Letter Writer Says There is an Urgent Need for Traffic Calming Measures
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Arcata City Council
Arcata Transportation Safety Committee
Arcata City Attorney (please forward to Doug White)My wife and daughter came within three minutes of being in the intersection of Janes and 11th when the car blew through the stop sign reportedly at 70 mph and smashed into a delivery truck. My loved ones were on Janes crossing 11th: the crosshairs.
If my wife and daughter had been killed in that intersection would you still do nothing? If there was one of those trains of pre-schoolers gripping a rope crossing that intersection and several were killed would you still do nothing?
What will it take to do the obvious thing and put speed humps on 11th? On Janes? Throughout the city? Speed humps would have made it impossible for this woman to reach those speeds. And it doesn’t matter WHY she reached those speeds. Like the poor driver who had a medical emergency and killed Camile Nauta and their dog: a guardrail on Alliance would have saved them, and saved their family (and the driver) enormous grief. After they died YOU STILL DID NOTHING to alleviate the danger of that road, or any of the areas where people died on Arcata streets.
If high schoolers getting out of school are killed trying to cross Alliance (there have been several close calls) will you still do nothing? Yes, you would still do nothing, because that’s how you and this city have responded to tragic automobile deaths in the past. The most we’ve gotten out of this city to quell car violence is a moment of silence during a City Council meeting. You know what you can do with your thoughts and prayers.
Other cities are protecting their residents from what in most places (certainly in Arcata) is the number one threat: CARS. You obviously don’t care.
Paint is not protection. We want PHYSICAL barriers to speed, actual traffic calming, not some lines and green paint that says pretty please pay attention. We want car-free PATHS. We want ENFORCEMENT.
Maybe you’re just too busy selling out Arcata like some cheap trinket to outside vulture developers. You understand that at full buildout Gateway could generate another 5,000-7,000 cars, right? (Don’t fool yourself: everyone is coming with a car.) What then?
Get a clue. DO SOMETHING! Over and over you are implored to create traffic calming measures. When I post this stuff on Facebook the comments come in like water: Everyone has had a close call and seen crazy driving. And people HAVE BEEN KILLED, yet still you do nothing.
I’m disgusted.
Greg King
Arcata City Council
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They’re doing they’re own thing from what I have found and enforcing the law for you isn’t their agenda
I’ve seen LE act quietly giddy about hot rod speeders with whom too many LE share a adrenaline rush addiction. We give LE too much power and wonder why the job attracts people too hungry for that power and not focused so much on public safety…go figure. LE has time to harass innocent but accessible people and people whose crimes are far less dangerous than speeders or even DUI drivers..at least the courts are tough on the latter.
If you break the law you should be delt with by LEO. No picking with ones you can and can’t break . Maybe you should be cop and show them how to do it. You could carry flowers to calm down psycho idiots. Who raises these idiots is the question..
They’re democrats, what do you expect?
They could at least enforce adhering to the stop signs. Last week a car rolled right through a stop sign, and a police car was directly behind that car. And they weren’t even cautioned.
How are speed humps going to stop someone doing this:
Punish the ones doing the crime. It will stop when they are in jail.
Yep. There is a subset of people that find speed humps an opportunity, not a deterrent.
Jail is not the answer for every crime and criminal. For one thing, we already have more Americans in jail than almost any country on earth. For another, we can’t afford to build that many jails. We need to focus on raising kids that want to obey the law (which, of course, is a very challenging pusuit, involving not only the “kids”, but also the laws).
For automobile crimes, just take away the car and sell it, take away their license, don’t let them register another car They can take the bus to work, or walk.
Raising kids properly is the responsibility of their parents and family. Sadly, our Woke educators are not concerned about raising kids that want to obey the law or their parents. The left has been on a race to the ethical and moral bottom for decades. Remember in November to vote republican, if you want positive change in California.
Yeah law equals morally correct duh….bing bong so simple!
It is simple…
Really. So because there are too many criminals we should start letting them out sooner.. WTF
Maybe jail isn’t the answer for every crime but certainly jail can be the answer for this crime. This person who stole the vehicle and while intoxicated recklessly endangered many and crashed into an unsuspecting worker just doing their job.
