BY KATHY FERRER
SC Staff Writer
There you are; finally out of class and released into the elements. If you’re a commuter, then you can relate to the feeling of freedom felt as you walk to the parking lot to your car. You have one of two thoughts: “This isn’t where I parked!” or “I wonder which way home has less traffic”.
If you don’t need to take I-80 to get home, all you have to worry about is which road will get you off campus fastest. However, if you take I-80 to get home, then you know that the closest way to get onto the highway is by turning left from Normal Street onto Prospect Street. There’s only one problem, as you drive on Normal Street you are forced to wait at the light to get off campus. You realize that the light is not timed properly with the other lights on Prospect Street.
So there you are, waiting aimlessly at a green light indicating to you that it is clear to drive forward, but because the light ahead at Ridgeway Street (near WaWa) is still red. There’s a pile up of cars, and it’s clearly not the best choice for you to move forward even though you want to get away from campus as quickly as possible.
On a side note, if you didn’t need I-80 to get home and you still waited at the light at Normal and Prospect Street, then you have other things that have to be re-evaluated.
Then you become enraged because what you’re told growing up is “GREEN MEANS GO!” but you end up having to wait for the next green light. Once it changes to the second green light, you make your turn onto Prospect Street and think you’re clear to go. Instead, you encounter yet another red light at Ridgeway Street. At this point you have wasted between 5-10 minutes waiting between only two lights, and all you want to do is go home.
As one of my suggestions, the municipality of East Stroudsburg needs to have this issue fixed. I have enough crap to worry about with school; I should be able to escape in a timely manner without dealing with traffic light problems.
Email Kathy at:
kferrer@live.esu.edu
