JOURNAL SENTINEL (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) 17 August 08 What the snake wants, the snake gets (Jennifer Flaten of Brookfield is a working mom)
I’m beginning to think that the Butler’s garter snake is the most powerful entity in Wisconsin.
A reptile that can’t vote can wield power: The snake is listed as a threatened species. Which means the mere sight of this little snake slithering near a construction project can cause the work to grind to a halt. After it is determined that the snake lives near a project, special procedures must be followed to ensure that this little guy is in no way harmed.
Several recent Department of Transportation projects required specific measures be taken to protect the snake. These included special snake exclusion fencing and special snake “ecopassages” — that is, access tunnels.
How the snake would know to use the access tunnel is a mystery to me. Is there a little “snake tunnel this way” sign? Perhaps it is the snake’s ability to read that makes it so important to protect it.
Seriously, with all the access tunnels and preserved land at its disposal, this snake has an easier time getting around metro Milwaukee than the average commuter.
Now the snake is poised to strike again, this time in Brookfield at the intersection of Barker Road and North Ave., an intersection in need of a serious upgrade. As anyone who uses it can attest, traffic backs up at least a quarter-mile during rush hours. A consultant found 17,000 to 20,000 vehicles using the intersection daily.
Based on these numbers alone, it would seem easy to get approval to install a standard signal, the sooner the better. Ah, but the Butler’s garter snake has habitat at that intersection. That means that even with the mayor backing standard signals, more research needs to go into whether there should be traffic light or a roundabout.
I know roundabouts have become all the rage. I just can’t get on board for one at such a busy intersection. I admit my experience is limited. I have used them only on low-volume roads. But simply put, on such a busy road, it seems like a very dangerous proposition.
I know that more and more locations have roundabouts, but the average driver is still a little unfamiliar with roundabout etiquette. Let’s face it; the average driver can’t even cope with a malfunctioning traffic signal. What should be orderly turn-taking inevitably becomes a free-for-all. For some reason, these situations encourage a Mad Max mentality. People become especially competitive when getting to or from work.
Seeing as the Barker-North intersection has its heaviest traffic during rush hour, I think the saner alternative would be a standard traffic light.
Of course, we all know what the Butler’s garter snake wants is what the Butler’s garter snake gets.
What the snake wants, the snake gets