Changes don’t benefit anyone

Published 3:20 pm Thursday, August 21, 2008

I am in agreement with the Aug. 15 letter writer about the selfishness of the changes made by the Mill Creek City Council to Seattle Hill Road. It is painfully obvious that these major changes were made for the small number of people who live on Seattle Hill Road (Mill Creek Boulevard). With the limited amount of roadway available for commuters to travel to and from the freeway systems in this area, there are no other viable options.

As a taxpayer who lives in a neighborhood on Seattle Hill Road, I am perplexed by how some of these changes truly impact the very people they are supposed to serve. The reduced speed actually increases the amount of time vehicles spend on the roadway, thus increasing traffic noise.

Additionally, the light on 132nd Street and Seattle Hill Road now includes a U-turn signal that serves as access for the newly built businesses at that intersection. The U-turn slows down all vehicles in the left and right turn lanes. Again, this slows all traffic and causes an extremely high backup during commute time and increases traffic noise. This baffling change to the signal is dangerous and I have personally witnessed a number of near misses at this intersection. These changes seem more about increasing revenue from fines and tickets than about reducing the traffic noise in these areas.

Regina Tyyska