The Observation Deck

Last month we asked if traffic on Detroit Ave. worse or better. Since the question started
so did the massive amount of rebuilding on Detroit, with everything from street signs many
on a very cocky jaunt, and other forms of construction while not in the two lanes of traffic
I suppose could add to rubber necking, so we will wait on this one.

City Hall has recently mentioned they have not had the chance to sync them up.
Lakewood is paying only 20% of the cost of this project. Madison is next.




This month's "Daily Question" asks "Do we need more parades and festivals throughout the city, not just downtown?

You can access the Monthly question of the Day off of our front page.
http://lakewoodobserver.com


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_________________
Jim O'Bryan
Lakewood Resident

"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg

"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Here is a link to the announcement on the City of Lakewood site:

http://onelakewood.com/News.aspx?NewsID=218

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_________________
Nothin' shakin' on Shakedown Street.
Used to be the heart of town.
Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart.
You just gotta poke around.

Robert Hunter/Sometimes attributed to Ezra Pound.

Here is the public notice and agenda for the next Public Works Committee meeting. Note the final agenda item. It will be interesting to see how many Deckies will be there.

The Public Works Committee will meet Monday, June 25, 2012 at 6:00 PM in the Jury Room of Lakewood City Hall, 12650 Detroit Avenue. The agenda is as follows:

- Review of 2012 Streets Repair Schedule in relation to 2010 Pavement Condition Rating (PCR)
- Discussion of Sidewalk Inspection, Enforcement and Funding in 2012
- Communication from Councilmember Bullock regarding Discussion of Sidewalk Inspection, Enforcement and funding in 2012 (Referred 11-21-11)
- Discussion of long-term streets strategy
- Follow up discussion regarding Detroit Ave. Signalization

I think it is far too early to decide whether traffic on Detroit is or will be working.

I used to commute down Hilliard and Franklin. It was four lanes. It was pretty narrow for four lanes, and I was often uncomfortable with someone driving next to me close enough to flick his ashes into my car.

Then they changed most of it to three lanes. I liked it at first, as it took away the feeling of congestion. That is not to say that their new scheme was flawless. Driving west beyond Harding the traffic was inexplicably forced into the right (of two) lanes before those turning left onto McKinley could get back into the left (must turn) lane.

But now, well after going to three lanes, I have noted that there are a lot of people who drive well below the speed limit, and there is no where you can pass them, so it takes longer to drive down that route. So my answer to whether traffic was improved by that change would be different today from what it was then.

Incidentally, there are frequent accidents at McKinley and the marginals, and it is irritating when traffic is held up while the safety forces investigate and clean up. I suspect that the real cause of each accident is not reliably known, as people tend to slant their testimony. A friend who lives near hogsback lane reports there are a lot of accidents there, too.

I wonder how many intersections in Lakewood have quite a few accidents, and what is being done to improve them. Couldn't we at least mount cameras, perhaps even temporarily, and get a clear view of how each accident came to be?

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Society in every state is a blessing, but the Government even in its best state is but a necessary evil...