Letter: Danger on McDonald’s menu

At the intersection of Highland Road and Airline Highway is a McDonald’s. It sits on the northeast corner, directly across from a Shell station on Airline and a new Walgreens on Highland. This letter is about the drivers who, no matter what the signage, median barriers or anything else the parish or law puts up, will risk life and limb just to go to McDonald’s.

This intersection has been the site of many wrecks, but lately a concrete median about 12 inches high was constructed to keep vehicles from making a left turn into the McDonald’s from Highland going east. The median runs about 100 feet, past the driveway of McDonald’s.

Well, guess what these ingenious drivers are doing now?

I witnessed a lady talking on a cellphone make a U-turn, stop with her car perpendicular to the two lanes she was blocking when she realized she could not make the turn without running over the curb. Then she decided to back up, clear the curb and complete the U-turn, all while continuing to talk on her cell phone, completely oblivious to the cars honking at her for blocking traffic in both directions.

Signs have been put up on Highland that read, “No driving on shoulder.” The signs are on either side of the deep rut now cut into the shoulder where vehicles have continued to make the U-turn and run off the curb. This placement makes them out of the way for folks making the turn — convenient.

There is an entrance to the McDonald’s on Airline just south of the intersection, so drivers going east on Highland can turn left at the light and enter. Drivers coming north on Airline should simply go through the intersection and make the easy right turn into the parking lot. Drivers going south on Airline should make a U-turn on Airline (at the light protected by an arrow) and come back to the entrance on Airline. That gives any driver wanting to go to McDonald’s a method to get there without making a left turn with no light (or even worse, a U-turn) in heavy oncoming traffic.

Maybe the signage should be “No U-turn,” instead of “No driving on shoulder” for our more-determined motorists who will do just about anything to get that Egg McMuffin.

Tom LeBlanc

manager

Baton Rouge

Comments

1) Comment by foldgers - 11/01/2013

I despise the drivers who completely ignore the fact that I have a left turn signal blinking to turn into a parking lot and even though traffic is stopped in front of them, they will pull up as far as they can even if it means they are blocking me from turning into the parking lot. A lot of drivers here have no consideration for anyone. They either believe they will get where they are going faster if they stop 10 feet farther ahead, or they are just that selfish, hating the world that much because their lives are so bad, they have to make everyone else miserable. Same goes for turning left OUT of a parking lot.

2) Comment by firefly225 - 02/01/2013

I live in this area and use this intersection no less than 4 times per day. The entire intersection is horrible and dangerous. The median barriers in front of MickeyD's was definitely necessary for the flow of traffic (although yes, I can find it inconvenient at times.) However, what is being done to address the other side of Highland, in front of Wendy's? While Highland in front of McDonald's was notorious for traffic congestion, the area in front of Wendy's/Albertsons is notorious for wrecks!! My gosh, it's rarer to not see a wreck than see one! I would say that area needs the same median barriers: too many people are trying to turn left onto Highland and causing wrecks. The whole road/ intersection is too small and over crowded. {And as a side note, why again wasn't Highland 4-laned all the way to the end end at Old Jefferson???}

3) Comment by old yat - 01/01/2013

After Katrina,I would hear locals complaining about the"New Orleans drivers"and the massive traffic jams.Well I stayed in B.R. after the storm and now seven years later the traffic situation remains the same as it was! Most drivers in this town think nothing about traffic laws.If you pull into one of the many turn lanes,it takes forever to get across the opposite lanes of traffic due to the amount of selfish,self centered knuckleheads that drive in this town.Very few folks will give you a break,it is like some sort of power trip,if they see you pulling out into traffic they speed up!! What is the deal,it has nothing to do with getting"fastfood"it is the mindset of most of the residents of this town that drive here everyday.Come on folks,put down the cell phones,pay more attention to the traffic laws,and try as hard as it might be for most of you to be a little more courteous to your fellow drivers.God Bless&Happy New Year!!!!!

4) Comment by anon - 01/01/2013

I think the point here is that the Baton Rouge area is full of idiots who are too lazy to prepare and eat a healthy breakfast at home. I drive through that intersection 5 days a week on my way to work Mr. LeBlanc's example is not an isolated incident. Too many people don't care if they turn an already busy intersection into a nightmare traffic jam just to get a greasy biscuit fix.

5) Comment by Preppy6917 - 31/12/2012

I pose legitimate questions, call out the local tinfoil hat wearers for being just that, and use the same handle I've had since the dial-up BBS days of the early 90s, so Attila thinks I'm low class. Cute. Very....high status.

6) Comment by mcarter - 31/12/2012

That is "my McDonalds". I couldn't believe they were putting a barrier there and I couldn't turn left on Highland. I quickly learned how to legally maneuver in and out and realized it is there for a good reason.

7) Comment by Whatnow - 31/12/2012

Hey, twinkie1cat, "almost Ascension Parish" is not Ascension Parish. We don't need to go to Baton Rouge to go to McDonalds. We have plenty of McDonalds of our own. And Big hug is right. And BTW, I'm so glad you moved. Your statement, "One time, during a school break I saw no less than 5 wrecks in 5 days" shows that our education system doesn't need teachers who don't know how to use English grammar. And Ascension Parish police have no jurisdiction in that area. Why is it their problem? Because you "think" it's Ascension Parish drivers causing the problem? Want to put some money on that?

