular answer brings a little smile to my face. 15% say that doing nothing is the best course of action, the forces of chaos will create the best order.
Creating better signs and a clear means of ingress/egress was the least popular answer. While it seems to be as viable of an option as any, it isn’t as sexy as new traffic lights or a massive roundabout.
Stay tuned for the results of the actual NYS Department of Transportation survey which will largely dictate what, if any, traffic control systems will be used on the Bolivar Road.
