Letters to the Editor 09/09/2015

To the Editor:

In reference to the two letters from Mr. Brown and Miss Holland, I am one of the many that say and know for a fact that this proposed roundabout on Highway 20 and Barclay is wrong - just plain wrong!

Now the trucks want a bypass?

Just for giggles, put a light in, make us all happy - not the city council - and yes, Miss Holland, the city council passes a lot of stuff that does not benefit Sisters in my opinion. Just saying.

Shannon Chesney

•••

To the Editor:

Your guest columnist in the September 2 issue quoted accident statistics she got from the Oregon Department of Transportation. She said there were only three serious accidents and no fatalities. I wonder what the definition of "serious" might be.

I personally know four people whose cars were totaled in mishaps at that intersection and witnessed another where the struck car ended up on its roof. One of those accidents resulted in head injuries so drastic an eye was lost. A second resulted in broken ribs and pelvis that took months of recovery.

Maybe the columnist should have asked for collisions, not serious accidents.

The Federal Highway Administration lists roundabouts as the first item in its "Proven Safety Countermeasures." It goes on to state:

• By converting from a two-way stop control mechanism to a roundabout, a location can experience an 82-percent reduction in severe (injury/fatal) crashes and a 44-percent reduction in overall crashes.

• By converting from a signalized intersection to a roundabout, a location can experience a 78-percent reduction in severe (injury/fatal) crashes and a 48-percent reduction in overall crashes.

This information can be found at: http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/provencountermeasures/fhwa_sa_12_005.cfm

The Barclay/Highway 20 intersection is especially dangerous because it is the transition from highway speeds to in-town speeds and town speeds to highway speeds. If you watch that intersection you will notice that few drivers going either way are going 35 mph, the posted speed limit. A roundabout will slow traffic both ways to 15 mph, which makes serious collisions impossible.

My comment is why not go with the proven safest method to avoid collisions and injuries instead of saying "it hasn't happened yet"?

Gordon Golden

•••

To the Editor:

Well, traffic circles aren't "stinkin'" and certainly no joke.

We should be grateful that ODOT is willing to work at and pay for an engineered traffic circle that has been shown to save lives, expedite traffic smoothly and contribute art beauty to an otherwise utilitarian boring intersection.

Moreover, the traffic circle is so in keeping with the City's desire to avoid looking like any other utilitarian small city with several stop lights that stop you for minutes with no cross traffic in sight.

The fact that there is only one NOW simply is a step in the right direction with the second one at the other end of town awaiting funds and funding. There is no need to try and turn that into a negative.

Sisters is and looks special, lets keep it that way and embrace the traffic circle and applaud ODOT for the foresight and willingness to embark upon it for the betterment of the special character that is our Sisters.

I wonder who will do the art project in the traffic circle? I know it will be a stand-out introduction to all travelers that this town is special - and welcome, come stay for awhile and maybe move your business here offering family-support jobs.

Jack Addison

•••

To the Editor:

The Independent Party of Oregon is now the third "major party" in Oregon. We want to offer voters more choices on their ballots.

Anyone possibly interested in running for office as the candidate of the Independent Party needs to change his or her voter registration to "Independent Party" by September 10. It takes about two minutes, here: http://indparty.com/register. Or just search "Oregon voter register" online.

Potential candidates need not decide whether to run until the primary election filing deadline, March 8, 2016. But, thanks to the Democrats and Republicans, current law requires signing up for the Independent Party by September 10, more than eight months before the May 2016 primary election.

Dan Meek

Co-chairman of the Independent Party of Oregon

•••

To the Editor:

Sisters and Camp Sherman are home to a school system that is the envy of many a small town - a fact we should all be proud of. But what will happen to all the bright, ambitious Sisters High School graduates who wish to pursue careers for which a college degree is a minimum requirement?

The Wall Street Journal estimates that 70 percent of college graduates will walk away from campus with an average student-loan debt of $35,000. And that says nothing about the burden college puts on families for what they pay up front.

What can we do about this? We can elect Bernie Sanders as president in 2016. Bernie believes that all public colleges and universities should be tuition-free. In addition, he calls for affordable early childhood education - and believes that the ill-conceived No Child Left Behind federal regulations should be seriously overhauled.

If you care about education - whether for yourself, your children, your grandchildren, or in the interest of a well-functioning democracy and economy - then I urge you to support Bernie Sanders. For more information, visit http://www.FeeltheBern.org.

Tom Bergeron

•••

To the Editor:

Those residents whose children are in or interested in the SPRD lacrosse problem should now have confidence in the

program.

I left the Tuesday SPRD meeting addressing this program with confidence in the dedication of the SPRD board and the volunteers who will conduct the program. Well done, SPRD and future volunteers.

Steve Madsen

•••

To the Editor:

I have yet to see how much a roundabout will leave undone or what future costs might be! I speak specifically of the worst one: Locust Ave. It is a matter of time until some school child or teacher gets killed there! Add to this the high-speed meshing of Highway 126 with Highway 20, just yards away.

All it takes is two or thee pedestrians crossing Cascade Avenue at a busy hour (most every day!) with unstopped traffic at Barclay Road or Locust Avenue to have a complete stoppage! At ODOT's own estimate, three stoplights, one at each of three crucial intersections, would be a fraction of the cost of a roundabout - not even considering the tremendous land-use problems involved in heretofore unmentioned bypass lanes.

By the time ODOT realized that doubles and triples would not make it through a roundabout, was that cost added to their estimate, or would it just be tacked on? Then, tell me just who is going to stop to let those big trucks get back into traffic after the bypass?

Have local businesses thought how many frustrated drivers will speed through Sisters rather than stop to shop? What about a couple of pedestrian overpasses - I have been impressed with every one I have seen! I would guess that three stop lights, and two or more overpasses will end Sisters' traffic problems. Think about it!

Russell Williams