8) Comment by yardeggs - 31/12/2012

Preppy, if you lived or drove near here regularly, you would know this is not an isolated incident. Mr. Leblanc likely used the incident he witnessed that best illustrated the problem. Like the driver of a blue minivan I saw do the same thing, except his u-turn in front of me nearly caused me to t-bone him since he pulled across my lane. These incidents happen on a DAILY basis. The median was added because people would stop on Highland to wait for an opening for a left turn into McDonald's, and back up turning traffic onto Airline. Also, if you attempted to turn left out of McDonald's onto Highland, you were taking your life into your hands. It is this exiting left-turn scenario that caused most of the accidents. With the crime rate not getting any better, and no attention being paid to traffic violations like these, it does beg the question: What exactly IS the Sheriff's Office doing?

9) Comment by Attila - 31/12/2012

@Preppy6917: Your comments and screen name certainly validate your social status. Perhaps a few more years of experience in the real world will change your attitude. There is obviously a serious problem at that location because,as you have noted, the DOTD has taken remedial measures to try to make it more safe. While I agree that it is next to impossible to protect the general public against all stupidity, a personality trait seems to be growing larger with each successive generation, that does not mean that law enforcement resources cannot be reallocated to give this area attention; at least during the hours that are most likely to have the most violations. Most people approve of red light cameras. They when they get caught they complain that a "real cop" should be the only one's allowed to write tickets. If we are truly serious about stopping red light, and unsafe turning, etc. why not make the fine so egregious that people will simply obey they law regardless of their haste, and it's all about me attitudes... say $1000.00 for the first violation...I am sure that would help alleviate the problems....and I guarantee that a driver who is forced to pay such a fine will not be a recidivist.

10) Comment by Stop-That - 31/12/2012

The real danger is ON the menu. As the teenaged boy said to me the last time I graced a MacDonald's, many years ago, "It's a dollar for a reason, lady." He was the cook, too! I easily found better options. There's a produce aisle in every supermarket and actual restaurants with trained chefs preparing the food. The $ you save at fast foods joints catches up with you at the hospital. Just mentioning.

11) Comment by Preppy6917 - 31/12/2012

New headline: area imbeciles implicate Obama and Reid in local intersection scandal.

12) Comment by [e-mail] - 31/12/2012

I agree with Dawson; why mention the business by name especially after it is obvious that the parish is aware of the problem and is attempting to address it. There might be a problem with his subtle sarcasm; people ask Obama for kitchens, his "stash" money, free Obama phones and all other sorts of freebies so why would such people be able to appreciate Dawson's rapier witicism?

13) Comment by Preppy6917 - 31/12/2012

Well, now that I know the proper way to enter the Highland-Airline McDonald's parking lot from any direction, let's note that Mr. LeBlanc has only witnessed one instance of this ridiculous attempted u-turn, and chances are she won't be attempting it again. It sounds like DPW is aware of the situation (hence the concrete barrier) and are doing what they can with their limited resources. As for policing, that brings up an interesting question: should Baton Rouge, which is in the midst of a crime epidemic, dedicate more resources to increase its policing of minor traffic infractions? Admittedly, I don't have answers, mainly more questions, but let's maintain perspective: this is one relatively minor intersection that already has the attention of the city. Also, to suggest that driving habits change for better or for worse at or near the parish line is simple-minded.

14) Comment by Dawson - 31/12/2012

Anybody reading this article is immediately aware that this is McDonald's fault. I say call Harry Reid and Obama for new legislation to shut down this McDonalds and any other business that could potentially cause public harm for the good of the people.

15) Comment by CountryBoysCanSurvive - 31/12/2012

Have a Cop Dressed as Ronald McDonald stand on the road and ticket drivers entering McDonald's after making an illegal turn.

16) Comment by Bighug - 31/12/2012

Ascension has no monopoly on stupid drivers. Almost every time I leave home I see people texting while driving. Isn't that illegal? If I can see it, why can't the cops? Any use of a cell phone while driving should be illegal, including hands-free. It isn't the use of the hands that is the problem, it is the use of what little brain those people possess.

17) Comment by twinkie1cat - 30/12/2012

That area is almost Ascension Parish. Ascension drivers have a real problem driving safely. I think they presume they are still in the country. I lived in Gonzales for 3 years. One time, during a school break I saw no less than 5 wrecks in 5 days including an upside down pick-up on Airline, a Jeep in a ditch about as deep as the car was tall and a car on the sidewalk in downtown Gonzales. That area is one big death trap. And oh, I did not mention the old red pick-up that would weave all over Airline in the evening. The Ascension Parish Sheriff and the EBR Sheriff need to police that whole area from Kleinpeter Dairy to Prairieville Walmart much more closely and the Gonzales Police need to coordinate with the sheriff in their area. They could make a whole lot of money from tickets and it would be a lot safer.