An open letter to Senator Addie Eckardt:
Madam: It is with equal parts frustration and hope that I write to you about a seemingly small problem for you but a great problem for the folk of Talbot County. We have one grocery store between St. Michaels and Tilghman and while we are grateful for its very existence at the edge of St. Michaels, turning left out of the parking lot and onto hwy 33 has proved to be a kama-kazi venture.
We locals whose habitats range from St. Michaels, McDaniel, Wittman, Sherwood and through to Tilghman have long bemoaned the risks involved in turning left out of Grauls; tourist season or not. The danger results from the competing cavalcades of traffic. While the traffic into St. Michaels is slowing down to 35 mph, the traffic out of St. Michaels is speeding up to 50 mph. Clearly, a traffic light at the nearby intersection of Pea Neck Road would do much to help life and limb. I understood from one of the older employees of Grauls that fatal accidents have occurred making that most dangerous left turn.
Last week I read an article in the Star Democrat about the funding requirements for the perilous traffic issues on hwy 50 in Easton and the priorities to which the Talbot County Council would give to it. Unfortunately, nothing was said about hwy 33. I wrote to the Talbot County council expressing my (and really all my friends at the Sherwood seminar group, the St. Michaels Women’s Club group and a couple of book clubs in between). We are all of like mind on this issue.
Pete Lesher was the only TCC member to respond, promising to send the request to the district highway engineer. (I will forward his email shortly.) Hearing nothing further, I called and spoke with Autumn from the District Highway department and was told that this issue was not their department.
However, she sent me to: Kelsey in the district office of the state highway (410-822-3525); a lovely lady by the way. She kindly prepared a Service Request SR -0457293 for the customer care management system CCMS and then sent me to:
Richard Baker in the district office (410-778-3061) who nicely informed me that he would prepare a two day study; I suggested Fridays and Mondays since those are the most highly tourist trafficked days. And the locals are anticipating a high amount of tourism this year, now that the covid restrictions have been lifted; new area restaurants and hotels have opened in anticipation.
I thanked Baker profusely until he then stated that federal warrants would need to take place to have the lights installed because federal money is used. Federal money? How much money does this take? Further, as you know, a federal warrant is a condition that an intersection must meet to justify a signal installation. (I am not certain what constitutes such a justification but I will happily research the requirement in the near future.)
Baker then stated that if the outcome is positive, then a design request will take place, which is then sent to the office of traffic and safety.
Last, he stated that this will take about a year. A year!!!!! Recall how many deaths and near deaths took place at Black Dog Alley in Easton until a signal was installed. We (and I believe that I do speak for the residents of the area) are hoping that something can be done to speed this process to a few short months rather than a year.
I look forward to your response. Thank you.
Linda Hamilton
Talbot County
Rev Julia Hart says
I agree that we do have a traffic issue and wondered about the same placement. I’m not a lifelong resident of St Michaels although my family has been here since 1672. We moved here permanently in 2012, after inheriting my Mother’s house on West Chew. I have at least one cousin who remembers back, that there was a traffic light in St Michaels. Recently someone else recalled the same. So the precedent is there. And that was in the days when this was not a tourist town. My husband will come home from his morning walk and say, “This is not a left turn day.”
Since I had no idea of the process, thank you for all the detective work.
Brian Wroten says
We also have problems with street lamps not coinciding with crosswalks in downtown St. Michaels.
Charles Barranco says
Ms Hamilton,
Not to be a Doubting Thomas, but the County Council will surely vote 3-2 against any traffic calming in this area.
You may be aware that St Michaels Town Commissioners are now considering a proposal for a hotel at 906 S Talbot Street, which is almost at the intersection with Seymour and Talbot Street.
That is the intersection for the St Michaels Middle School and High School turn. Traffic is non stop every morning and afternoon at this intersection.
Can you imagine, with the addition of a hotel what the traffic congestion will be, every day and weekends with tourist traffic?
The stretch of road from Grauls is already over burdened. The wait times to turn onto RT 33, and Talbot are longer and longer. On a Saturday morning, a wait time of 5 minutes is not uncommon.
With Local knowledge and GPS, side streets are becoming raceways to and from the high school, The YMCA and town.
My unprofessional lay opinion, is a light at Pea Neck will force more traffic through the Residential Communities of Rio Vista and Bentley Hay. If you are walking, running, pushing a baby carriage, have child in hand, you will be at risk of serious injury. These are narrow dangerous streets where speeds of 50-60 mph occur often and frequently, sometimes daily. One motorist admitted to 80 mph
on Riverview Terrace. There is a police report.
Finally, while traffic volumes are drastically increasing and everybody knows the problem, I don’t see a solution.
