By Matthew Paulding                       

The intersection of Transit Road at William Street and Losson Road has become a reminder of how much Lancaster and surrounding communities have grown in the past 15 years.                            

While some people embrace the new stores, others think that traffic is getting out of hand and future development should be put on hold.               

“I try to avoid it,” said Mike McClintick, Game Crazy store manager from Lockport. “There are lots of jams. I realize they have tried to address it by adding some of the turning lanes, but it’s atrocious.”               

The new businesses have forced construction on the intersecting roads to handle the traffic.                

Before Flix was built, William Street was widened to accommodate motorists. Transit Road was widened from Jessica Lane to Strasmer Road in 1998, according to an environmental impact statement for the northeast corner of Transit Road and William Street.               

Despite the changes, traffic has become a problem for some motorists who frequent the intersection.               

Bill Flack, a cashier at the Sunoco at Transit and William, drives down Losson Road from his home in Buffalo during peak traffic hours to get to work.               

“I have to leave an extra five to 10 minutes early just to get to work,” Flack said. “With Wal-Mart coming in soon, I hope I’m out of here before then.”               

Lancaster Town Supervisor Bob Giza does not believe the traffic is a major burden on motorists. Turning lanes on William Street were added late in 2006 to lessen the traffic, Giza said.      

“It might be a little tight from time to time,” Giza said, referring to the traffic. “We’re not really aware of major problems. It‘s too costly to widen Transit Road.”               

In 1999, a traffic study estimated 16,546 vehicles per day at the intersection. The daily capacity of a two-lane road, including William Street or Losson Road, is 16,000 vehicles per day, according to the Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council. Exceeding 16,000 vehicles could be a safety issue.            

During peak traffic hours, motorists are using business parking lots as shortcuts to avoid the congestion. At Sunoco, cars speed through the parking lot from Transit Road to William Street and have almost caused accidents, Flack said.               

“Cars are parked at the side of the building, and sometimes people don’t see them as they fly through and almost clip them,” Flack said.

Contact Matthew Paulding at Paulms75@mail.buffalostate.edu

Heavy traffic on William Street in front of Flix movie theater (photo courtesy of www.speakupwny.com)