When was the last time you drove through the five corners of Busti and thought what would really make the intersection easier to navigate are new pedestrian signals, sidewalks and curb ramps? When was the last time you drove through the five corners to find a pedestrian?

These are the great problems the state Transportation Department is going to spend your money trying to fix by acquiring private property near the intersection and then performing what has to be a limited reconstruction. What a waste of money.

We’d prefer the state do something to redesign the entire intersection so that it’s safer for everyone. The five corners are a pain in the neck for drivers. We mean that literally. Don’t approach the intersection on Forest Avenue Extension if you have any sort of neck problem. People in our area have a hard time handling a four-way stop sign. Dealing with a fifth stop sign brings traffic indecision to Congressional levels. And, Busti has a relatively low speed limit in the area that can make the area one to avoid for most drivers anyway.

The only saving grace is the relative lack of traffic at the intersection. Busti’s bucolic nature is the only reason the hamlet’s five corners aren’t the subject of a never-ending stream of calls to redesign the entire intersection. At times when traffic is heavy – like the weekend of the Busti Apple Festival – the town’s volunteer fire department and fire police direct traffic.

So, just to be clear, we’re going to spend money, thankfully a relatively small amount, on an intersection in Busti that doesn’t see a ton of traffic except during special town events and sees even fewer pedestrians.

There are areas in Chautauqua County that really do need pedestrian safety upgrades. There are plenty of areas that need the state’s help to improve safety for both pedestrians and drivers. And, if we’re going to begin incorporating ebikes and other personal mobility devices then hundreds of miles of road need to be redesigned and reconfigured so that everyone can move around safely.

But the 2027 project at the five corners of Busti is solving a problem that doesn’t exist at the expense of other problems that need the state’s limited dollars, in our opinion.