Jefferson County resident Austin Martin says he wants to see Hwy. A in southern Jefferson County made safer for all those who travel it.
That’s why he developed an online petition to try to persuade the Missouri Department of Transportation to install a stoplight at the intersection of Hwy. A and Pioneer Road/Highland Baptist Church Road east of Hillsboro.
Pioneer Road is on the south side of the intersection and Highland Baptist Church Road is on the north side.
The petition drive follows a May 15 head-on collision near the intersection, where two people were killed and three children were seriously injured.
Martin, 28, who lives near the intersection, said he posted his petition on the change.org website on May 16, and in a short time it garnered nearly 1,000 signatures.
He forwarded the petition to MoDOT two days later.
His petition and related information may be found at change.org/
Hillsborotrafficsignal.
Martin said people may still sign it. The petition also offers space for opinions.
“People have commented on (the site) talking about the fatalities,” he said.
A MoDOT spokeswoman said the agency has received the petition and will investigate whether the intersection warrants a stoplight.
“We have become aware of the situation and are looking into it,” said Marie Elliott, communications manager for the MoDOT St. Louis District. “We are aware of the petition and are looking into it. Our traffic specialist and engineer will look at the traffic dynamics of the area.”
Martin says he believes a stoplight is warranted.
“In my opinion, it would not only help with safety at the intersection, but would force people to slow down in that whole stretch of Hwy. A,” said Martin, who lives with his pregnant wife, Andrea, in a nearby subdivision. “It’s more than just the intersection. It’s the whole stretch of roadway. People speed on the two-lane highway.”
Martin also said it’s dangerous trying to turn from Hwy. A onto Pioneer Road or Highland Baptist Church Road as motorists speed by.
He pointed to another stoplight east of the intersection as an example of an effective traffic safety measure.
“Look at what we have with the stoplight at the Hwy. A and Hwy. Z intersection,” he said. “It forces people to slow down.”
Martin said he has been worried about the traffic on Hwy. A for some time, but the May 15 accident spurred him to start the petition and ask MoDOT to install a stoplight at the intersection.
“I don’t know the people in the crash, but I’m concerned for my family’s safety and the safety of the community,” he said. “School buses pull up off of Outer Hwy. A and have to get back onto Hwy. A.”
He said Hwy. A sometimes is packed with traffic from all the homes that have been built in the area over the past few years. “We built our house two years ago,” he said. “We built new. Once we built, we realized how congested the area is. The building boom has continued. Everybody wants to build in the Hillsboro School District.”
Martin, who works in advertising, said after he and his wife moved into their home, they quickly learned how much traffic is on Hwy. A, and, in his opinion, how recklessly many people drive on the roadway.
“There are considerable accidents there,” he said. “Not just fatalities. There are a lot of T-bones and rear-enders.”
If MoDOT decides against a stoplight at the intersection, Martin said he has asked the agency to consider other types of traffic safety measures.
He said he anxiously awaits a decision.
“They said it could take four to six weeks to get back to me,” Martin said.
He said he is adamant about his pursuit of a stoplight.
“I intend to keep at this,” Martin said. “If a signal can prevent one accident, save one life, then it’s worth the cost of the installation.”