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Old 10-05-2007, 05:36 PM   #1
Irish mist
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Default Another accident at the Weirs bridge

Back in the day I used to zoom through the Weirs bridge intersection from Route 3 on my way to Meredith......not any more. I go up White Oaks Road, take a left, and then wait at the lights with my mouth hanging open watching car after car mess up at this simple intersection.

There was another accident at the bridge today.....and for the life of me I can't figure out why people are having so much trouble down there ? There is a stop sign & a yield sign there.....always has been. Nothing has changed in that set-up in over 30 years except for the last 6 or 7 years no one seems to know how to drive through it any longer.

I know this because I have to drive through there every day. Have any other long time residents noticed this issue ? I'm afraid if this keeps up they are going to have to put lights down there.
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Last edited by Irish mist; 02-27-2011 at 09:59 PM.
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Old 10-09-2007, 07:10 AM   #2
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Default Watch out

Quote:
Originally Posted by Irish mist
Back in the day I used to zoom through the Weirs bridge intersection from Route 3 on my way to Meredith......not any more. I go up White Oaks Road, take a left, and then wait at the lights with my mouth hanging open watching car after car mess up at this simple intersection.

There was another accident at the bridge today.....and for the life of me I can't figure out why people are having so much trouble down there ? There is a stop sign & a yield sign there.....always has been. Nothing has changed in that set-up in over 30 years except for the last 6 or 7 years no one seems to know how to drive through it any longer.

I know this because I have to drive through there every day. Have any other long time residents noticed this issue ? I'm afraid if this keeps up they are going to have to put lights down there.
Watch they will try to justify another stupid rotary, pull your heads out of your butts people and then drive. I agree it is not that difficult if you pay attention.

Also I am a firm believer and agree with what a person once said to me and it makes sense when you think about it.
"Traffic signs, lights and rules of the road are for those that do not have common sense"
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Old 10-09-2007, 09:43 AM   #3
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I have to disagree. I've been going through the Weir's Bridge intersection for over 40 year's and it has gotten much worse over the last few years. Even if you have the right of way you can't trust the other drivers to obey the many signs. The intersection must be very confusing to the many tourist that use it. Some stop when they have the right of way to cruse on through and some cruse straight through even though they have a yield sign, not the right of way. If it is so confusing, it may not follow what a driver expects or common sense. I think a rotary is the solution. It make's more sense to have one there than the other one up the road. At first I was opposed to a rotary both in NH and here near my home in CT, but I know the one here in CT works great. Short learning curve for motorists, but traffic slows to about 5-10 mph and everyone seems to be able to blend in with no long lines. Winter is the next test, everyone is waiting to see how the snow plows handle it. A minor fender bender may happen in the rotary, but a major T-bone with injuries is highly unlikely,.
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Old 10-09-2007, 10:52 AM   #4
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Default Previous thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by hockeypuck
I have to disagree. I've been going through the Weir's Bridge intersection for over 40 year's and it has gotten much worse over the last few years. Even if you have the right of way you can't trust the other drivers to obey the many signs. The intersection must be very confusing to the many tourist that use it. Some stop when they have the right of way to cruse on through and some cruse straight through even though they have a yield sign, not the right of way. If it is so confusing, it may not follow what a driver expects or common sense. I think a rotary is the solution. It make's more sense to have one there than the other one up the road. At first I was opposed to a rotary both in NH and here near my home in CT, but I know the one here in CT works great. Short learning curve for motorists, but traffic slows to about 5-10 mph and everyone seems to be able to blend in with no long lines. Winter is the next test, everyone is waiting to see how the snow plows handle it. A minor fender bender may happen in the rotary, but a major T-bone with injuries is highly unlikely,.
See previous thread on the new 106 Rotary, seems they bought a pretty expensive truck and plow set up just for the rotary there. why not just make it a little bit bigger to let a regular plow go through it and now have to buy and keep up the maintenence costs on an annual basis on a special truck.
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Old 10-09-2007, 11:56 AM   #5
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Ahhh…. Dysfunction junction.

True story, swear to God. One Saturday last summer me and the family are coming back from Gilford on the “go” side, approaching the junction when I see a Laconia PD cruise sitting at the “stop” side, turning left, and a steady stream of people on the “yield” side coming through. As I approach the junction one of the yielders decides that his vacations more important than those pesky rules and runs the yield sign directly in front of me. Both cars screech to a complete stop in the middle of the intersection, directly in front Laconia’s finest, and narrowly miss each other and the cruiser. As opposed to my usual highly vocal pep talk to the flatlander, complete with the “your #1 buddy” sign, I decided to let the officer who was dang near involved in this dang near accident handle it. I drive off, the non-yielding yielder drives off, and Laconia’s finest, err, well they drive off too.

My phone conversation immediately after with the Laconia PD supervisor taught me that a. its very loud in those cruisers, b. she really didn’t care about my issue and her officers complete inability to notice me stopping directly in front of them when I shouldn’t have been, and c. your on your own in dysfunction junction.

If you should be going through the go side, you not only have to worry about non-yielding yielders and non-stopping stoppers, you have to watch the guy in front of you who decides that since there’s no signs at all they can make up their own rules! And stop! While your watching the other 2 directions!

I would say that overall I see as many capt. Boneheads navigating the junction now as I always have. Some of my earliest car accident memories are from the junction. My wife and I have joked about hanging a giant green “go” sign on the go side. But a rotary? I don’t think I can drunk walk through a rotary every bikeweek without making my own accident, albeit in my pants.
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Old 10-09-2007, 03:58 PM   #6
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You know, I was thinking about this on Saturday when we drove through the intersection and almost slammed head on into somebody turning from Route 3 south to 11B. All they really need to do to fix that intersection is to run a broken double yellow line through the intersection along the Route 3 alignment. That would make it clear to the people that think they have the right of way going straight from Route 3 to 11B that they are crossing through traffic and need to yield. Heck, it would only cost them about 100 bucks to do it.
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Old 10-09-2007, 04:08 PM   #7
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Lets try something.

