Hooray!
After 10:00AM today, we can shop at the new Sendik's Food Market! I know I will be pleased with the store and I hope that the new traffic will cause the empty spots to fill quickly. Those who saw it during the pre-Grand opening party were very impressed.
Dangerous Intersection?
I heard from a Germantown citizen yesterday about the intersection of Freistadt and Hwy145. He was questioning whether or not there had been a review of that intersection for purposes of traffic signals or flashing warning lights. He also wondered about the accident rate there as contrasted with the community at large.
Police Chief Pete Hoell advised that he recalls this having been the topic on many Public Safety Committee meeting agendas throughout the years. He advised that this intersection is complicated by the fact that Freistadt east of Fond du Lac avenue is County Trunk Highway (CTH) F and Fond du Lac avenue is STH 145. So, there is a state highway maintained by the county with state jurisdiction and a County highway. Germantown's authority extends solely to Freistadt west of Fond du Lac. That just sounds complicated when we're talking governmental bodies.
Chief Hoell recalled that there had been studies in the past including at least one State study. He also indicated that the rate of accidents at this intersection was not significantly different than elsewhere in the village. Given the 45 MPH speed limit on Fond du Lac, though, he said that the accidents that do occur are typically 'T-Bone' crashes that result in personal injury.
Village Administrator Schornack has referred my inquiry to Dan Naze in the Village Engineering area for his input. Schornack said that he has always disliked this intersection on a personal level.
I'm curious as to whether or not this viewpoint is shared by many or only a few people. Do you believe that this intersection should have some kind of signals or, at least, warning lights?
Vehicle 'Wheel Tax'...
What are the chances that we'll see this subject debated at the village board level given that Milwaukee just approved a $20 per vehicle 'wheel tax' for all vehicles registered within the county? I probably shouldn't give anyone any ideas. If we're trying to find the funds for road repairs, someone is bound to come up with this idea.
These are the kinds of things that can get through the process without too much scrutiny and, once in place, never go away and never go down. If anything, these kinds of 'fees' go up regularly since they do not appear on a property tax bill and are collected by the state Motor Vehicle Department.
