Vince O'Connor
So if grandma gets run over by a reindeer and it happens in a downtown crosswalk this holiday season, after dark, Vince O'Connor thinks the town will be liable.
Yes this is the same Grinch who brought before Amherst town meeting a "Dark Sky Initiative" back in 2007 that would have fined downtown businesses for keeping their lights on after 11:00 PM.
Town Meeting quickly said "Bah, humbug!" to that.
CVS crosswalk (on a dark and story night)
Hastings crosswalk
Post office crosswalk
Kendrick Park crosswalk
15 comments:
For once Vince is partly right. (Ok, it's not the first time). The lights in the center of town are terrible. They shine light everywhere BUT where it's needed. This means that people in crosswalks are practically invisible. The current "Narnia" lights may look nice during the daytime but at night pedestrians would actually be safer if the lights were turned completely off.
But the decorations actually make the situation better, as they block light from the sides and reduce glare. I believe that a similar year-round solution would increas safety.
Anon 8:59: totally true, this is a really good synopsis of the situation. Those lights are TERRIBLE and ineffective.
For anyone who would like to see a demonstration of this principle and pictures of good and bad lighting of the same setting you could check this out: (I am NOT affiliated with the site)
http://www.sustainableoutdoorlighting.com/GLARE.html
larry K....have you covered this?
larry shaffer left amherst with his secretary and a tidy severance package, after apparently extorting town employees...why else would he leave under the guise of retiring, when now it seems he is on to his 2nd manager job after "retiring" the first time. he left his last position under significant shady circumstances as well. portage, you are fools about to be played.
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/11/portage_council_delays_approvi.html
Doesn't the sun shine perpetually in Amherst?
How about the Government require all pedestrians to wear glow in the dark jumpsuits at any time they may be within 100 yards of a motor vehicle? Better yet, let's equip cars with some sort of motion sensors that automatically slam on the brakes when there is movement of organic matter in the vicinity. Maybe the brilliant people in Amherst can petition the federal government to increase funding for teleportation research negating the need to actually be a pedestrian.
Or maybe, people can take responsibility for themselves by watching for pedestrians if you are operating a motor vehicle, or watching for motor vehicles if you are a pedestrian.
"And the lights all went out in Massachusetts
The day I left her standing on her own."
Bee Gees fans unite!
I agree with anon 11:45. Here's the best solution: wait at the edge of the crosswalk for the vehicle to see you and come to a complete stop. Once the vehicle stops, cross safely. Problem solved
Or we can put a set of earbuds in, put our heads down, and walk out into traffic and expect that everyone will see you and stop because you have "the right of way". Then if you get injured, blame the lighting for your own lack of common sense.
Oh my! Vince Oconnor used the word "Christmas" in a public forum? Isn't that grounds for dismissal from town meeting? Also, the christmas decorations have been taken down already. No need to worry, only "holiday" decorations are left. Oh Ya, and a menorah.
Common sense isn't common.
Mark Twain
I think that as soon as he crosses the line into rhetorical excess, like the phrase "gross negligence", it's time to stop listening.
If there's a problem, we should fix it. But the accusatory tone is just Vince feeding his own ego.
This is a man who thinks that we all should be thinking what he's thinking when he's thinking it.
more present day larry shaffer shenanigans!
this one is sexual harassment!
"'Is my fly up?': Alleged comment by Portage acting city manager at heart of city council debate"
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/10/portage_council_reveals_invest.html
Thank you Anon.10:59 a.m. for the Larry Shaffer report. Apparently, he hasn't changed. He has only changed his venue.
Anyone who thinks that Amherst has cornered the market on silliness and trumped-up outrage needs to read the article referenced by Anon 6:34 p.m.
We're really no better or worse than any other municipality in America, or if you prefer, better in some ways and worse in others.
I do hope that, at some point, we are going to get past this era of daily feigned indignation.
Anonymous said...
"Thank you Anon.10:59 a.m. for the Larry Shaffer report. Apparently, he hasn't changed. He has only changed his venue."
Just change the name and this fits many of our former residents
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