When I leave campus at 3, it takes 20 minutes to get to Wal-Mart. It's been that way for 94 years, apparently. Those roads were unpaved back then, so they probably kicked up a lot of dust in the animals' faces. Cooperstown's flagpole, in the middle of the intersection of Main and Pioneer streets, was even named as one of the worst road hazards in one response. Drivers are told to Keep Right, Stop For Pedestrian in Crosswalk and No U-Turn.
Locals know they have to drive around the pole, even if they're making a left.
Others cut in front of it and sometimes don't stop for walkers. Police Chief Michael Crippen likes the flagpole, saying it slows traffic down on a heavily-walked thoroughfare. There were many accidents and problems there before, he said. Hartwick's The Commons shopping center draws a lot of flak, too. The issue was enough to scuttle a proposed lodge's request for such a driveway.