Evergreen good example of poor planning

I had to make a left hand turn on Highway 2 in Evergreen yesterday to get to a small business. I got in the middle lane — affectionately known as the “suicide” lane — at exactly the same time as someone coming in the other direction. There was someone right behind me. The split second choice was between a head-on or a side-swipe collision.

Evergreen is the perfect example of what happens when there is no concern for land use planning, public safety or traffic flow. As the population increases in the valley there will only be more of these close calls on more of our roads.  

Highway 40 has now become a three-lane road with its own suicide lane. Where zoning does exist the county is unanimously approving zone changes from rural to business. The truth is that in most parts of the county there isn’t any zoning at all, so anything goes more easily. Is the whole valley destined to look like and drive like Evergreen?

Do we want to be able to drive from north to south in the Flathead on our arterials in a reasonable amount of time in five years? Do we want to be able to do it without a quantum increase in the possibility of bodily harm? We have to think and plan for it now.  Our 2007 Growth Policy does have policies to restrict access to our arterial highways and require frontage roads, but in the new “update” process those items are deleted or watered down. Let the county commissioners know that traffic safety is important to you.  Let them know that the 2007 Growth Policy is important to you. Call one today.

— Karen Reeves