This satellite view of the intersection in front of the Mount Airy Post Office, from the county Tax Department, illustrates the illegal turn city police are trying to curtail. Motorists follow the path of the arrow from the postal parking lot onto South Main Street and then to Rockford Street, constituting violations of going the wrong way on a one-way street and an unsafe movement.
“Quite a few” near-accidents have occurred at that location, according to a spokesman for the Mount Airy Police Department.
What typically happens there is that motorists who have parked in the large post office lot south of the facility on South Main Street later will pull out onto that one-way street as a matter of convenience. They then will proceed the wrong way for a short distance in order to turn left onto Rockford Street.
That prevents drivers from having to circle a block in either direction in order to reach the same destination — but it’s also illegal and dangerous, police say.
With that section seeing heavy use among both vehicles and pedestrians, officers want to eliminate the practice of motorists going the wrong way on the one-way street due to the hazards posed to oncoming traffic.
“That’s something we’re going to do enforcement action on,” the police spokesman said in light of a recent increase in violations noted there. However, officers initially are hoping to make motorists aware of the problem so voluntary compliance can occur before they begin issuing tickets.
Someone who heads up South Main in order to reach Rockford Street in the manner being targeted not only can be ticketed for driving the wrong way on a one-way street, but an unsafe movement as well.
Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.
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