The City of Hudson is looking for a part-time parking enforcement officer (PEO). The person filling the position will be expected to work approximately 24 hours a week for $20 an hour. A complete job description and information about applying for the job are available here. Among the Responsibilities/Tasks given for the job is this:
- Must be able to deal tactfully and effectively with those encountered in the course of work, including hostile and irate citizens.
On a slight traffic tangent, does anyone know who is responsible for the rash of NO TURN ON RED signs. They sure slow traffic, not mention add to the pollution. --peter meyer
ReplyDeleteI haven't noticed a "rash" of NO TURN ON RED signs, only the one at Fourth and State streets. That is there because of the high number of accidents occurring at that corner, many due to the unpredictable nature of the traffic light on that corner. There is a moment when the light is red both for drivers on Fourth Street and those heading east on State Street. If a driver on Fourth were to make a right turn on red at the moment the light turns green for the drivers heading east on State, an accident could occur. Apparently that has happened quite a few times.
DeleteThere may also be such a sign at the corner of Fourth and Columbia streets. Again, it's there because of the high number of accidents at that corner.
The recent "rash" of NO TURN ON RED signs (all 2 of them) were a result of discussions at council meetings about safety concerns at 2 intersections. If you have a problem with the signs, let your ward representatives know about your concerns. Maybe they will be the same alders that got the signs installed in the first place.
DeleteI'll have to fact-check my "rash" comment, but you make my point -- that drivers need to be able to turn on red when it's safe to do so -- when you talk about "the unpredictable nature of the traffic light...." That's exactly why you should let drivers have discretion. --peter m
DeleteMy point, Peter, is that at the corner of Fourth and State it is difficult to determine when it is safe to turn right.
DeleteI think every intersection should have "No Turn on Red" signs. In most cases, these signs create the conditions for crashes, by telling both drivers and pedestrians it is safe to proceed into the same space. Cars win. People lose.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, the history of No Turn on Red is fascinating, and a bit of a head scratcher, when viewed through a modern lens.
"It’s an obsolete relic of the 1970s oil crisis. It’s dangerous to pedestrians. And, if you drive a car in the United States, you likely do it every day. It’s time to get rid of right turn on red.
So, why do U.S. cities allow RTOR in the first place? Blame the oil crisis.
A provision of the 1975 Energy Policy and Conservation Act said that, in order for states to receive federal assistance for mandated conservation programs, they had to enact “a traffic law or regulation which, to the maximum extent practicable consistent with safety, permits the operator of a motor vehicle to turn such vehicle right at a red stop light after stopping.” The reasoning was that RTOR would lower emissions by decreasing the amount of time that drivers spent idling at red lights.
Most states quickly fell in line. Still, some municipalities had to be forced. According to a 1978 Washington Post report, Arkansas Sen. Dale Bumpers, who pushed for the gas-saving measure, asked Congress to “withhold $400,500 in federal energy funds” from D.C. until the city adopted the policy."
https://slate.com/technology/2022/10/right-turn-on-red-oil-crisis-environment-dc.html
Here are intersections that are clearly missing No RIght On Red signs, where visibility of oncoming traffic to the left is low (or non-existent) and/or pedestrian traffic is high: 3rd and Warren, all 4 directions! 5th and Warren, all 3 directions! Columbia at 3rd, 5th and 6th!
ReplyDeleteIf the city finally saw the importance of having a No Turn On Red sign at 4th and Columbia recently, there is no reason not to do the same thing along all of the signalized truck route intersections, especially at 6th Street where there is limited sight distance, accidents are far too common and things get very busy with pedestrians on Saturday mornings during the farmers market. It is as if City Hall would prefer there to be automobile accidents, including involving pedestrians.
I read about an experiment in a European city I think somewhere in Holland, where they got rid of all traffic lights. It turned out to be very efficient and traffic ran quite smoothly. So it seems to me the less traffic rules the better and right on red is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI cut and paste your entire comment into google search.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to “17 American Towns So Beautiful You’ll Think You’re in Europe,” “Ten American Towns that Feel Like Europe,” “8 Towns That Will Make You Feel Like You’re in Europe,” and “20 Spots in the US That Actually Feel More Like Europe,” the results included:
"Want fewer car accidents? Remove traffic signals and road signs"
https://bigthink.com/the-present/want-less-car-accidents-get-rid-of-traffic-signals-road-signs/
“'When you treat people like idiots, they’ll behave like idiots.'”
That was the philosophy of Hans Monderman, the Dutch traffic engineer who became famous not for what he added to road design and urban planning, but for what he removed: curbs, traffic signals, signs. He believed drivers become more alert and cautious when there’s more uncertainty on the road.
“Shared space” has been, in effect, the default traffic mode in parts of the world where standardized traffic systems were never implemented.
“The thing about the signals being removed is that the driver is no longer being given a green light. And what the green light does is to communicate to the driver that you’ve got priority here – you should be going ahead and you should be angry if grandma is on the road in front of you.”
Glad to know I'm a relic of the oil crisis :) But I think that as long as we have combustion engines in our cars and trucks RTOR rules are much better for the environment. Idling for 45 seconds at 4th and State at 2 in the morning is a huge waste of energy. That's not to say that we don't have huge problems with traffic on Warren, especially with distracted tourists paying no attention to traffic lights, etc. Has anyone go accident reports for Hudson?
ReplyDeleteI admire Peter Spear's global approach to traffic, but do think that NTOR is not a solution to anything; it feeds a false dependence on traffic lights. Hans Monderman has it right: "He believed drivers become more alert and cautious when there’s more uncertainty on the road." peter m
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