The in basket: Steve Herron of Poulsbo says he drives every day
through the new construction corridor on Highway 305 and is getting
upset.
“The contractor there is constantly blocking off lanes and closing
sections when absolutely no work is going on,” he said. “It’s
ridiculous! The last two weeks, traffic has been a mess because the
contractor closes lanes on both sides and then some minor work
takes places a mile from the closure.
“I am all for worker safety,” Steve said ” but this contractor is
saving money by closing the lanes he THINKS he might be working on
SOMETIME during the day. Instead he could spend the money to have
people put in cones as they are needed, when the work is ready to
be done.
Monthly Archives: July 2008
Goodbye to old left turn light at Forest Rock Lane
The in basket: Dana Culleney and Dan Batman are among those who
miss the protected/permissive left-turn signal on Highway 305 at
Forest Rock Lane in Poulsbo.
“It used to be that when you approached Central Market from the
north and there was a green arrow and then the green ball light
that let you go,” Dana said. That is called a protected/permissive
signal
As part of the widening of the highway through that stretch, they
have replaced it with what’s called a protected left turn,
permitting the turn only when a green arrow tells you all
conflicting movements have a red light.
Who can be second person in a car in the HOV lanes?
The in basket: My wife, the Judybaker, and I were musing as we drove along in an HOV lane in Tacoma about what constitutes a second person in a vehicle for purposes of allowing use of those lanes. Would an infant in a car seat be enough? A 10-year-old? A blind person?
Ferries could make use of transponders, reader says
The in basket: Frank Reed read the May 30 Road Warrior about
interest accrued on Good to Go! accounts , from which bridge and
highways tolls can be paid, and wondered why ferry fares can’t be
paid the same way.
“The Washington State ferry system engages in a
huge rip-off of its customers and seems to pat itself on the
back for doing so,” he wrote. “The crossing tolls, pre-purchased
on-line or at toll booths, are not really accounts set up in
the customer’s name with a dollar value in them,
as are Good to Go accounts, but only slightly
different version of the previous system of buying paper
tickets. In addition the tickets have fast expiration times
and are not user friendly.
“Actual monetary amounts in actual accounts can draw interest (as
you pointed out) that can be used by the ferry system, don’t care
if toll values vary for seasonal or other reasons and
don’t penalize the customer with an expiration date.
My question is why is the ferry system is so intent on using its
own pre-paid tolling system which doesn’t work (software problems)
and not the Good to Go! system, which according to your article can
relatively easily credit the correct facility being used. This
would certainly help the bean counters with realistic ferry route
usage data.
“Why not use just one tolling system?”
Booming scooter sales call for driver education
The in basket: When Steve Stewart of the state Department of
Licensing called me the other day to seek my help in letting the
growing number of scooter and motorcycle owners know what they must
do to be legal, I was reminded of an old inquiry to the Road
Warrior from Jerry Maurer of North Kitsap.
“My wife acquired a 49cc scooter not too long ago,” he wrote in
July 2006. “Our understanding of the
legality of this scooter is that it is considered a moped and no
motorcycle license is required.
“(But) we are confused as to where she can drive on Viking Way
heading north into Poulsbo.
Three more issues at Silverdale interchange
The in basket: Gary Jones writes to say, “I’m wondering why the
state hasn’t required the contractor of the new highway 3 and 303
interchange to clean up the rest of their construction
materials?
“The cones along both sides of Highway 3 and along Highway 303
entering the interchange, along with all of the signs and other
debris at the retention pond are such an eyesore. The weeds are
even starting to take over some of the cones.”
Leroy McVay of Poulsbo has a different issue with the interchange,
betting me $5 that the backup system to keep the traffic signals
working in a power outage will consist of batteries. “Remind them
the lights go to four-way red flashing and the batteries are
only good for about three or four hours,” he wrote.
Planting the new Highway 304 center area
The in basket: Carl Erickson writes, “Now that the
Highway 304 project from Highway 3 to the shipyard gate is done,
I’m curious about what’s going to be planted in the median.
“It seems to me that deciduous trees, as are in the older section,
are a dangerous, labor-intensive way to beautify the area with
leaves falling and maintenance crews dodging vehicles to clean them
up.
