GREENE COUNTY RESIDENTS WANT LIGHT AT CRASH SITE

Two people died in motorcycle crash at U.S. 42 intersection.

Residents in Greene County are circulating a petition online in an effort to get a four-way traffic light installed at U.S. 42 and Spring Valley Paintersville Road, where two people died in a motorcycle crash on Sunday.

Nearly 9,000 people have signed the petition within the first few days after it was started on Change.org.

The intersection is the site of a double-fatal motorcycle crash that happened Sunday evening. A makeshift memorial has been created in memory of the victims — Brook Fudge, 23, of Xenia, and Sherill Cruea, 25, of Fairborn.

The intersection currently has a flashing red light for motorists on Spring Valley Paintersville Road. The light flashes yellow for traffic on U.S. 42.

Scott Colquhoun, who lives near the intersection, said that flashing traffic light was put there as the result of a citizens’ petition that he was part of years ago.

Colquhoun said he’s lived near the intersection for three decades and he’s seen many bad crashes there. He said he’s seen five this year alone, adding that he and others who live in the area find ways around the intersection to avoid it.

“We don’t mess with it, but people that are not from around here are the ones that die at this intersection,” Colquhoun said. Since 2012, there have been 28 crashes at that intersection, resulting in 18 injuries, according to statistics provided by the Ohio Department of transportation.

This intersection is controlled by ODOT. Calls from this news organization for comment were not immediately returned.

According to Greene County Engineer Bob Geyer, there have been five crashes at the intersection this year. Geyer keeps track of crashes on a map at the engineer’s office. Geyer said there are other intersections in the county that pose a much bigger risk.

“It’s not really what you would call a high-crash area,” he said.

The investigation into Sunday’s double-fatal crash is ongoing by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Petitioners plan to deliver the signatures to the county, village of Spring Valley and Gov. John Kasich’s office.