Is jail sufficient for them?
Sometime jail isn’t about the criminal it’s about protecting society at large.
They allegedly stole a car, drove under the influence and were going twice the speed limit in broad daylight.
Where’s the sympathy for the community that needs to be protected from this?
I don’t know? From what I’ve seen in the comments there are some people that certainly have more love for criminals than innocent bystanders.
DUI drivers, reckless speeders, high speed chase car thieves need to be locked up.
How do we as parents educate those kids. .. in homes with both,
co- operating, parents. That is the hard part. It seems like now a days that both parents are working 24-7-365 just to pay the bills. So who is home to be with the children to educate them as they grow up ?
The world has changed and it has gotten harder to raise children. So we don’t get older children young adults to make poor choices and create these incidents.
Between everyone wanting the GOVERNMENT to fix everything…. Not going to happen. And the 24/7/365 working stiffs that are slaves of the corporate world trying to make ends meat. Their is a tall order of short comings that need to be fixed.
1. Higher wages.
Less TAXES
2. PARENTS BEING HOME WITH THEIR KIDS
3. more time to be a family…
4. Less corporate wars for the military industrial complex.
5. Mental health centers that were shattered in the 1980’s
G
Come on I bet you all have a few more
“For automobile crimes, just take away the car and sell it, take away their license, don’t let them register another car They can take the bus to work, or walk.”
You realize this person stole the car? What does suspending their license and selling their car help for someone willing to steal and drive while intoxicated?
As soon as she hit a bump she lost control so your quote only bolsters the letter writer’s point. She would have been incapacitated sooner; speed bumps work better than “..dips”.
What works better to stop people that do things that harm and endanger the public is to separate them from society and put them in a prison.
Roundabouts calm traffic, save gas, and save lives.
Arcata has more than other places in the county,
but they should be installed wherever possible.
so does thorazine
(Sighs) a small roundabout takes one-quarter to one-half a city block.
Bigger ones with multiple lanes take up multiple blocks… or acres.
I suppose that’s a good way to reduce population infill.
—
Making it hard for the working people.
Nonsense.
Arcata already has some that easily fit within the existing footprint of the intersections.
Other countries also seem to have figured out how to do this,
and they tend to have higher population density than we do.
Why do some people imagine such herculean obstacles from such already widely used solutions?
Arcata’s tiny round a bouts are the dumbest of all. I guess you never drive a car.
I do. And I’ve never had a problem with them.
They just cause traffic to slow down in order to safely pass through the intersection.
And they sure beat stop signs.
I’m glad you like them. I just choose an alternate route if possible. Less traffic for that intersection, but more somewhere else.
Agree. Always a sh%t show regardless. And, re: Jane’s, 11th, the Bottom in general, narrow roads, poor lighting, weaving roads , cars parked on 4 way streets so u can’t see.
I avoid Arcata if I can other than The Pub. Shit needs cleaned up.
What problems have you encountered with arcatas roundabouts? Every one of them is a dramatic improvement over the intersection it replaced, in my experience
I’m talking about the tiny ones in north town (letters and numbers streets). Those streets probably don’t need stop signs or round a bouts. The ones on the way to sunny brea are fine. The one by the skate park seems pointless. This is just my opinion. Feel free to have a differing one.
I’m just trying to understand what problems you’ve encountered using them. If you just don’t like them that’s fine, but I’ve never encountered any issues with them.
The large, multi lane, multi exit ones are definitely a bit of an adventure, especially when theyre new and many people aren’t used to them. But the small ones we have around here are simple and work well for our level of traffic, on my experience.
Eh ? (Bozo Sighs again.) Not that I’m anti-roundabout, they work very well in certain situations, where you have plenty of room. Putting them at every intersection in Arcata… or on 4th or 5th in Eureka you’d loose half the residences or businesses.
— Web stuff from “Franklin Regional Council of Governments”
—- Pro roundabout site.
Do Roundabouts take up too much space to be practical in most situations?
‘A single lane Roundabout typically will have a diameter of between 100 and 140 feet, whereas, a comparable traditional cross road intersection may have a cross-section (equivalent to diameter) of 50 feet to 60 feet.