St Michaels is a victim of their own success.
Suzanne Brannegan says
Thanks Linda for getting this going!
Will Smith says
As folks who regularly travel from Tilghman to Graul’s and often to Easton we really have never found the exit from Graul’s parking lot to be a problem for our family. If serious thought is given to an additional traffic light here we hope it will be paired with a reconsideration of a bypass for St. Michaels. An additional light further clogging through traffic at St Michaels would be better received if done in conjunction with a plan to help reduce the already considerable congestion along this stretch of the road as traffic passes through the town.
Stephen Schaare says
Hi Will, Forget the bypass. The walking trail rules. You have no problem with a left turn out of Graul’s ? Wow, you are blessed. I suspect you have a Tesla with two motors(unequaled acceleration and G force).
May I “cut to the chase”? Nothing takes precedence over the tourist dollars. Nothing.
I applaud your hopeful view. Lots of Seniors in the area-traffic light a necessity.
Thank you-Steve
Steve Shimko says
Well, it’s more than just the walking trail. It’s every business owner in St Michaels that would be against the bypass. Businesses want more traffic, slower traffic, more on-street parking; not vehicles passing through on their way from Graul’s to Whitman. You could get a sense of this during the public meetings held several years ago to gauge community feelings on potential changes to Talbot St.
Lin Clineburg says
Thank You , thank You for bringing this subject to light. My family and I support your request wholeheartedly. I have long wondered how long it would take and how many accidents would have to occur until the Highway departments would realize that something must be done to reduce the dangerous situation at the Grails , Highs , Subway , Rise up and Seafood Store turn offs, before attention and traffic agencies would respond with traffic calming devices.
Lin Clineburg
Stephen Schaare says
Hi Linda, You are absolutely correct. A light is desperately needed for Pea Neck or Graul’s.
Should a light be installed, however, you realize the cycle will be set to heavily favor the vehicle flow into St. Michaels. Try crossing Route #50 from Dover Road during Summer migration to Ocean City.
Unless the driver of the first car is paying attention when the light changes, you are stranded for another cycle.
It has been my experience that too often that first motorist is slobbering over their dog, reaching for something on the floor, or shoving a whopper with cheese into their face WHILE sharing the burger with their dog.
Mere moments are presented to seize upon the green. You end up with the stale yellow light and once again, all is hopeless.
Sure, we need the traffic light, but we also need a fair and equitable length of time on that green.
You need to change the behavior of the first motorist.
If more people would realize that OTHERS would like to “make the light”, we would have a better driving experience.
Wake up, drivers! Pay attention. Play with the dog when you get home.
Thank you for your efforts.
Steve
Steve Shimko says
There is no question that making left hand turns onto MD-33 (Talbot St., St. Michaels Rd) is hard at some times of the day. This is the case whether one is going north/west towards St. Michaels/McDaniel or heading south/east towards Easton. This is especially problematic during Friday evenings when visitors are coming into St. Michaels, but also problematic around the 8 AM school rush hour.
However, I’m not convinced that a point source “improvement”, such as a traffic signal at Pea Neck is the proper solution. This could actually make things worse as traffic destined for Easton may become bottlenecked at the Pea Neck light. It also could make it harder to turn left out of Graul’s, Rise Up, Highs’s, and the Lumber Yard because there will be no gap in traffic coming towards St. Michaels due to vehicles being queued up at the traffic signal.
In so far as the State’s traffic survey goes, I doubt that it will show that a traffic light at Pea Neck is warranted, based on the volume of traffic using Pea Neck and amount of time vehicles have to wait to turn left coming out of Pea Neck on MD-33.
Any changes to that corridor need to consider the effects of such a change on traffic in the entire the area from Seymour to Pea Neck.
Jo Myers says
I agree with Linda Hamilton.
Bryan Hines says
I drive to Grauls several times each week. A traffic light is not needed, just patience and normal driving skills. A traffic light will cause more problems than it solves.
Patricia Haase says
While a light may help, it will not slow down those that ignore the posted speed limits. Vehicles leaving St. Michaels accelerate as soon as they pass the pool/school/firehouse and it seems many tend to speed up even more if they see anyone trying to enter Rt 33 from businesses or side streets.
Active traffic enforcement of the speed limits would help, but obviously police cannot sit on Rt 33 24/7. Perhaps another automated speed enforcement camera could be placed along that stretch of Rt 33? Enforcing the existing speed limits on Rt 33, as well as on the residential streets (Lincoln, Seymour and Riverview Terrace) would be welcomed by residents.
Ellie Mickey says
Red light/Green light? Or traffic circle? I vote traffic circle! Everyone wins! Look kids, Big Ben.