The Place Where Ludington Talks
Vegetation Control for Safety: Over 100 Days Later
Here we go again (see VC4S in the archives).
Ever since I put up over forty pictures of obscured stop and yield signs occurring ‘naturally’ in Ludington in May 2009 again that fall (Oct, 2009), again this spring (June 2010) and now once again at the beginning of fall, the citizens and visitors of Ludington should be seeing a pattern. No, not my own pattern of obsessive futility, LOL. The city management has no desire to limit the city’s liability and complicity in any accident that may occur involving the obscurement of any of these signs by vegetation.
--Leaves crowding Yield sign at Franklin/Dexter, one block away from Franklin Elem.
The administrators over at LT (Ludington Daily News people) have nixed the pictures all three times. Since they have not advocated the cause of potentially saving citizens’ lives and reducing the citizens’ liability by having the DPW wisely prune the vegetation blocking the sight lines of the signs (not to mention the sight lines up the street, when applicable), we can presume that they, like the city leaders, don’t care. I keep on hearing about near-misses happening at some of the intersections I have pictures at, so the problem is real, if not realized (or recognized) yet.
Trimming the trees so the signs can be saved will make the intersections more safe, and allow collisions to be the fault of the driver who did not yield properly-- not you, I and the rest of the city who pay the city leaders their fees and taxes to provide for our safety.
--Brother/Franklin W- June 2010- from both sides both signs are heavily obscured
--Brother/Franklin W- Sept 2010- More flora, no action, and in a school zone.
The overall money saved by this small bit of prevention, will easily eclipse the amount of money it takes to perform the plant grooming over the course of time. Accidents take lives, lead to large hospital bills, mechanic bills, and ruin lives.
Ask the families of those who drowned this summer whether they would have liked the extra safety precaution of having three lifeguards at the beach as we had the previous years. It’s the same idea. To recover the two bodies, at least four fire departments, the US Coast Guard (with helicopters and boats), Life EMS, the LPD, two county sheriff’s offices, the Michigan state police, divers, specialized boats, and various rescue personnel from Muskegon, Ottawa, Kent, and Oceana Counties were called in to help for days. Pretty expensive lesson, but will our great minds at the top learn from it?
A trimmed branch takes minutes to accomplish, but what dividends it can give back if just one major accident is prevented. But take care; the authorities frown on the citizenry taking matters into their own hands and clipping, particularly when it’s not on your right-of-way.
As for me: I let them who should know better in on this little secret last year via a letter, so I will just keep on publicly exposing their continued negligence on this matter so that if someone gets involved in an accident because of the city leaders sleeping-at-the-wheel, they can get reimbursed by our mostly apathetic taxpayers for their incompetence (see MCL 691.1402 (1)).
Michigan Legislature - Section 691_1402.mht
The following intersection pics were taken in the periods of June 4-6, 2010 and again (those suffixed with an 'a') in the period of September 15-16, 2010, at least 100 days later. Effectively these signs were obstructed for all of the tourist season.
17 Pere Marquette-Lakeshore W.JPG17a Lakeshore-PM W.JPG
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by charlemagnetism on
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truly the city of ludington guv turns a deaf ear to those not in there click. mayhaps a accident occurs at one of these intersections they may call in dpw after the fact. saves them money and work. there logic not mine.
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