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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 2015)
2 Wednesday, November 18, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon O P I N I O N The right tool for the job By tony Blok Guest Columnist Letters to the Editor… The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer’s name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not neces- sarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday. To the Editor: Thank you to Sisters District Ranger Kristie Miller for her unwavering professionalism in assessing the proposal to construct an asphalt path between Sisters and Black Butte Ranch. Contrary to the rude and infactual letter in last week’s Nugget that attempted to impugn Ms. Miller’s character and trivialize the oppo- sition, there are hundreds of opponents of the asphalt path that appreciate her fair and thoughtful approach to weighing the com- munity’s response to this highly controversial project. Michael Cooper s s s To the Editor: I totally agree with Sarah Rahm’s let- ter about the proposed trail from Sisters to Tollgate and on to Black Butte on the south side of Highway 20 (The Nugget, November 11). By putting it off to appease the small num- ber of naysayers, people with any disabilities and those pushing strollers are prevented from accessing Sisters except by car. Riding a three- wheeled bike on a dirt path with gravel on the sides, and through grass uphill is too difficult, so the trail to the high school from Tollgate is not an option the way it is. It is not easy to push a stroller there either, and a motorized wheel chair would certainly not navigate that trail. Sarah is so right when she points out that most people in this area want the proposed trail. It has never been made clear why another environmental assessment is needed, after all the time and money that was spent on the orig- inal EA. Sue Edgerton See letteRS on page 28 Sisters Weather Forecast Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon Wednesday thursday Friday Saturday Sunday monday Chance showers Rain Chance rain Mostly sunny Mostly sunny Partly sunny 43/29 47/32 49/28 51/23 50/25 45/na The Nugget Newspaper, Inc. Website: www.nuggetnews.com 442 E. Main Ave., P.O. Box 698, Sisters, Oregon 97759 Tel: 541-549-9941 | Fax: 541-549-9940 | editor@nuggetnews.com Postmaster: Send address changes to The Nugget Newspaper, P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759. Third Class Postage Paid at Sisters, Oregon. Publisher - Editor: Kiki Dolson News Editor: Jim Cornelius Production Manager: Leith Williver Classifieds & Circulation: Teresa Mahnken Advertising: Lisa Buckley Graphic Design: Jess Draper Proofreader: Pete Rathbun Accounting: Erin Bordonaro The Nugget is mailed to residents within the Sisters School District; subscriptions are available outside delivery area. Third-class postage: one year, $45; six months (or less), $25. First-class postage: one year, $85; six months, $55. Published Weekly. ©2014 The Nugget Newspaper, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. All advertising which appears in The Nugget is the property of The Nugget and may not be used without explicit permission. The Nugget Newspaper, Inc. assumes no liability or responsibility for information contained in advertisements, articles, stories, lists, calendar etc. within this publication. All submissions to The Nugget Newspaper will be treated as uncondition- ally assigned for publication and copyrighting purposes and subject to The Nugget Newspaper’s unrestricted right to edit and comment editorially, that all rights are currently available, and that the material in no way infringes upon the rights of any person. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return or safety of artwork, photos, or manuscripts. Many pro and con letters have addressed the Barclay Drive and Highway 20 pro- posed roundabout, and I feel compelled to share a few observations after another trip through Bend yesterday. The East Empire, Butler Market, and Olney round- abouts are workable in the neighborhoods in which they occur because of flow demands that they handle and speeds of traffic prior to entry. The larger round- about at Brookswood and Reed Market Road has some serious problems. The fol- lowing are a couple of the causes observed and shared by workers using it daily: 1. At certain times of morning, noon, and especially 3 to 5 p.m., Reed Market heavy traf- fic dominates with bum- per-to-bumper flows that make Brookswood plug. Employees from BMC, busi- nesses, and Old Mill traffic sit, and many cannot exit from side streets even to escape and go north to avoid the roundabout to the north. 2. The crosswalk for bikes and pedestrians that exist a short distance from the roundabout on Reed Market brings an abrupt stoppage of traffic flow when a courteous, law- abiding driver stops just after exiting the circle. This results in an instant bumper- to-bumper plug during high flow demand times, and does not even allow for cross traf- fic to flow. Unfortunately, the bike-and-pedestrian need for the crosswalk is about the same time the traffic needs full flow. The heavy volume flow cause vehicles to bunch closer to each other and the sudden, unexpected stoppage invites bumper-benders. It is also a given that during high flow times on this roundabout the sun becomes a blinder in the morning and evening. 3. As the design diameter of the circle is increased due to traffic demands on the roundabout, it allows driv- ers less visibility of condi- tions that are affecting the exits. Smaller roundabouts give full peripheral view of what the dynamics are when approaching and entering. So how does the above relate to OUR intersection at Barclay Drive and Highway 20? The volume of traffic and higher peak loads are complicated beyond what Bend’s Reed Market experi- ences because of high truck volumes. The design to get bikes and pedestrians across the highway is the same and the sudden plug up into the circle will be the same halting, except with trucks added in. The cross traffic of Barclay Drive will be halted during pedestrian lane usage because of solid bumper-to- bumper stoppage. This year’s quilt show had traffic creep well back beyond Tollgate with McDonald’s, Bi-Mart’s and Les Schwab’s roads all depending on Highway 20 drivers to create an occa- sional opening. ODOT should think about porta- potties east and west of Sisters as some of the round- about’s added needs. Roundabouts are workable tools for smaller diameters matching smaller, lower speed usage but are not efficient to get pedestrians and bikes crossing any streets exiting the circle. they do nothing to provide timed pulses that allow cross traffic Roundabouts are work- able tools for smaller diam- eters matching smaller, lower speed usage but are not efficient to get pedestri- ans and bikes crossing any streets exiting the circle. They do nothing to provide timed pulses that allow cross traffic at the same time that foot traffic flows in the same direction. Consider the addi- tional land required: The lack of traffic pulses that help other cross streets and later pedestrian crossings in town. Now, why not choose the right tool for this job; a simple programmable traffic light. It did prove itself for months. Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.
