The intersection at 191 and Main Street in Stroudsburg is just waiting for an accident – although I’m sure there have been plenty in the past but the question is how many or how severe do they need to be for changes to be made.
If you’re not familiar with that intersection its a 4 way intersection with a light but is not a perfect crossroad which can make any intersection hazardous as is. The main issue that I can see is that if you are driving on 191 towards 80 with the KFC on your left the arrows that distinguish what lane will be going in which direction are on the ground and faded. It is a high traffic intersection so on a normal day if you are from out of town you would have a hard time figuring out if you’re in the correct lane or not.  My personal suggestion – and mind you I’m no expert – is to place HANGING signs that clearly mark which lane you need to be in to go the proper direction. Here’s a yahoo map of the intersection: http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&lat=40.986494&lon=-75.190688&zoom=18
From 191 facing 80 there are 3 lanes - the far left lane is meant for traffic going to the left onto a two-lane one way street. The middle lane is for traffic going straight across the intersection, slightly to the right, towards 80.  The far right lane is for traffic turning right onto main street a two-way street.
The biggest danger comes when traffic that should be going left or right ends up going straight – moreso from the far right lane straight across the intersection(when they should be turning right) – this causes problems not only from the traffic trying to go straight but from anyone making a right off main street. I have seen this happen more times then I can count, am always cautious and treat it as if its a 2 lane crossover to not get blindsided by someone else trying to go straight.
I would estimate at least 90% of the time I go through that intersection people are using the incorrect lanes – on one hand I really can’t blame them, especially if they’re not familiar with the area. On the other hand every time I see an accident almost happen I think ‘why isn’t this getting fixed?’. Now, I’m not exactly one to talk since I have yet to formally address a complaint but I do plan on doing it in the near future. I found out recently that the intersection there is technically a penndot road and therefore up to them to make any changes. I will investigate this further and post any updates that may shed light on the situation.Â
There’s plenty of dangerous intersections and roads in the Poconos, but I can’t say that there’s anymore then everywhere else, there are so many back roads that have severe drop offs and no guard rails and I shudder to think what would happen if you ever ended up off road. My suggestion is to take your time when you can and keep an eye out as there are more out of towners then usual this time of year. If you know of a dangerous intersection or road that you’ve reported or have been meaning to report like myself let us know as I’m curious what changes can actually be made.
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