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Hood River News Editorial
November 29, 2006
A world without stop signs?
Not likely, but an NPR report this week stated that some communities
in the U.S. and Europe are trying “shared space” of roads, which means
dispensing with all traffic signs — reportedly with greatly reduced
accident rates in some areas.
It won’t work in all places and no one is recommending it for this
community.
But this week’s snowstorm had the effect of practically doing away
with some traffic signs. Not that they got knocked down, though that
is known to happen.
No, it happened via a natural effacement of signs: wind-blown snow
sticking to the signs, obliterating their messages.
One such sign was at Hood River Valley High School.
Underlying all of this is the need for caution and patience on the
roads, with or without the assistance of signs.
At this writing, the gnarly winter conditions are due to stay for
awhile; see Sue Ryan’s article on page A8 for some handy road safety
tips.
Everyone’s running a little late, so it’s okay. In short, take your
time, and please look out for the other driver. |
