The in basket: A week or so ago I asked if any readers knew the
rationale behind a state law requiring bicyclists to ride in the
same direction as cars, when they seemed to benefit as much as
pedestrians from being able to see oncoming traffic in the lane
next to them.
Sunny Evsich was surprised to learn of the rule and said, “when I
was growing up in Bremerton it was drilled into us to ride FACING
traffic so we could see what’s coming at us. The police,
including Art Morken, used to come to our grade school every
year and lecture us on that very fact.
The out basket: Three readers say the existing law is safer and
provided reasons.
Monthly Archives: March 2006
Sign Changes Planned Where Highways Merge
The in basket: Colleen Taylor e-mails to say that as one drives
north on Highway 303 near Silverdale with intentions to got north
on Highway 3, the destination signs list SubBase Bangor as
the only place to which it leads. It also says EXIT ONLY, as
if it were the only location/destination on the highway
for that direction.
“Nothing is listed for Poulsbo, the Kingston ferry, or the later
exit for Bainbridge. Anyone not familiar with the area would be
clueless as to how to reach those destinations, given the lack of
signage.
Banner-Sedgwick Intersection will be Addressed
The in basket: About a year ago, Chuck McGuire of Sedgwick Road
in South Kitsap asked what could be done about cars coming south on
North Banner Road and blowing through the stop sign on
Sedgwick.
In December, he asked again in a letter to the editor, with Larissa
Lykins and Bob and Roxy Scott adding their voices to the plea.
“In the past seven years, 13 vehicles driving south on Banner ran
the stop sign
at Sedgwick, crossed Sedgwick through oncoming traffic, and
either
crashed into a deep swale or through a chain link fence,” their
joint letter said.
How to find the right-of-way boundary
The in basket: Philip Menees says, “If you drive along
Beach Drive out of Port Orchard on both sides of Waterman
dock, there have been erected reflectors and placement of large
boulders at the edge of the road. To me this seems to be a
dangerous practice, even though it is, I’m sure, to deter parking
in front of people’s homes.
“Is the edge of the pavement the edge of the right of way, and does
one have the right to park on the right of way outside the fog
line? How can one determine the edge of the right of way and one’s
private property?”
Easing traffic wins out over pedestrians
The in basket: Deborah Moran wonders “why there is a crosswalk,
with the
walk/don’t walk lights on only three of the sides at the
intersection of Highway
305 and Hostmark in Poulsbo.
Don’t Plan on Newberry Hill Road Extension
The in basket: Ernest Behrle e-mails to say, “I’ve been thinking
for a long time that it would help a lot of people living in the
Seabeck areas if Newberry Hill Road were extended through to
Seabeck. According to my maps, if the road were extended
straight west (and it doesn’t have to be perfectly straight) it
would come
out just south of the Seabeck elementary school, opposite the Miami
Beach
Road. That would put access to the road right in the middle of the
Seabeck
area and benefit a lot of people living in that area providing a
straight
shot from the Seabeck area to Highway 3.
Poulsbo Intersections Turn Up Tough Questions
Right-of-way questions from Poulsbo have come in from Dick Galleher and Monica Berninghaus.
Galleher says, “Let’s go down to the three-street intersection of Front Street, Lindvig Way and Bond Road. Coming along on any of these and the light is red. There is no traffic. Can I make a right turn, as is legal in a normal intersection? There is no sign prohibiting such.”
Berninghaus wonders about Hamilton Court and First Avenue on the fringe of Poulsbo Place, where the mainline makes a 90-degree turn. Hamilton takes you into a football field.
“A lady coming along First Avenue (west) made a left turn into the ball fields and almost T-boned my car as I was traveling north on Hamilton into the ball fields,” Berninghaus said. “Apparently no one has a stop sign at either point once Hamilton and First Avenue intersect.
“There IS a stop sign coming the other way on Hamilton FROM the ball field south onto Hamilton.
“Is a stop sign missing from either of the other corners?”
Hanging Your Arm Out the Car Window
The in basket: Some of us pickleball players in the bi-weekly games at the Sheridan Park rec center in Bremerton got into a discussion of hand signals after one of them, Bob Merhaut, asked it there is any law against having one’s arm hanging out of the car. The three of us couldn’t agree on what one of the hand signals means, the one where one hangs one’s hand straight down. Bob and I thought it means “I’m stopping,” but Dick Belmont said it means you’re slowing down.
Pedestrians Should Walk Facing Traffic
The in basket: Ginny Renoudet says “My husband and I walk daily,
facing traffic on a road with no sidewalks. We are frequently
forced into the road by walkers facing the same direction as
traffic. As a youngster we were taught to walk facing traffic
and ride bikes with traffic. Have things changed?
The out basket: No, walking toward traffic still a good idea and I
was surprised to find that state law even requires it.
New Light Suggested at Silverdale Intersection
The in basket: Donna Ascalon of Bremerton says “The intersection
of Myhre/Tracyton Beach Road and Bucklin Hill Road is a perfect
example where a left turn yield on green would be very effective,
particularly on the east/west directions on Bucklin Hill Road. I
have sat there numerous times waiting to turn left onto Myhre Road
and sat and sat and sat while there was absolutely no traffic in
sight coming down Bucklin Hill Road toward the intersection.
“In view of higher gas prices, it would be reasonable to have the
ability to make those left turns when it was clear and safe from
oncoming traffic.
