Lexington farm owner talks about close calls with farm equipment on busy road
Dec 16, 2024
Almost half of Kentucky is made up of farmland, which means drivers are pretty likely to encounter slow-moving farm equipment. Sometimes, that means machinery must travel down or across public roads, like at Claybank Farm in Lexington, which sits right next to the Windy Corner Market. Julia Batchelder's family owns the farm, and she has experienced several close calls when on the road with farm equipment. She hopes to spread the word about the importance of safety."The traffic has been significantly increasing over the years," said Batchelder. The farm, around since the 1930s is just off Muir Station Road near Bryan Station Road."So I will take the road for less than 300 feet to go to another entrance of the farm to get it back to the barn," said Batchelder. While 300 feet doesn't seem too long, the blind hill on Muir Station Road has caused safety concerns."I have been almost run over. I've been honked at and all to speed to get to a stop sign 300 feet away," said Batchelder. "People are endangering me and they are endangering themselves, because they don't know what is over that hill."Batchelder tells LEX 18 she has reached out to state officials to try and resolve the problem."Because Bryan Station is a state road, I have asked the state numerous times, I have called, I have left messages, to please do some signage for the blind hill or something because people are unfamiliar," said Batchelder.According to Kentucky Farm Bureau, there are things you should keep in mind when you encounter farm equipment on the road: watch for road signs, don't assume farmers know you're there, keep your distance, and slow down."This equipment is taking care of all this beautiful land you enjoy seeing," said Batchelder. "People come here to see the horses and we need to remember that fuels a lot of the economy here." The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet did get back to us to say they are looking into this area and will be in touch.