Left Turns out of McDonald's

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
February 22, 2008

What kind of rocket scientist does it take to try to turn left from the exit at the McDonald's drive-thru? You know the corner; right?

The exit driveway is just at the intersection of Route 47 and South St. (most of us call it Country Club Road). I mean, just AT the corner. Anyone with half a brain would realize that it is extremely dangerous to turn left when leaving McDonald's. You have to cross three southbound lanes and then try to figure out how to miss traffic in the inside northbound lane.

Site distances are not good, yet drivers do this every day. Will the City of Woodstock take an interest in this dangerous driving action? No way. The police department will not. Public Works will not. And IDOT won't, either.

Another dangerous maneuver is leaving the McDonald's drive-thru and forging your way over to the southbound left-turn lane, so that you can head toward Bull Valley with your sack of burgers and fries. This means you have to drive straight across two southbound lanes on Route 47 and then try to get your car into what's left of the left-turn lane. This is another fancy turn of Woodstock drivers on a daily basis.

Oh, yes.... one more... Northbound drivers on Route 47 who want to turn left into McDonald's without using South Street or Calhoun Street. Often, these drivers are so considerate of other northbound drivers that they will drive into the oncoming left-turn lane and stop there to wait for a break in traffic.

Be on your toes the next time you are southbound on Route 47 and hoping to make it to the light at Country Club Road to turn left and go to the Post Office or Walgreen's.

If you think Woodstock Police ought to enforce these violations, email policedept@woodstockil.gov