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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 22, 2015)
14 Wednesday, April 22, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon LETTERS Continued from page 2 intersections than in Sisters. There is no other traffic circle on a highway in Oregon so we are not yet as accustomed to their use — espe- cially involving large trucks — than in some other regions of the country. Despite favor- able results in the recent mock-up traffic circle tests, I feel that real-life situations involving a number of vehicles could have different results. There is certainly a major cost saving using traffic lights as all the needed lanes are in place. Also, could a traffic circle be installed without major expenses involving the new bank on the corner of this intersec- tion? In addition, traffic lights can provide some breaks in traffic on one lane for people turning left onto Highway 20 from Ray’s. E. Paul Janssen s s s To the Editor: I am sending this along, gathered from a transportation engineer, City of Bend. “The City of Bend stands by round- abouts for enhanced safety and operations. Nationwide, worldwide, there are simply more crashes at traffic signals than at round- abouts, and those crashes are more severe at traffic signals than at roundabouts. Fatal crashes occur at traffic signals, they do not occur at roundabouts. “Our first roundabout was installed on a state district-level highway (Century Drive at Colorado Avenue) in November, 1999. We have 26 (soon to be 28) single-lane round- abouts, 5 multilane roundabouts, 35 city- owned traffic signals, and 21 state ODOT- owned traffic signals. We removed three traffic signals this year. We have two more roundabouts in design and they should be con- structed next construction season. “Bend is aiming to achieve Vision Zero — where it is simply unacceptable to have a single fatal or serious injury crash in our com- munity. To do that we will be relying heavily on roundabout construction. The City of Bend has removed two traffic signals (3rd Street at Murphy Road at the south end of town and Reed Market at 15th Street on the east side of town). We replaced the traffic signals with modern roundabouts because of our positive crash and exceptional operational experiences at roundabouts. SPRING BIKE TUNE-UP $45 “As for cost, we pay about the same whether it is a roundabout or a traffic signal. The underground utility work, right of way, and road geometric changes end up being sim- ilar for both control types, although the shapes are different it is about the same impact area for both.” I have driven through the two newest roundabouts, Murphy and Reed Market, with absolutely no problem navigating either one when first encountered. Bend’s experience is no different from the information and history presented at our meet- ing last week. The TSP committee examined the available data at the time (2010) and made their recommendation based upon the facts of the data. The members of the community who participated in the follow-up meeting in 2011, were equally convinced by the data, and sup- ported the TSP recommendation. It appears that the ensuing four years’ worth of data have continued to show no fatalities or serious injury/property damage in roundabouts, due apparently to slower speeds. Phyllis Lewis s s s To the Editor: I attended the informational meeting pre- sented by ODOT regarding the roundabout at Highway 20 and Barclay Dr. Was it a waste of my time and energy? One gentleman asked pointblank if the roundabout was a done deal; however he didn’t receive a straight answer. I also wonder if we have no other choice. A roundabout will destroy the ambience and quaintness of Sisters and drastically alter the navigation of the city. I presented my personal survey to ODOT and City officials of 52 businesses I inter- viewed during the first week of April. Forty- one were in favor of a traffic light at the above intersection, six favored a roundabout and five were on the fence or didn’t care. Two busi- nesses expressed a concern that if a bypass was built for oversized trucks, other travelers would use it to avoid driving through town, which could hurt the local economy. Does ODOT and the City of Sisters have the right to arbitrarily make the decision to install a roundabout? In a true democracy, the majority rules. I think it would be fair to put this on a ballot and let the local owners of businesses and citizens vote on whether they prefer a roundabout or a traffic light at the GREAT Mexican Food! great Atmosphere! 541-549-2471 www.eurosports.us 541-549-3594 |150 E. Cadcade Ave., Sidterd 7 Dayd a Week | Lunch 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. | Dinner ’til 9:30 p.m. G SERV I C N I N A E ES Specializing In: CL Come In… Relax…Enjoy! Tim Westcott Ronnica Westcott Jenny Duey Mary Morgan 541-588-6611 220 W. Cascade Ave. Come in, Relax, Enjoy! SALEM (AP) — Oregon lawmakers are considering a recommendation that Nez Perce leader Chief Joseph and suffragette Abigail Scott Duniway replace two other symbols of the state among the statues on display at the U.S. Capitol. But Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter says not so fast. In a letter to Oregon lead- ers, Otter says Chief Joseph might have more of a histori- cal connection to his state. “Chief Joseph’s story and legacy in the Northwest is indeed historically notable,” Otter wrote. “But a close examination of history may indicate a more signifi- cant historical tie to Idaho than any other state in our region. I therefore would urge a careful analysis of the chief’s history, and I will be grateful for your kind con- sideration of Idaho in this regard.” Otter’s letter came up dur- ing an Oregon Senate Rules Committee meeting last week, the Statesman Journal newspaper reported. It stemmed from proposal to replace Oregon’s statues at the National Statuary Hall Collection in Washington, D.C. Each state has two stat- ues on display there. Since 1953, Oregon’s statues have been pioneer Jason Lee, a 19th century missionary who founded what became Willamette U n i v e r s i t y, a n d J o h n McLoughlin, a fur trader known as the father of Oregon. The Oregon Statuary Hall Study Commission recom- mended the replacements after studying the issue with the Oregon Historical Society. Chief Joseph led 750 Nez Perce tribal members on a 1,700-mile journey from Oregon to Montana in an unsuccessful bid to reach Canada and avoid being confined to a reservation. They were forced to sur- render in 1877 after U.S. troops stopped them about 40 miles south of the Canadian border. In a famous speech made after the surrender, Chief Joseph said: “From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.” Duniway was a women’s rights advocate whose efforts were key in gaining their vot- ing rights. A bill to replace the exist- ing statues remains in com- mittee. It must be approved by the Legislature and governor. STUBBORNLY UNPRETENTIOUS SINCE 1989 See LEttErs on page 18 JOIN US FOR LUNCH SPECIALS 11 AM-3:30 PM! Open 7 days a week Corner of Hood & Fir, Sisters Idaho challenges oregon over chief Joseph statue Windows & Screen Cleaning Houe & Rental Cleaning Construction & Deep Cleaning Gutter Cleaning Free estimates! I NSURED , L ICENSED & B ONDED JEFF BLAKE • 541-549-0897 Breakfast 6-11 | Soup 11-2 daily | Buy coffee at SistersCoffee.com 541-549-0527 • 273 W. Hood Ave.