Huber Heights police step up traffic enforcement in busy Old Troy Pike area

“The goal of these efforts is to observe, detect, and prevent traffic violations while increasing the flow of thru traffic,” the post states. “All enforcement action will be done in a fair, firm, impartial, and professional manner.”

In recent months, dozens of residents have taken to Facebook to share their grievances with the intersection, which is a busy area immediately south of I-70 on Old Troy, with multiple restaurants, hotels, a Kroger grocery and other stores.

Many residents described repeated instances of cars attempting to turn left onto Merily Way without having assured clear distance, and often without having the right of way, subsequently becoming stopped in the intersection, blocking the flow of traffic on Old Troy Pike.

Others describe stop-and-go traffic conditions during peak hours, at times resulting in chain-reaction crashes.

The issue is on the agenda for Monday’s Huber Heights City Council meeting. Members will vote on a resolution to hire TEC Engineering to conduct a traffic analysis to identify and estimate costs for long-term improvements to increase safety and efficiency at the intersection of Old Troy Pike and Merily Way/Waynetowne Boulevard. The cost for the analysis is not to exceed $80,000.

According to statistics provided by the Huber Heights police department, there were 42 traffic crashes at the intersection of Old Troy Pike and Merily Way in 2022, or one every 8-9 days.

Crashes at that intersection accounted for 3.6% of all 1,035 non-injury crashes in the city in 2022 and 2.4% of the 210 injury-causing crashes. Those numbers were up slightly from 2021, when 3% of all 1,004 non-injury crashes occurred at Old Troy Pike and Merily Way, and less than 1% of injury crashes occurred in this location.

In November, Mayor Jeff Gore posted on his official account, and in multiple Huber Heights discussion groups, about the issue, asking for input from residents about potential fixes, including the implementation of traffic cameras at the intersection.

“I will admit, in general, I have been opposed to traffic cameras, however, after the time I’ve spent watching cars ignore the lights and block the intersection, I’m becoming more open to it,” Gore wrote.

Feedback on the post was varied, with some residents in support of the proposal for traffic cameras and others against it. No official action has been taken to move forward with the idea.