I am writing about the proposed RV Park on Cedar Grove Road off of Plantation Road and the developer-paid-for traffic study rubber stamped by DelDOT. The company, Johnson, Mirmiran and Thompson, has offices in Newark, Delaware and Baltimore, Md., and none in Sussex County.
The first blatant mistake, which, I believe, calls into question the whole study is that they quote the direction of the roads they are commenting on going the wrong way.
They say that Plantation Road goes east and west, and that Postal Lane goes south and Cedar Grove Road goes north! Now, if they do not even know what the correct directions of the roads are in our communities, how can they make recommendations?
Next, I totally disagree with what they have said will happen once the re-alignment of Cedar Grove and Postal Lane happens with an inclusion of a traffic light. They say currently with the stop signs on a weekday evening it takes 424 seconds to get through the intersection and 239 seconds Saturday midday.
Anyone that has been here on a Saturday afternoon in season knows those numbers should at least be reversed. They then project that once the intersection is signalized that it will be 21 seconds weekday evenings and 20 seconds Saturday midday. That is absolutely absurd! When did they do this study? Was it on a winter day in a snow storm?
During the months of June, July, August and now even September cars, especially on Saturdays, are lined up from Route 1 to Planation Road on Postal Lane. Many of them decide to cut through Sandy Brae in order to avoid the intersection. How is a timed light going to get all those cars through in 20 seconds?
Just wait until they add RVs to this mix. Here is the recommendation that was also rubber stamped by DelDOT: "The developer should be required to identify routes to and from the proposed development that are well-suited to RV traffic and to encourage their patrons to use these routes when traveling by RV. Directions should be provided through signs, literature, and any website that may be created for the development. For example, traffic to and from the north and south could be directed to use Delaware Route 1, Postal Lane and Cedar Grove Road. Traffic to and from the west could be directed to use Delaware Route 24, Plantation Road and Cedar Grove Road."
The board of Sandy Brae has taken a position against this development, because of the heavy traffic impact. No matter what an out-of-area traffic consultant postulates and DelDOT rubber stamps, we know that we are going to be held hostage in our community many afternoons. We will also be side stepping and ducking all the cut through traffic that will increase if this is approved.
Betty Deacon
Lewes