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Go figure.
That’s why I didn’t say to put them everywhere.
I said to put them wherever possible.
4th and 5th in Eureka might not work.
6th and 7th, H and I, and lots of other paces could.
Arcata has managed to fit them into the footprint of existing intersections.
Other places can do the same.
You said that they don’t take up more room than regular intersections.
Yes, and if you drive a commercial truck or are pulling a trailer, the tiny roundabouts are dangerous.
In my Ford Escape I have gone on the curb. I’m not the best driver but omg, can’t imagine truck, trailer, commercial.
Most people I talk with dislike roundabouts. Bozo is spot on.
Do you really think the “most people” you talk to are representative? You are delusional
Of course most of the people you talk to dislike roundabouts. Of course.
I’ll wager you disagree.
Most of the people that I know that actually haul heavy machinery in arcata fucking love the roundabouts and have wildly different political opinions than mine
Just saying.
Good for them…
Better than dead children. Don’t you agree?
Well, they are not going to stop a drug-crazed person from stealing a car and going on rampage either. Eh ?
No but if there was a roundabout on 11th it may have slowed this driver.
Saves gas you claim. Did you pull that out of your arse? You travel further in a half circle than a straight line. So, more gas used. People also like to drift and accelerate around roundabouts so more gas wasted, professor. Cmon mannn, this blog audience isn’t made up of the Biden family of mental midgets like Humper, Jim, Joe, and Jill.
Lol, good one
“Constructing roundabouts in place of traffic signals can reduce fuel consumption by about 30 percent.” https://www.tamcmonterey.org/fun-facts-about-roundabouts#:~:text
That’s more for people who use evidence to make decisions.
You’ve shown yourself to be someone who prefers to make up their own facts.
Can is the key word here and it isn’t a fact.
It takes more energy to come to a complete stop and accelerate again than it does to slow and roll through without stopping.
Simple physics.
There’s nothing simple about it unless you like circles.
Save your breath, these peeps are delusional. I understand what you are saying. Coming to a stop and then accelerating DOES use more fuel than just rolling around a circle
Now don’t bring logic to the conversation.
Fuel usage isn’t a linear function of distance traveled. Acceleration using far more fuel than consistent speed travel
Stopping at a stop sign or signal doesn’t waste any gas. Is that what you’re saying?
Your gas usage analysis (travel in a straight line or a half circle) fails miserably.
And it fails not only because cars are stopping and starting as Jebs points out.
You’re both ignoring all the cars stopped with engines idling, often for a minute or more, as they wait for the light to change or cars ahead of them to creep through stop signs at congested intersections.
Roundabouts also result in fewer serious injuries because [most] people are driving slower and having fender benders instead of headon and t-bone collisions.
I am very glad the letter writer’s family is ok and while i can understand the bitterness/anger it is however easily yet misdirected on local government when in fact responsibility lies entirely with the village/culture that has enabled misappropriation of resources in favor of personal ambitions and other short-sighted priorities. The letter grabs at low-hanging fruit; a favorite US target.
Part of the problem is America’s infrastructure, including city development, has been built around cars; the automobile industry lobbied to stop public transportation projects in LA half a century ago.
Using money to improve public transportation rather than putting up enough guard rails and bumps to stop a few more of these incidents is wiser and more effective in the long run. Stopping the adrenaline junky distractingly hot rod drivers who drowned out sirens and other sounds (and quite) other drivers need to pay attention is something the police could do if they cared to.
A thoughtful commen. Thank you
Speaking of extreme measures that only swat at the symptom without getting to the root cause: idealistic youngsters in Arcata think that shutting down parking around the square (while also regularly stacking major “Festivals” on top of the farmers’ market) will teach the US to be less car dependent but how many of them have actually lived in a city designed for pedestrian and bike access? Mill Valley, CA and places in Europe are designed for access but most of US was built on sprawl or small rural towns and not the concentric circle of streets around down town as in Europe . I’ve heard merchants complain (farmers and store fronts) about the loss of business due to shut down to cars and young and old shoppers complaining about how they dont’ go to the Sat farmers market if they can help it cause it takes too long for busy people to access it when they have to park blocks away and that includes: busy and young, elderly, busy and elderly, people who don’t bring their dog to the Farmers market and need shade parking to leave them in the car (oh stop freaking out all you who think dogs should never be left in a car..eyes rolling out of my head). Those who run the Farmers’ Market gloat on their website how everyone loves the new more pedestrian safe closures at the town square; they didn’t survey/poll before taking their extreme measures and now they just hear the cherry picked voices given the others are clear that their experiences and input didn’t matter in the first place.
