Document text
Road sign there for a reason On Highway 62 by the Butte Falls junction, north of Eagle Point, there are three lanes of traffic, the center one allowing for passing. Highway signs state "Slow traffic stay to the right." Since traffic in both directions is allowed to use the center lane for passing when it is clear, shouldn�t those signs read: "Keep to the right except for passing?" Too often I see cars casually using the center lane traveling uphill, thus not allowing downhill travelers to use the passing lane. There may be other similar situations in Oregon that appear to be wrongly labeled, but this one is obvious to me. � Bill K., Shady Cove It may be obvious to you, Bill, but it isn�t obvious to the people at the Oregon Department of Transportation. They put that sign up for a reason. John Vial, district manager at ODOT, said that the two signs you speak of are often used interchangeably. But there�s a very unusual circumstance on that stretch of Highway 62. People headed toward Medford who enter Butte Falls Highway are crossing one lane and landing in that center lane so they can merge into the traffic on Highway 62. Because the drivers need to use the lane for that purpose, ODOT doesn�t want to encourage its use as a passing lane. "We allow them to get up to speed, and then they can merge to the right," Vial said. "Although it�s an unusual situation, we took a look at the accident data and it seems to be working there." ("Since You Asked'' is a daily feature in the Mail Tribune that answers questions from readers on virtually any topic of general interest. To submit a question, e-mail us at [email protected] Please include your name, address and phone number for verification. If you have specific questions about our Web site or other questions about the Mail Tribune, please send them to [email protected] ) Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA