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If you’ve gone down Lafayette Parkway at the wrong time of day — noon or 5 p.m. being the best examples — then you’ve undoubtedly seen someone block the entire intersection by pulling up too far.

Sometimes, it’s bad luck. The stoplight ahead is green, traffic is flowing and suddenly, at the worst possible moment, everything stops, the light changes, and you’re left in no man’s land in the middle of traffic.

But more often than not, blocking an intersection can be avoided with some patience and common sense. The most commonly blocked intersection in LaGrange (at least in our experience) is the one where Highway 27 crosses Lafayette Parkway.

It can be a nightmare when someone decides to turn right off of the Parkway — even when there’s no room. That backs up traffic up on 27 and blocks anyone trying to turn left from the downtown area onto the Parkway. That means no one turning left from Lafayette Parkway can actually turn, backing up the turn lane.

In an area where there are two stoplights in quick succession, like Greenville Street and Lafayette Parkway, the problem of blocking an intersection is magnified.

All we ask is that you do your best to avoid causing this problem, which will allow traffic to continue to flow.

Everyone wants to get somewhere for lunch in the noon hour or home as soon as possible after five o’ clock, but a little a patience and a little common sense can help traffic move smoother and prevent problems on the roadways.

We’ll also add that everyone who lives here knows where traffic backs up. The intersection of Lafayette Parkway and Davis Road can be a real issue at certain times of the day, and turning out of some of the restaurants on Commerce Avenue can be like playing Frogger on expert. Motorists turning out of Staples, Dairy Queen or other businesses near the Commerce Avenue light (on 27) often have a hard time turning left or right.

We ask that you are courteous and think of other drivers. We’ve all been in a situation where we can’t seem to find a  break in traffic to turn right or left, but if you’re going to be sitting at the stoplight anyways, why not give someone a chance to get out? Also, try not to block the entrances and exit areas of businesses. Leave room.

LaGrange is an area with little traffic, something our city has even rightfully advertised. It’s true, we don’t have much traffic. But the congested areas can get backed up at times, especially busy intersections.

All we ask is that drivers keep that in mind, give everyone a little room and use common sense.