Where on earth would you add parking to the plaza during farmers market or other similar events? It’s already a zoo
What about all that wasted space on top of the buildings!
Ha!
Ya know, on football Saturday in the Midwest everyone rents out parking space on their lawn. And the plaza sure does have a lotta lawn…just sayin.
Improve public transportation.
That would be great. There’s hardly a more public transit accessible place in the county than the Arcata plaza
For a nation that is supposedly the most free on earth we seem to have the lion share of laws and citizens locked away . What could be the cause of this ? After much pondering on the subject i have concluded that we as a nation are not free at all . If you own property and wish to do anything on it chances are you need to ask and pay for permission and the it will only be granted if all the busy bodies agree that whatever you want to do on property you own will some how fit into their idea of what should be done on your property . Then once you have permission which you paid for you must have at every point an inspection preformed to ensure what you are doing on your property is done how everyone thinks it needs to be done , finally once you have paid for the permission dealt with the inspections you get to pay more in property taxes because you improved your property in a manor that those around your property wished it to be improved .
Then there is the other areas we are not free as we like to think we are . Personal freedoms have beens gone for along time now and they are nothing but an illusion . In the state of California, you can not defend your life or property Without having to prove that you took every measure to avoid taking direct action against those who wish to harm you , and still even then you could be sued in the civil courts even if you happened to avoid being charged with a criminal offense . A persons mode of transportation is supposedly according to the us supreme court an extension of ones home ,there by affording it certain protections from unwarranted searches yet we have flock cameras recording every point in which your mode of transportation is used and stored a d shared and sold without most peoples knowledge or consent . Mind you fllock is a private company yet they get special rights because they share said info with law enforcement and allow the local and state enforcement a alibi as they can state that the data is removed from government computers after a certain period of time yet the private company sets no such limit and even admits that they do not delete data . Now remember in order to use your transportation you must pay the highest taxes in our nation to fuel it and drive on roads that are worse than a lot of roads in third world countries as well as pay for permission to even own said transportation and summit to testing and additional data about you to be stored on yet several more data bases which this state claims on their we site lists are made and sold from to private corporations for various reasons .
Now we get to the many other reasons we are not as free as we think we are . Most people are of the mind set that they are entitled to do whatever they wish to do within the law without taking personal responsibility for their own safety and that of their families . These are the karnes whom are always demanding this law or that law and claiming everyone who doesnt do as they do or do as they desire others to do . They get on their soap boxes and best their chests and they throw their little fits instead of allowing others their freedoms they demand others loose freedoms in order for them to not Take responsibility for their own safety and modify there own actions if there are safety concerns or risks they are unwilling to assume .
See the letter writer is all upset because people are not acting how he feels others should act and is demanding public resources be spend to ensure others are acting as he feels they should , and is even demanding speed bumps be set in place causing not only public expense but personal expenses in added vehicial maintenance costs do to scraping wheel bearings and the like . All because something could have happened if something happened at a different time . Maybe he should also try demanding some sort of barrier between his home and the sky incase it ever decided to fall . Fact is if you are not planning for the speeding car when you decide to cross the street the you are failing . No amount of anything will prevent something like a car or driver doing something unexpected except for your situational awareness and planning for the unexpected . Nothing gives anyone the right to misplace personal accountability onto others . No person public or private is responsible for your own safety , unless you are a minor child . In fact the us courts have ruled on this . The world is and can be an even scarier place for those who wish to shun the responsibility of ones own safety by attempting to control others so that they can fool themselves into a false sense of security . That is the reason we are not the freest nation as we were taught we were . That is the reason we will never be as safe as we think we should be . Start taking responsibility for your own safety and unless some other persons actions somehow directly effects you in a harmful manor let it go it doesnt effect you so stay out of it lets stop locking people away we dont agree with and just live our best lives and allow others the freedom to live their own life as they see fit . If you did not buy a piece of property what right do you have to tell someone that did what they can or cant do with it to it and how they must go about it ? If you wanted to have some sort of control over that piece of property then you should have been the person that bought it . It really is that simple
You, my good Sir have just done an amazing and admirable job of describing the decay of what was once a great state. If you would only pander to the Unions and Eco Freaks you should run for governor…. or wait, they wouldn’t let you say things about personal responsibility… too divisive. At any rate “Best Comment Ever!”
