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Photo by Jim Craven Tresa Espinoza, left, and Pat Watson, both of Grants Pass, watch cars coming off southbound Interstate 5 at Barnett Road Thursday. The two women were among more than 70 who spent the day collecting data on traffic patterns. Watchers count cars to solve traffic By JIM DAVIS You probably saw them watching you if you drove near the south Medford interchange Thursday. More than 70 people wearing orange vests and carrying clipboards counted cars as they sat in lawn chairs or stood on sidewalks, mainly along Barnett Road. The "car watchers" were doing a one-day survey to figure out where motorists drive in south Medford, said Paul Coffelt, a traffic engineer with the Eugene-based JRH Engineers, Planners and Project Managers. "We're trying to see the patterns of traffic through the city," Coffelt said. John Vial, area manager for the Oregon Department of Transportation, said the information gathered will help traffic engineers decide how to fix the south Medford freeway interchange, one of the most congested interchanges in the valley. "It's the beginning of the process of solving the problem," Vial said. "This is one of the steps." Vial said the consultants will also collect public comment, organize solution teams and appoint citizen advisory committees. The "car watchers" were set up in 29 stations, mainly along Barnett Road. Stations also were set up at the Phoenix, North Medford and Central Point interchanges. Watchers collected data from 6:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. Vial said traffic engineers need to know how many motorists are using the interchange to go, for instance, to Rogue Valley Medical Center or to the Rogue Valley Manor or to shopping centers. "Sometimes solutions that seem really obvious to us don't work, sometimes solutions that are obvious do work," Vial said. "(This study) really helps you determine where cars are headed." Vial said that studies like this -- where people are employed to watch cars -- are fairly common in projects of this magnitude. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA