Ludington Gus Macker 2014: Peripheral Issues

[XLFD]

I am not a big fan of basketball, but if I was, I might catch a little more of the action that they have down at the Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament that they have down at Stearn's Park every June.  But my main interest in the Macker over the last few years has been in the safety/traffic issues that become intense for the whole west end of Ludington during this time. 

Last year, I wrote an open letter to Chief Barnett concerning the use of regular golf carts for patrolling streets in the area to issue parking tickets and patrol.  The carts presented a clear danger to normal traffic as they had no business being on the roads, and were not street-worthy according to the laws of our State, which by reference is the laws of our city.  I couldn't help but be concerned for his safety, seeing the chief tooling around in a golf cart on James Street.

Back in 2010, I devoted an article to other safety concerns noted for pedestrians and cars at the Macker of that year.  I revisited that topic again in 2012, noting any changes since that time.

While some of the problems noted have been alleviated, some are still going strong, and I am amazed that in the 20+ years of the Gus Macker Tournament in Ludington we have not had any serious accidents involving the safety issues already noted, particularly when they can be so easily corrected with proper planning.

1)  Tinkham/Lakeshore Intersection: 

Back in 2010, the courts stretched all the way up to Tinkham Street, and a lot of foot traffic was forced into the fairly narrow roadway of Tinkham to get back to one of the main parking areas for Macker.  The Macker has since moved the northernmost court back to the prior street, Fitch Street which makes fewer people come up to the Tinkham way.  They also took the border fence (below, looking south from the Lakeshore/Tinkham intersection this year) off of Tinkham, thereby not forcing people to be on the road with cars coming from behind them in the detour

But there is still the problem of there being pedestrian facilities (sidewalks or walkable right-of-ways) along the street, which still has the conflicts continue, as seen below, looking west on Tinkham towards that intersection:

It's easy to minimize the conflict, simply make the detour use Rath St. and Bryant Rd. to greatly reduce the auto traffic at this area, moving it to an area far away from the action without any extra travelling.  If you really want to improve the walkability, make the homeowners build sidewalks like they should have in the past along Tinkham, and don't block them with the fences.

2.  Golf Carts

The local police and reserves decided to do things right this time; I never saw any golf carts away from the closed area where the Macker was taking place this weekend.  I did see the ORV used by the park rangers and Ross Kissel driving the PM ORV, but these at least have blinkers, license plates and other amenities.  But I still have not seen that local ordinance which okays their use in Ludington.  Below is one of these vehicles being double parked while the driver writes a parking ticket or two for being too close to the street corner.

I followed discretely on my bicycle this vehicle and besides the double parking it did in the above instance, where the officer was out of his vehicle for a minute.  Below, he spent about five minutes stopped, standing and parked at the intersection of Fitch and Park Streets, creating his own traffic hazard as he wrote his tickets.   There was no emergency flashers going at either times.  The parking violated subsection e, f, and l of this state law:  MCL 257.674 

The best way to solve the problem of the LPD giving out tickets to those who break the rules of parking without making the LPD a bigger part of the problem by figuring out where they need to park is to have them travel the area on foot, or use a bicycle.  Using a motor vehicle of any type creates a bigger traffic hazard than someone parking near a hydrant, crosswalk or intersection.  If the streets near the beach actually had sidewalks as a rule, not as an exception, this would work out exceptionally well-- if the Macker people didn't fence off the sidewalks.

3)  Allow Free Parking for Two Days at the Boat Ramp Parking Lot

One thing you note when you visit the Macker is that a nearby parking lot is barely used.  The Loomis Street Boat Ramp Parking Lot is primarily used by people launching their boats, and typically has only about a dozen or less trailers parked during this time of year.  At the Macker on Sunday, there was barely a half-dozen trailers, there and few non-trailers parked on the north side of the lot, likely there for the Macker.  

These numbers were greatly suppressed because the City of Ludington charges a $10 daily rate for people who use their lot for parking.  Imagine how some of the congestion on the side streets could be alleviated somewhat if this parking lot waived the fee during Macker time.  Check out the only two signs at the entrance by zooming into this picture below:

In the small print, you find that Macker parking is $10, and you have to pay at some kiosk, that has been moved to the boat launch area, and that you are liable for a $30 ticket if you don't.  If you don't read that, you may believe that if you park in this lot without using the boat launch, since you effectively have no 'tow vehicle', as per the second sign.  This leads to a $30 ticket for the unwary, like this poor chap incurred below:

About an hour later, while tailing the beach ranger ORV I came across the owner of that vehicle stopping and having a discussion with the LPD officer, perhaps about that very same topic.  It lasted a while, so I eventually moved on. 

Wasted parking spaces, congested side streets, long walks, and people upset with undeserved tickets could all be a thing of the past if the City of Ludington reserved some spots for the trailers, and allowed freebies for the weekend for our visitors.   Either that or scale it back to $5 and have the parking proceeds go to our local schools like they do at Oriole Field.

Gus Macker weekend can be an enjoyable and safe weekend for tourists and locals alike if we continue to consider ways to improve on public safety for one and all, and to enhance the experience.  All that without sending folks away discouraged with a parking ticket caused more by the lack of city planning and resolve to mitigate problems inherent in that area of Ludington.  Our visitors should be talking about how much fun they had playing basketball in our town, rather than having to gripe about our infrastructure and law enforcement problems. 

[Johnny]

So XFLD, you spent your weekend riding your bike around following that LPD officer around to watch him or her write parking tickets? My lord, maybe if you spent this much effort into finding a job and getting one, maybe you would be able contribute something positive to the community.  Instead, you are complaining about how the little ranger vehicle is parked writing tickets.  Must be a slow summer for you I take it.  Maybe you should spend some time with your family.

[XLFD]

Perhaps I gave my family a reprieve of having to deal with me for a couple of hours, since I was with them the rest of the weekend.   Nevertheless, police agencies needlessly breaking the law and creating safety hazards because they are too unionized or lazy to walk or pedal should be a concern to the community, as should the other concerns raised. 

Which you conveniently ignore in your efforts to attack the messenger.  Instead of going ad hominem, why don't you argue for keeping the detour the way it is; explain why police riding and double-parking ORVs through already overcrowded and unsafe streets is a good idea; having a nearby parking lot mostly unused because the City of Ludington wants $10 or $30 for each space per day is good policy.

That, however, requires some modicum of thought, apparently something you should use more often at your job.

[Willy]

I noticed a machine that resembled an ATM down by the boat launch on Saturday and there were 2 city employees who seemed to be working on it. Was that the machine folks needed to use in order to pay for parking. If it was broke then it would have been of no use collecting money. And your right about the signs posted that required payment to use the lot. I drove in there several times over the weekend and never noticed them. I was to busy watching out for cars and people.  Many of your ideas make sense. The one glaring problem I see, as you pointed out, was the lack of sidewalks. On side streets where sidewalks were absent, people were walking in the street. Adding to the fact that cars were parked on both sides of the street, it made for a hazardous combination of pedestrians and motor vehicles.

[XLFD]

That was the kiosk device where you need to get your ticket, added since last year.  Those who haven't been down there this year yet may be surprised the small hut and ticket dispenser at the entrance is gone.

As such, the ATM (Adversity Towards Macker) Machine probably will have glitches when it has its first rush on use, such as will happen for the first time during Macker week.  More hard to believe is that city workers were actually trying to fix it on Saturday.  When parking rates go from $10 to $30 due to a malfunction, I figure the City leaders would say:  "Where's the problem with that?"

[AQUAMAN]

Thanks for the information and clarity on the Macker weekend issues X. I believe your insights to be quite right, and safety oriented. It's a shame some here don't come with better ideas or reasons why they disagree, just to butcher the messenger, like Johnny Law! Fyi, that new kiosk was just installed this May, and it's monitored by city hall via satellite. It can tell them the amount of money collected, and when cash needs emptying by Shay or Tykoski...lol.  As for that Macker signage, it was pretty small, and you needed to stop and read it carefully to get the message. I also agree, ticketing Macker fans is a bad idea. Giving them some latitude in parking, charging less, or making Loomis St. parking free, would certainly put a feather in the cap of Ludington, rather than a repugnant disdain for this event and area. I have long thought the entire event was better placed away from the beach and all the residents thereabouts. It should be located by the OJ DeJonge Jr. HS and LHS imo. There is plenty of parking and space there, and it's not an intrusion to beachgoers. I guess by keeping it at Stearns, they can expect more locals to suffer and not visit their favorite beach around here. More big-city slicker ideas run rampant on the locals imho. 

[Willy]

The Macker may be good for businesses but for the locals it means 3 days of rerouted traffic and 3 days out of a short summer with no beach access.