Great rant! And especially true with the busybodies of Arcata. Only they have somehow combined all their nanny behavior with self-congratulatory backslaps about how “progressive” they are. It is bizarre, quite extremely bizarre I must say. Their “progressive” slant is quite dictatorial, really….
I think I love you
Libertarian drivel… you live in a society where your actions affect other people. That’s why laws. And vaccines and such. [edit]
directly effects you . If other people not getting shots concerns or worries you then you have options , one stay the hell away from everyone else or 2 stay home or 3 get your own shots and if those that do mot get sick well then it is on them. But since you already have the golden ticket shot that prevents things it should not matter to you if myself or everyone else on the planet doesnt get it because you are supposedly protected .
yes we have laws so many laws that it is impossible to follow them all without breaking them . Hell most people do not even understand the laws that are written , that is why we must have lawyers to argue these laws to higher and higher courts to get a final understanding of the laws but that only happens if the highest court decided to hear arguments and rule we are a young nation not even 300 years old yet we employ hundreds of people every year to write more and more and still more laws . Tell me when will we have enough laws ? And dont you agree that since we are employing these law makers we should demand a certain level of or standard to which these laws are written ? Ben Franklin made a point according to what i was taught that all news papers be written at a level where a person with a 5th grade reading level could understand what was in the papers there by being a means for the elected to be able to get the messages to the people and have them understand what was happening . I truly do not see any reason why our laws as well as our tax codes should not be written at a level the common person can clearly understand . The very fact that most people have to hire someone to tell them if what they want to do would be legal or not is sickening and one could very easily work up a pretty good defense accordingly if it were allowed , however the US Bar gang has ensured with actions not unlike those of the mob that the common person would never be able to have such a claim heard .
Caddy shack was a great movie from my childhood and it had lessons most people might not have gotten , however from where i stand the captan the golf club mucky muck is representing all of these people demanding some sort of control over everyone else make everyone conform to their desire or beat them up shame them and or lock them away for daring to wish to live differently then those around them . And then there is the chevy chase role . He refused to be controlled for them most part and he did what he had to do to survive but the whole time he was a thorn in the side of those attempting to control him right up and to the point that he showed everyone what a bunch of cry babies nanny ass those whom thought they were some how better than those around them and because they thought they were better they had a right to judge and control everyone else . I suggest that while most people think the chevy chase Role is how identify with . Their actions towards those around them their need to have a law preventing others from enjoying their own life as they see fit is very much removed from the role chevy chase played . May your actions live up to your expectations of others my friend
Our highest gas prices in the nation is a direct result of our corrupt democrat legislators in Sacramento and Newsome where most infrastructure and maintenance issues are deferred.
Hmm… So… maybe Arcata could outlaw drugs ? Suspect that is the case in this crash.
Also the crash out at Jacoby Creek road last night.
(Haven’t see a drug test or even ID on the driver yet though.)
Traffic calming? That is the dumbest phrase I have read in a while. You mean crazy people behind the wheel? You mean people that have no concern for the safety of others, laws, or property? You mean drivers that are high, distracted with their electronic toys, or distracted with getting high behind the wheel? As a driver I see a lot of nonsense. The LE people need to start seeing it too, and start collecting some revenue. Cluttering the streets will not help when it is an issue of perceived self entitlement and a lack of personal responsibility.
