And while we’re on the subject of driving, many peopleapparently believe traffic around King’s Daughters Medical Centeris serious enough to justify a signal at the intersection near themain entrance to the hospital.

More than a year ago, city officials’ requests for a signal wererejected as unjustified by the Mississippi Department ofTransportation. In particular, city officials are interested inhaving protected left turn signals for northbound traffic headinginto the hospital and for motorists leaving KDMC and looking toturn north onto Highway 51.

More recently, with increased traffic in the area, cityofficials said MDOT had agreed to take another look at thesituation. But so far, there has been no word on the department’snew findings.

MDOT officials have said the city could pursue the project as acity expense. The signal, though, would primarily govern traffic onto and off of a state highway and therefore should be a statepriority.

Many motorists – particularly the elderly among us – who havebeen to the hospital lately understand how difficult it can be toget onto the highway from the hospital. That is especially truearound lunchtime and in the evenings when people are going homefrom work.

While traffic is sometimes a nightmare around the hospital, anew signal could go a long way toward minimizing the nightmare ofpotentially fatal accidents. MDOT should give itself the greenlight to put up a much-needed signal.