Dear Casper: Please Stop ‘Trying’ to Turn Left at Either of These Spots
canva.com
Casper most definitely does not have bad traffic (especially when compared to large, metropolitan areas like Denver), but during the Christmas season, it does seem like our drivers get more careless.
Full disclosure, I will admit to making possibly illegal turns in the past, so I'm not judging, just trying to share something that I've noticed happening a lot more often since Black Friday this year (November 2022).
There may be more instances, but these are two are the worst, and both located on the east side of town.
First, we have the non-stoplight exit at Walmart east. I have seen (see also: been stuck) traffic backed all the way up to the front doors, because some one was trying to make this let turn. Other than being illegal and severely slowing down the flow of traffic, it is highly dangerous to turn here. It's 2nd Street, near the Eastridge Mall, and especially if it's after 5:00 pm, this is one of, if not the busiest streets in Casper. There have been several accidents here anyway because of drivers trying to beat the oncoming traffic. Attempting this left turn just adds another level of dangerousness into the mix.
Second, we have the exit out of Hilltop Shopping Center, right by Papa Murphy's. I'm going to go out on a limb and say this one might actually be worse, at least as far as being more dangerous. While I don't think it impacts traffic near as much, the reason it's more dangerous is because oncoming traffic is coming from an angle that makes it near impossible to see cars coming "if" a driver make this turn. Most drivers are kind enough to let you out of you're making the legal right turn there and since it's close to the stoplight, if it's already red, it's no big deal. But again, in addition to it being illegal, it's just super dangerous to attempt that left turn because of line of sight issues with the oncoming traffic.
Again, I fully understand that nobody's perfect and we all make mistakes, but considering the time of year and potential dangers involved, can't we all just be more careful drivers anyway?
'Tis the season and all.