Posted by Gunslinger, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2010 at 8:43 am
I am curious if the wireless traffic system will be emitting yet more radiation that we humans will have to endure. Between cell phones, wireless Internet, microwave pulse motion detectors at store fronts to open doors, and on and on, we are bombarded by radiation daily.
Posted by psmacintosh, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2010 at 11:07 am
All of this sounds good and well work, with the EXCEPTION of the following (that I question):
"Outdated curb ramps were torn out for upgraded, less steep versions that will meet current wheelchair-accessibility requirements. Each of the new ramps will also have a bright-yellow traction pad, featuring raised bumps on its surface which will indicate to sight-impaired pedestrians that they have fully crossed the street to reach the sidewalk. For pedestrians who have partial use of their eyesight, the bright yellow pads will make the curb ramps easier to see."
"Disabled advocate groups called for a change in the way curb ramps are made,"..........
1. I have wheelchair and walker users in my household that use these current ramps and they WORK JUST FINE as they are. This is completely unnecessary work without a whole lot of added value for the cost involved.
2. Just because the federal "government" is paying for it with "grants," doesn't really make it a "good" thing to do. It is this type of wasteful, abusive spending (always justified by such heart-wrenching rationales) and constant special interest politics (causing the government to "favor" one type of business interest, often "green" businesses, over other valid businesses) that is causing the federal government to COST TOO MUCH and destroy our free enterprise and private business system of capitalism. Now we, Danville, are a part of the wrong-doing, so that we can get our fair share of the pie (or else some other city will get it).
3. The yellow traction pads are ridiculous! I don't think they add that much benefit--blind people have plenty of other clues to knowing "where" they are at the corner locations. I've never heard of this "location factor" as being a highly significant problem. Further, I wonder if the pads will wear out sooner than the concrete, leading to higher maintanence and replacement costs in the future. Plus they look and feel stupid and unattractive, IMO.
4. Additionally, I'm unclear as to why the current locations of the push buttons is really so poor and unreachable for wheelchair users.
5. I am a proponent of many of the changes for "disabled" people. However, these changes and "laws" often go way TOO FAR and no one--no politician or citizen--has the guts to stand up and say so. It is just too politically incorrect and the "disabled" rationale has too much sway and clout. I think there is far too much wasteful and not justifiably beneficial (for the cost) work being done for these "causes".
6. The rest of the work on the streets sounds reasonable to me. However, it should be noted that it was just recently that a lot of roadwork/repavement was done on these streets and lots of median work was done as well. So it seems like we are experiencing a lot of "churning" of work contracts on these street areas--and lots of "busy work" and "stimulus" work for certain sectors of industry (including "government/city" employees).
7. One thing of constant irratation about Sycamore road has always been the harsh "bumps" of the areas of manhole covers, etc.. And then the resulting potholes around thse areas. In the past, in spite of great feeling new road surfacing done, the levels of the covers has always resulted in harsh, bumpy driving, especially for vehicles with hard suspension. I wonder if this issue can be addressed more excellently, since the work is being done again.
Posted by n, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2010 at 6:07 pm
They should have continued the sidewalk on Sycamore Valley Road, westbound. The sidewalk ends for a few blocks, which means you have to cross the street or walk in the dirt when walking towards the freeway.
Posted by SprtnDad, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Jul 29, 2010 at 9:34 am
Agreed - more wasteful spending. Not only are we paying for work we don't need, we are paying union wages which are 2x what is necessary.
How is it that government officials (Mr. Stella) think fed money is different than local money? It all comes from the same source, the taxpayer.
Add in the new light metering system and people can drive faster than the posted 45 mph and not be stopped by any lights. That's great. We're just asking to get more people killed on this thoroughfare.
Posted by Hal, a resident of another community, on Jul 29, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Dear Dolores,
Several of us were wondering how a facelift applies to a road. We looked on maps of Danville and could not find any reference to Camino Tassajara having a face.
We, in humor, agreed that a road could have a face to enhance its appearance. Possibly painting the Mona Lisa and similar every few blocks would be just the facelift this road needs. Has that been considered?
Posted by jrm, a member of the Vista Grande Elementary School community, on Jul 29, 2010 at 7:43 pm jrm is a member (registered user) of Danville Express
Ditto on the sidewalk...what the heck is up with that? seriously, this needs to be looked at, it appears to be an oversight in that stretch along Sycamore. As a runner I deal with it but I see parents with kids in strollers dodging bikes as folks hustle to get onto 680 North and that is a hazard, I speak from experience as a runner along the creek and out to Freitas.
Posted by C. R. Mudgeon, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Jul 30, 2010 at 10:22 am
I'd also be interested in knowing more about the "disabilities activist groups" that were pressuring the town, since it doesn't seem like the deficiencies in the current sidewalks, etc. were all that great (with the exception of the missing section that some have mentioned above).
The original ADA act is from 1990, with the elder Bush being President, but passed by a Democratic Congress. The latest amendments to the ADA came in 2008, with the younger Bush as President, but from 2006-2008 both houses of Congress had Democratic majorities, so for both the original ADA and the 2008 amendments, both parties can share credit and blame.... (But somehow I am guessing that the poster above blames Bush more than Reid and Pelosi....)
The ADA has also unleashed a torrent of lawsuits, some no doubt for good reasons/intentions. But there are also well-known "ADA chaser" lawyers who have made a career of suing businesses (especially smaller businesses with little ability to hire expensive legal teams to defend themselves), and then settling out of court for a nice cash payment. None of which actually helps disabled people.
Posted by Bob, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Jul 30, 2010 at 5:10 pm
I am handicapped having suffered a stroke. I walk very gingerly with a cane and despise the yellow pads with traction bumps. They cause my cane to slip and throw my balance off.
As a handicapped person I am totally frustrated by these changes, walking just became harder for me.
Posted by Jim, a resident of the Alamo neighborhood, on Aug 16, 2010 at 6:43 am
What ever happened to the planned project of resurfacing 680? I'm tired of having to dodge every pothole. Let's put the money into something that will benefit everyone in the area.
View in an RSS Reader
E-mail this topic.
Print this topic.
