Kristen French finds herself holding her breath when she crosses a number of intersections in Iola.
French, daughter of Iola Mayor Steve French, addressed the Iola City Council Monday about some of the crossroads she considers most dangerous, singling out four.
French said visibility issues and traffic speed pose safety concerns at Monroe Street where it crosses both Jefferson and Washington Avenues, and Broadway Street, also at Washington and Jefferson.
“The big one would be Broadway and South Washington,” French said.
On one side, a bush to the north of the Iola Register can block the view of northbound traffic, while diagonal parking along the 200 block of South Washington makes it impossible to see southbound traffic until a driver is practically in the middle of the intersection.
“All of these intersections are extremely busy during business hours,” she said, inviting the Council members to drive along those areas to see for themselves.
She wondered if there was a way to make those intersections safer.
Her concerns drew a receptive ear with City Councilwoman Joelle Shallah, who noted she lives on South Chestnut Street.
“I’m terrified I’m gonna get my car beat up,” Shallah said. “I really, really don’t want that to happen.”
