Petition for Traffic Lights at Owens Market

Intersection Improvements at Route 460/Route 668 (Blackwater Road)

Bedford County & The Virginia Department of Transportation is currently planning to address this intersection’s issue by installing a turn lane approximately 500 feet east toward Lynchburg.

This would make all exits from Blackwater Road right turn only & travel to the new intersection to do a U-turn in order to head west. West bound traffic will still have left turn access onto Blackwater Road.

While this is a solutions & an effort on Bedford County & VDOT’s part – a better & more efficient solution would be to add traffic signals.

Speeding is currently a factor for those coming east & west, which will continue to be a factor, as the line of sight for those pulling out of Blackwater Road & attempting to make a left U-turn possess potential threat to all traveling.

There is also the potential threat to all traffic traveling west at speeds that already exceed the speed limit, while a 45 foot tractor trailer is making a U-turn to head west.

By installing traffic signals, the intersection becomes safer for those who are traveling along 460, navigating in & out of Owen's Market, the residents in Peaksview Mobile Home Park, the truck drivers with James E. Owen Trucking Inc., the employees with Custom Truck One Source, the residents that live down Blackwater Road & those who worship at Rock Pike Baptist Church.

A traffic signal solution will save lives by lowering speed, controlling traffic at a very complexed intersection & allowing first responders to allocate resources to other emergency locations where they may be most needed.

If you would like to see a traffic lights solution, please consider signing this petition.

In addition, it will be a big help for you to comment why you've signed this petition. This compiled list will be presented to VDOT at a meeting in the near future, along with your comments, so please let your voices be heard. We can't predict or prevent every accident, but we CAN minimize many future accidents at this intersection if we work together.

It will also be a huge help if you share with your network on social media. You can also print out this page along with the QR code & post on bulletin boards in your place of business, give to restaurant owners, places of worship & share with friends & family.

Together - we can keep our community safe for all who live, work, worship & play in Bedford County.