Commentary byWarner M. MontgomeryWarner@TheColumbiaStar.com

As Columbia has developed, traffic on the major thoroughfares into town has increased considerably. I–26, Sunset Boulevard, and Two Notch Road approach gridlock as commuters rush in and out of the city to work and shop. Garners Ferry Road is rapidly becoming a deathtrap as suburbs replace farmland in East Columbia.

According to the SC Highway Patrol, there were two fatal collisions, 20 personal injury cases, 112 collisions, 445 traffic warnings, and 1,171 traffic tickets on Garners Ferry Road in the first eight months of 2006. A third of the warnings were issued for seatbelt violation and half of the tickets were for driving too fast for conditions.

More and more citizens are concerned about the number of irresponsible drivers on the road:

• Racing through stop lights

• Driving with suspended licenses and/or no insurance

• Leaving bars and driving away nearly drunk

• Using expired dealer paper tags

Heavily loaded gravel trucks churn up diesel smoke and gravel dust, at times bumper–to–bumper, on the way out of town. Unable to stop for the stoplights, they plow through the intersections, horns blaring, hoping to miss cars going on the green.

Complaints to the Highway Patrol are met with

“We’re short on personnel.”

“We have to concentrate our manpower at the critical intersections,” and

“We know we’ve lost control of the roads, but there’s nothing we can do.”

Traffic safety on the major thoroughfares is a quality of life issue. It is equally as important as policing neighborhoods for burglary, property damage, and drug dealing. Before it gets truly out–of–hand, the Highway Patrol, Richland County Sheriff’s Department, and the Columbia Police Department should examine the situation on Garners Ferry Road and take action before more lives are lost.