Getting there: Transit apps aren’t perfect

If drivers don’t know the roads these apps direct them to, that belief can be irrelevant.

Consider a recent situation that occurred in Spotsylvania County on January 7th. Some drivers used traffic apps to avoid delays due to serious collisions on Mudd’s Tavern Road and eventually Hams’ turn on his Ford Road.

There is a shoal on the road that must be crossed, and some people were unable to cross it because the water level was too high that day.

Spotsylvania County Supervisor Kevin Marshall raised the issue at last week’s board meeting.

“Personally, I know at least two cars that I saw on the river. “It’s not a good day when it’s 38 degrees outside and someone is in the water.”

He said the shallows are maintained by the state and are considered safe. But he said only pickup trucks can drive through it.

Marshall said the shallows were washed out after the storm, adding that water levels were knee high that Saturday.

Supervisors said they would like to see better maintenance at Ford, but the situation should be a warning to drivers who rely too much on mobile phone apps.

Is the US 17 traffic light slanted?

A reader who regularly travels through Stafford County on Route 17 emailed last week about a problem with a recently installed traffic light on the freeway near the Interstate 95 interchange. cross project.

In an email asking about the lights, Amber Peebles said, “Like everyone else, I noticed a problem with the first lights on Interstate 17 (to U.S. 1).” said. “Specifically, the traffic lights do not appear to be properly placed in each lane, causing confusion and the second last lane change to either turn left onto (northbound) I-95 or It looks like you’re in the correct lane if you want to go straight on 17.”

The Virginia Department of Transportation said in an email that the signals were “properly located and in compliance with federal and state standards.”

VDOT reported that when drivers approach this intersection, “from a distance, the traffic light heads appear to be out of alignment with their respective lane assignments. However, as they approach the stop bar, the signal heads align.”

VDOT acknowledged that the work zone at the location had been difficult for the drivers with myriad changes during the work, and said further adjustments would be made until the end of the crossing project.

According to VDOT, these changes include designing “three left turn lanes on the I-95 northbound off-ramp.” Also, the Route 17 southbound northbound loop ramp to his I-95 will be reopened once the project is complete.