There is not much worse than sitting at a busy ‘T’ section waiting for an opening to cross traffic and turn right on a busy road, this is made even worse during peak times. It may be easy to brush off this inconvenience at first sight. However, making that same turn every single day to get the kids to schools, go to work or the shops will be frustrating very quickly. This is a short article on the considerations surrounding access. Access to your property and to the street.
Turning Right
Turning right is the problem and where the danger really lies. Making rash decisions through the frustration of being late for work, impatience because you have been waiting for a safe gap to cross traffic. Access is generally not considered when purchasing a property but the externality of dangerous access can have significant consequences for your family’s safety. If you live on a busy road, simply entering and exiting your driveway can be dangerous. It may only allow you to turn left and then continue with the traffic then eventually having to turn around and head the other way. If you live on the peak of a curve or the hillside of a cress in the road. Exiting would be blind and extremely dangerous, especially when turning right.
You may think “Well that’s why I don’t live on a busy road.” Even if you live on a quiet street, you need to consider access to your street and turning into arterial roads. This follows the same principles however depending on your street there may be a secondary access point where you could slightly alter your journey to find a place to safely cross traffic either at a round-a-bout or traffic lights.
You don’t have to turn right
In each of these cases, the danger associated with crossing traffic in order to be on your way to your destination may not be worth taking the risk. In which case, you may have to compromise, by taking the simple action of ‘turning left.’ Knowing this, but then implementing this, is a completely different story. Humans always follow the path of least resistance despite the risks involved. As the likelihood of being injured is quite low, but the consequences if you do are quite high. The risks are often ignored. Are you prepared to take a detour every time you leave the house?
Access poses a number of risks that few may consider when inspecting property. The key learning would be to know what are the key locations that you will be regularly travelling to; work, schools, trains stations, shops etc. To arrive at these locations as trivial as this sounds. Do you need to turn left to exit your home or enter an arterial road? This is the favourable and safer option. If not, is there a safer secondary option where the time taken to gain the same access is barely noticeable? If not, are willing to accept these risks as part of a compromise of a property that ticks every other box?
Alexander Gibson