The town of Carmel has begun a project to straighten an s-curve on Fair Street. This will involve the condemnation of some homes in order to make way for the road. The straightened road will not have the desired effect of making the road safer. The s-curve acts as a natural brake, forcing motorists to slow from 55 mph to a speed at which they can safely negotiate the turn. Straightening will cause motorists to hit the high traffic region of the road, between the Post Office and the High School, at a higher velocity, thus decreasing the relative safety of the roadway. At least one resident there is aware of this:
“This will have a bigger effect on some properties than others, and I’m afraid I’m in the bigger category,” he said of his 100-year-old home at Hill and Dale Road, where a 4-foot shoulder and sidewalk would take a large slice of his yard.
“I hope (the planners) come around and ask us first,” he said. “We could end up having more trouble with people speeding.”
To adjust for the safety decrease related to the straightening, the plan calls for installing turn lanes and stop lights, which will reduce throughput, leading to what is known in the vernacular as “traffic.”