What Code? What Enforcement? What Conflicting Arrows On A One Way Street? What "Misled or Confused Traffic"? What Wrong Way Drivers?

This business sign has been secured to a 
pair of city-owned poles for at least two years

Chapter 244 of the Hudson City Code is all about signs. Section 20 deals with ground signs. Subsection C refers to the Location and Size of ground signs. Sub-subsection 5 states:  Not to mislead, interfere with or confuse traffic. All ground signs shall conform to the provision of Chapter 244-20.

Chapter 244-20 states the following:  No sign shall be erected, relocated or maintained at the intersection of any street in such a manner as to ... obstruct the view of or be confused with any authorized traffic sign, signal or device; or which makes use of ... any word, phrase, symbol or character in such manner as to interfere with, mislead or confuse traffic.

Fifth Street, both North and South, is one the most common streets to see wrong way drivers.  I have no doubt that it is the most common street where wrong way driving occurs.

Also on ONE WAY 5th Street

More ugly, unwanted, misleading and
confusing clutter that just might cause a
bicyclist or pedestrian or two to
 be run over and killed.

Though I can't find a reference to it in the code anymore, I am under the impression that securing any type of sign to a traffic sign pole, streetlight pole or utility pole is prohibited. If it's not, it should be, whether or not the rule is enforced.

2 long blocks from the business location,
chained (!) to a city-owned streetlight pole.  
So attractive and helpful!  What if every 
business in town did this, chaining their signs 
to poles blocks from their locations?

Considering how often there are wrong way drivers on 5th Street, it's not difficult to imagine a pedestrian or cyclist being seriously injured or killed by a wrong way driver there. (Stranger circumstances with automobiles have killed people, and wrong way drivers often do.)  No matter the reasons for a fatal or serious wrong way "accident" on North 5th Street, even a decent lawyer could take advantage of the business sign with an arrow pointing in the opposing direction to a ONE WAY sign directly above it.  The city (and possibly the business as well) could be sued for allowing a sign to exist that is a clear code violation and that may have directed a driver on a deadly path in the wrong direction on a one-way street that the city knows is a common problem.  How would the city attorney defend the indefensible fact that no one at City Hall seems to be paying attention, even to its own Code of Rules?

"Guilty of negligence!  You must pay 5 million dollars to the remaining family of the deceased child and mother.  This was not the driver's fault."

Would the city allow the Chef Richie deli a block north to secure a 
sign of their own, also with an arrow, above this one? 
 How about next to it?  Why not?  If one business is allowed to, 
why can't all businesses do the same?  How about 5 
additional business signs, all attached to the poles and
with arrows of various sizes and colors pointing north?  
When the code is unenforced, all sorts of stupid, ugly,
dangerous and unnecessary crap becomes the norm.

This morning, a few minutes after thinking I had finished this article, I decided to get one more picture of a sign.  While near 5th & Prison Alley for no more than a minute, as if on cue, I noticed a white car  headed in the wrong direction on 5th (I did not see where it came from).  It was as if the driver knew exactly what she was doing, probably having done it at least once before.  She kept her car to the right along the unoccupied parking spaces (where the chances of meeting an oncoming vehicle were slim), did not look confused at all, and took a confident right turn up Prison Alley.  She felt comfortable, confident and entitled enough to take a short cut headed the wrong way on a one-way street for a half block, almost like she knew her chances of being caught were slim to zero and that the consequences of doing so would be minimal anyway.  "But officer, I just wanted to get to the alley.  I wasn't planning on doing anything dangerous or hurting or killing anyone."

The driver of this car seemed to be entirely 
aware of the fact that she was driving the 
wrong way on a one-way street!

"I'll only be on here for a few seconds."

Readying to turn to complete the short cut
to the alley.  "See, no harm done and no cops."

About a month ago, I saw a male driver do the exact same thing -- turning off of Warren and scooting quickly to the alley, utilizing the unoccupied parking spaces as a traffic lane headed the wrong way on one-way 5th street!  The only difference then, unlike today, was that there was a car waiting at the red light on 5th while he pulled his stunt.  The wrong way driver actually drove in front of and around the car that was facing and driving the correct direction on 5th.  Seconds later, the driver of that waiting car and I looked at each other and we both shook our heads in disbelief.

However often you think drivers are headed the wrong way on our one-way streets, it is likely happening a whole lot more often!