Busy On The Phone Or Completely Stoned?

DO NOT what?

For the second time in just four days, I have watched a car proceed in the wrong direction on N. 6th Street then wait at the red light at Columbia Street before turning onto the truck route.   Both times, the driver was completely unaware of being headed in the wrong direction, even while waiting at the light.  Today's instance was more frightening and shocking if only because I saw it from the beginning until the end.  There was no rain, no sun glare, no fog, and no excuse for what occurred.  Fortunately, there was no accident either.

While walking south on the sidewalk of 6th Street approaching the intersection of 6th & State, a small black car to my left headed south on 6th stopped at the stop sign.  Every driver at that stop sign, where 6th Street is no longer a two-way street, has two options -- either turn right or turn left.  The car, however, chose neither, instead driving straight ahead between and past two conspicuous DO NOT ENTER signs while continuing on N. 6th Street.  The car did not creep along as if the driver had noticed that something was amiss or that all the parked cars on both sides of the street were facing their way.  The driver just cruised right along, ready to create an accident that would be no one else's fault.

By the time I was able to get my camera focused on the car, it was one block away, waiting at the red light at Columbia Street with its blinker on.  Another car at the intersection, headed in the proper direction on 6th, was also waiting for the red light to turn green.  When the red light disappeared 10 or 15 seconds later and the green did not appear (it has been out for several months), the wrong-way driver turned left onto Columbia.  Then the other car made its way through the intersection, continuing north on 6th toward State.  Fortunately, no vehicles or bicyclists turned off of Columbia while the clueless wrong-way driver was waiting at the light.  Cars on Columbia often come careening around that corner onto 6th.

How is it possible that the driver failed to notice either one of those DO NOT ENTER signs?  Either they were busy on their phone or completely stoned. Can there be any other explanation?

Vehicles travelling in the wrong direction on one-way streets in an urban setting are particularly dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists.  Pedestrians and cyclists who know they are crossing a one-way street often don't bother looking both ways to see if the coast is clear -- it's only natural, really.  Even a clearly marked pedestrian crosswalk may not save you if a two-ton vehicle is driving the wrong way and you fail to see it in time. 

What I witnessed today further bolsters what I stated in Wednesday's article about the wrong driver I saw on 6th Street that day.  We need arrows on the pavement of our one-way streets.  Signs just aren't getting the job done, and our streets are getting more dangerous.

Shane "No Show" Bower, where are you?  And how is that I have never seen you walking or bicycling in downtown Hudson?  Ever!  Never!  Is it because you don't live in Hudson?  Is it because you are afraid to walk or bike downtown?  Over four months ago on the phone, you told me that replacing the missing green light at 6th & Columbia would be "an easy fix."   At this month's informal meeting, a member of the public (and neighbor of mine) made it clear to the police chief that the same green light is missing.  The police chief responded to the person's concern with nothing more than "Okay.  Okay."  Is that police code for "We still won't do anything about it!"? Or might it be police code for "I definitely won't bother telling the police commissioner about this. Stop bothering me, you annoying person. Try again in a month or two and I will offer you the same response! Okay?"  Lastly, Shane, why is the police chief fielding questions and concerns for you and why weren't you at this month's meeting to take any questions, complaints or concerns from the public or the council?   Is it the same reason you weren't at last month's meeting and the meeting before that and the meeting before... because you don't care how dangerous Hudson's streets are or how much worse they have become lately?