Ignoring the folks that are in the go direction.

Who has the right of way the stop or the yield?
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Old 10-10-2007, 08:24 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rattlesnake Guy
Lets try something.

Ignoring the folks that are in the go direction.

Who has the right of way the stop or the yield?
The yeild does because they are only to yeild for continous or right away traffic, the stop has to stop no matter what. On the flip side if teh person at the stop signs is their first there could be some curtisy from the yeild person to let them go, but it is not a rule of the road that you have to.
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Old 10-10-2007, 09:45 AM   #9
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Totally disagree with IM and agree with HP on this one.That intersection is one of most confusing and badly setup I've seen.Even with the right of way one still has to watch for the other guy and it forces you to take you eyes off of your direction, and then,yup,that guy in front of me decided to stop when he should not have.This place needs some attention.
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Old 10-10-2007, 11:38 AM   #10
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Default Great Idea!

I live very close to that intersection and I see the confused drivers all too often.

CHMEEEE has a great idea! It has a reasonable chance of working and it is an inexpensive fix, something that as a Laconia waterfront tax payer I really like.

How do we get this idea to the powers that make the "big" decisions?

Great idea CHMEEEE! Nice to hear from someone with a solution to a problem.

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Old 10-10-2007, 11:51 AM   #11
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As a non-resident, I imagine that they could care less what I have to say. Perhaps you can contact the DOT district office in Meredith? You may not get very far, but its worth a try.
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Old 10-10-2007, 11:59 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Resident 2B
I live very close to that intersection and I see the confused drivers all too often.

CHMEEEE has a great idea! It has a reasonable chance of working and it is an inexpensive fix, something that as a Laconia waterfront tax payer I really like.

How do we get this idea to the powers that make the "big" decisions?

Great idea CHMEEEE! Nice to hear from someone with a solution to a problem.

R2B
I agree, it is a pretty good idea. Since its after Columbus day and we are on our own as far as the city is concerned, lets grab some yellow house paint and do it ourselves! I'll make the "GO" sign too. I wonder how long it would take someone from the DOT to notice.
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Old 10-10-2007, 12:01 PM   #13
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Default People do not understand

Stop signs, yield signs, the 150' rule.....are all for the other guy. It has no effect on me. Or so it seems when I observe others drive.

You can put up all the signs you want but if drivers don't care it is waste on money.
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Old 10-10-2007, 12:52 PM   #14
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Chmeeee has a good idea, it may work, worth a try, but I think that it only address' the "GO" side. As for the expense, you know it's lots of $$$$ for a rotary. Here in CT the state DOT pays for state road repairs and plowing. I know it's still tax payer money, but doesn't fall directly on the local tax payer. It is a bad spot no question.
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Old 10-10-2007, 12:58 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gtxrider
Stop signs, yield signs, the 150' rule.....are all for the other guy. It has no effect on me. Or so it seems when I observe others drive.

You can put up all the signs you want but if drivers don't care it is waste on money.
While there definitely will always be that contigent that just doesn't care, there is an unusually large number of drivers violating the right of way at that intersection, and I think most of them don't even realize they are doing anything wrong. Remove local knowledge for a second, approaching the intersection from the west, crossing the bridge and wanting to head up 11B, doesn't it look like you are going straight, and therefore should have the right of way over the cars coming from your right and turning to the left?
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Old 10-10-2007, 01:38 PM   #16
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chmeee, you are 100% correct.
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Old 10-10-2007, 03:40 PM   #17
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DOT notice? If it is not costing a million dollars they are never gonna notice it. They may wonder after awhile why their is no more accidents there though. they will drive up and take credit for it.
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Old 10-10-2007, 05:47 PM   #18
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Another bad spot, but for some reason not a lot of accidents, is the "corner" in South Wolfeboro in front of Weston's -- same situation except less signs . . . and NO sightlines.
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Old 10-10-2007, 06:16 PM   #19
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Default Listen to what you said

MY GOD!! Listen to what you just said!! You expect people who can't read or understand signs to figure out painted dotted lines on the road???
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Old 10-17-2007, 06:45 AM   #20
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Having had two horn-blowing close calls at the infamous Weirs Beach 'dysfunction junction', caution is always key.

A few years back in Boston near Fenway Park on Boylston St, I was the victim of a staged accident, where the car in front stops abruptly for no reason while turning at a stoplght intersection. "Oh my back, oh my back, it hurts it hurts" exclaims the 17 year old. Presumably, he picked me because my vehicle was a business pickup with commercial signs. The Boston ambulance dept, police dept, and fire dept all showed up, and this very gentle tap on the bumper would have been dismissed by most all people. What an actor! 'Oh, my back, my back.'

Ever see a big billboard advertising a personal injury attorney???

Anyone experience a staged accident in the Lakes Region?
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Old 10-21-2007, 01:40 PM   #21
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Default It's not rocket science

I have to pass through that intersection every time I head to my boat and I swear more times than I can count. Just last weekend I laid on the horn and slammed the brakes for an SUV that never even slowed down for the STOP SIGN. I was in the "go" lane. I couldn't believe it - there is clearly a stop sign that way. I actually let myself get pretty close without broad-siding the guy to intentionally scare the begeezus out of him because it was so blatant. I'm sick of it. I'm surprised there aren't more accidents. Perhaps all that's needed is better signage since what is there isnt working.
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Old 10-22-2007, 06:18 AM   #22
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It's one of those intersections where you can be right....DEAD RIGHT. The fact one must use extreme caution going through there just adds to the mess.
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