Another Mayor Wamp photo-op. It must be a Tuesday.
Under heavy security, he appeared on the side of Hunter Road in Ooltewah on Tuesday.
Today’s photo-op prop was a rented radar detector that posts your speed to remind drivers that they are driving too fast. Unfortunately, most drivers will never see their posted speed because they are reading a text.
We can all do better.
And our county mayor can do better as well. The problems and safety issues with Hunter Road and Snow Hill Road and Mountain View Road and almost every road in Ooltewah will not be fixed with a speed gun.
These roads will be fixed only by widening these roads. These roads are dangerous and have an above-average fatality rate. These are roads that our school buses travel upon. These are roads that our young drivers travel upon. These are roads that have seen a spike in housing and business development, but not a spike in spending on the infrastructure.
But building an infrastructure is hard work. It’s a grind. It takes teamwork. You have to be able to play well with others. Put the work in. Own it. Lead. Encourage.
Not by standing on the side of Hunter Road looking into news cameras.
Almost every Tuesday.
C. Mark Warren
* * *
Here we go again.
County Mayor Wamp announced a Roads Working Group earlier this year on which he and Dr. Highlander sit as a part of this year's comprehensive area planning and budgeting process. As you stated, infrastructure projects take time and cooperation. The speed signs are a step in the direction of tackling road safety which is the prevailing issue on Hunter Road.
The county mayor stated at the press conference that Hunter Road is many times more dangerous than similar roads in the county. Widening these roads is not the solution. Most of the congestion occurs at Exit 11 which is in the city of Chattanooga. TDOT traffic counts show Hunter Road is adequate from a capacity perspective.
Things that are needed are traffic calming measures and safety improvements. These speed signs are a step in the right direction while the working group plans long term solutions that include capital investment.
Jim Merklinger