Pocatello family posts sign in yard advertising dangerous road

POCATELLO — For more than 30 years, Lynne and Ron Daugherty have lived in the same Pocatello home at the corner of East Clark Street and South 16th Avenue. In that time, the couple has seen numerous traffic collisions — and some of those collisions have ended with vehicles in their front yard.

Last month, the Daugherties posted a sign in their yard informing passersby of the dangers the area of Clark Street presents.

“Welcome to Clark St. Raceway,” the bold letters of the sign read. “During 30+ yr. 11 wrecks, 9 in yard.”

“I’ve watched the road and we’ve had something like 30 wrecks — nine of those wrecks came onto the property,” Ron told EastIdahoNews.com. “I thought, I want to just put a reminder out there.”

The sign, he hopes, will serve as a lighthearted request that driver slow down — though he acknowledges how difficult that may be.

That portion of Clark Street sees a large percentage of its traffic coming off the Interstate 15 exit, meaning cars are going from 65-plus mph into a residential area situated on a steep decline. The hazard is created by vehicles going 50-plus mph — and that hazard only intensifies when the winter brings snow and icy roads.

Ron said he and some of his neighbors often find themselves assisting people who have just been involved in a collision.

Before the cell phone age, Lynne added, she would welcome strangers who’d just been part of a collision into her home to call police, a tow truck or a family member. She would then chat with them over of a cup of hot chocolate.

“We’ve made quite a few friends that way,” she laughed.

While he says he and his wife have never been overly concerned about their safety inside the home, Ron is thankful for the boulders he has added to his yard.

“Last year, a lady tipped sideways onto the big rock — so I was glad to have those (rocks) out there,” he said.

The site of a 2021 single-vehicle crash on East Clark Street. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com

In May 2021, a woman speeding down East Clark Street — less than a quarter-mile from the Daugherty home — lost control of her car and crashed into the front porch of a home.

RELATED | Single-vehicle crash in Pocatello ends with overturned SUV in driveway

Tony Phipps, who lived across the street from the home that bore the brunt of the damage of that collision, expressed concerns similar to the Daugherties.

“We need a light out here or something,” Phipps told EastIdahoNews.com. “We’ve got more kids here now and they need a place to play.”

The issue, Ron and Lynne said, has gotten worse lately.

For starters, the removal of a sign on I-15 prohibiting semis from taking the Clark Street exit has led to semis using the already dangerous road. Ron said that he can feel the massive trucks roll by as his house shakes.

There is also a trailer that has been left stationary in a parking lot across 16th Avenue from the Daugherty home.

According to Daugherties, the trailer limits visibility for cars waiting at the stop sign to either cross Clark Street or turn onto it. So, they said, cars will creep out to see and be struck by cars speeding down Clark.

“We tried to call the city on that, but not much happened,” Ron said.

A view from inside the EastIdahoNews.com car shows that cars do not enter the sight of a driver at the 16th-Clark stop sign until the moving car is about 20-30 yards from the intersection. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com

The trailer actually limits drivers’ ability to see the sign Ron and Lynne put up pleading for safer driving.

Still, Ron hopes the sign does reach people and forces them to take safety more seriously while driving the well-used Pocatello road.