I just drove through the construction zone of the 101 safety corridor at 65 mph! I don’t do this but today I just went the same speed as those around me and was shocked when I looked at the speedometer of my new car!! Not a cop in sight. They could be writing tickets all day out there…I’m not going the speed of traffic out there again- everybody is a hasty jerk (myself included today I guess)
Here’s a pro tip, nobody ever goes 40 thru the Construction zone and nobody drives 50 through the rest of that area. I take that back, there is always some dickhead driving 45 in the fast lane on purpose to cause chaos all around them. As a result, everybody has to use the slow lane to pass them. The dickhead does this because they have absolutely zero power in their personal life’s, and they get their one and only boner for the week, by resorting to clogging the fast lane. If I was a Highway Patrol officer, these weasels would be targeted daily until they got the hint.
The 40 zone will probably be there for a while, until the underpass is completed, vehicles driving 45 in the passing lane for no reason is exasperating.
If there was a grant for traffic patrol, even once a week through Arcata, the safety corridor and Eureka, that could catch some of the worst offenders.
And it would be more dangerous . Police action along crowded roads increase risks and further distractions numerous traffic studies have shown this time and time again. Drivers almost always rubber neck and suddenly slam on their brakes
Arcata is more worried about flags and statues.
Totally spot on letter, we should be building tons of speed bumps all throughout the city.
There’s too many fast drivers in Arcata that pose a threat to pedestrians, bicyclists, and other motorists.
Yes indeed Mr. King. Your loved ones and everyone else’s deserve to be safe. It’s the ultimate obligation of the city to ensure the safety of its residents. Every taxpayer pays for that protection. It is a simple thing to install traffic calming structures. It’s interesting to note that law enforcement was on the scene within minutes, and an ambulance was there within a few minutes. There are resources available but the city chooses to not enforce speed limits and it chooses to not install sensible slowdowns near residential centers and parks where children play.
That’s a lot of if’s
decriminalize soporific substances
allow homeless to sprawl on the walkways with from the hips down lazing in the roadway
don’t arrest intoxicated student drivers because it makes the University look harsh and uncool
turn a blind eye to young people walking against the red light, and jaywalking as a matter of rout
then blame cars and demand a course that will penalize everyone driving, a great many to jobs.
I wonder if Greg King works selling bicycle and bicycle accessories?
Decriminalization of soporific substances, like lettuce?
TRAFFIC CALMING BEGINS AT HOME !!!
You mention the Gateway Project that would build 10 more hi rises 5,6,7 stories tall…even though the 3 being built near 101 aren’t finished nor filled. And the fire dept has warned against buildings so tall they can’t protect them. Cal Poly already missed their projection of 1000 when only 92 showed up this year. Overbuilding can destroy a community while profiting a few.
The Council is voting on it next week and the proposal to give power to one person – the development director – to sign off on zoning/building without review by the council, commission or community.
Speak up!
Rascal Scooters are the answer for those unable to handle modern vehicles and roads. EVs should not be driven by these folks either as they do not realize the faster than gas powered vehicle acceleration if they punch it from a dead stop. It would be like having a normal daily driver attempt to control a Formula 1 race car around a racetrack, ending in a Turn 1 wall impact snd visit to the ER.
I wonder how this would work on H and I streets in Eureka if the three lanes were reduced to two lanes. The lanes could then widen and narrow to prevent the current freeway-like layout of those two streets. “Lane narrowing, also known as a road diet, is the narrowing of travel lanes. Lane narrowing can be accomplished through widening of sidewalks, creating bicycle lanes, landscaping, or inserting raised medians in the centre of the roadway. Narrow lanes encourage driver alertness, and cause motorists to slow down in order to increase driving comfort. The use of raised medians can reduce speeds and also prevent cut-through traffic by blocking residential roadway entries. Narrowed lanes also contribute to residential areas by providing more room for pedestrian activity and greener streets.”
NEED MORE TRAILS & HIGH SPEED RAILS
Eureka is just as bad. There has been way to many fatal accidents in our communities and nothing is getting done to stop it. Police need to do what we pay them for and start doing something about these high speed drivers. Just today a car was driving down Henderson doing 50 mph, right past Winzler Preschool. Everyday I see it. It’s not safe to try and cross Henderson at Central or Ocean Ave. Something needs to be done.