Seeking fear and danger? Try exit 32 on Highway 103

Recently, the Vanguard printed an article about concerns expressed over the safety of two exits on the 103 in the Argyle area.

I have traveled all 100 series highways extensively throughout my working life and I can, without hesitation, state that exit 32 on Highway 103 is the very worst configuration of exits and entrances and immediate turns I’ve ever experienced. In fact it’s so confusing that even as a very experienced driver, I’m not sure I can appropriately explain the tangle of directions for your readers to create a visual picture.

First, I should state that this is a fairly new intersection. It was supposed to correct the very unsafe turning problems of the old intersection. In one regard it did succeed for those traveling from Halifax and wishing to turn right. There is now a very short right hand turning lane. That’s where its success ends.

As your article stated, this exit directly involves anyone who is working at, delivering to, or visiting Nakile Nursing Home. Before if you were coming from Argyle or Pubnico you could stop at the intersection, take a good long look and dart quickly straight across the highway to access Nakile’s driveway. Now you have to turn right and then move immediately into a centre lane where you wait while traffic roaring through at speeds of well over a 100 kilometres an hour on both sides of your vehicle subside to make an immediate left into Nakile’s new driveway. This, of course, is successful if there is no one facing you also waiting in the centre lane to take their left towards Argyle and Pubnico.

For those traveling from Yarmouth wishing to go to Nakile, there is no right-hand turn lane. Imagine if you will, driving on a straight section of the 103, a section where numerous 18-wheelers pick up speed for the coming incline, and there you are slowing almost to a stop to make the very sharp right turn to Nakile. Vehicles behind you seldom slow and wait, but pull out in that ridiculous middle suicide lane and speed by.

Confused? Exactly.

I encourage any of you looking for fear and danger to take a drive and experience exit 32 first hand.

There’s more, but I guess you get my point. It’s a terrible design. It’s a dangerous design. I just hope it will not be a deadly design before it gets changed.

Dianne Crowell

Argyle Head