It Would Be Almost Comical If It Weren't Happening In Our City

HUDseen ran a short piece in April about DPW's quickly failed paint job on the curb at the intersection of 7th & State, paint that was supposed to make the intersection safer with the influx of on-street parking for the new businesses in the area.  In case you've forgotten or didn't read it, DPW had tried their best to remove one parking space at the northeast corner to create more visibility of oncoming State Street traffic for drivers entering State from 7th Street.  Yellow paint was applied to the top and side of the curb last fall, in October I believe.  I took these pictures in the last few weeks.

It took just 6 months for nearly all the yellow 
curb paint to wash away along a parking space 
that the city maybe does not want anyone parking in

9 months ago, DPW painted the curb yellow
to the arrow seen between the two cars

9 months later it is once again
a legal parking space (notice the bit 
of remaining yellow paint)

Cars parked here make the intersection
unnecessarily dangerous

During his DPW report last month, our DPW Superintendent had this to say (taken from the video of the meeting): "Our paintings, we started with the curbs. We will start doing some striping for some lines, and the county will bring their center line striper in July or August."  That curb painting by DPW took place two months ago but did not include the intersection of 7th & State.

By removing that parking space on State Street -- or attempting to -- DPW was trying to prevent probably the worst type of vehicle accident imaginable in an urban setting:  the T-bone, especially the version where the driver's side of a car is slammed into by a vehicle travelling up to 30 miles per hour or more.  Drivers and passengers can and do get seriously injured or die from this type of accident.  Motorcyclists and bicyclists don't stand a chance.

Speaking of possible T-bone accidents, there was a 2-car vehicle accident on April 6th in the early afternoon at the intersection of one-way City Hall Place and Cherry Alley.  Yes, that busy intersection! The HPD accident report categorized this accident as PI, or personal injury, one of four PI's that month.  In other words, this accident resulted in at least one person being hurt and possibly requiring attention at CMH -- because of a car crash in middle of City Hall Place (CHP)!  I don't know the specifics of that accident, but it was probably a T-bone.  The crash likely occurred because of a car parked along a curb that hasn't been repainted yellow in years by DPW and where there isn't a NO PARKING sign.  Cars park there all the time, but HPD can't issue tickets if there isn't a NO PARKING sign and the curb is practically void of yellow paint. 

Does this look like a legal parking space?
Of course it does -- DPW makes sure of it!

A car entering CHP from the alley, or trying to cross CHP, probably didn't see an oncoming car on CHP because of a car parked where it shouldn't have been, blocking the view of CHP traffic, because of a car parked where there USED TO BE A YELLOW CURB.  DPW hasn't repainted the curbs surrounding the intersection for years and they didn't bother to do it in May when the DPW curb painting crew was out supposedly making Hudson a safer place to drive, bike and walk.   It is entirely likely that the accident on April 6th on CHP that may have sent someone to the hospital was the result of DPW being lazy, sloppy and negligent -- the exact attributes our DPW Superintendent owns.  It always comes from the top, doesn't it?  The more you pay attention to what Mr. Perry claims his department does and what they actually do, the more you understand that he is full of bullshit.  

The curb along the first car in the picture below hasn't been repainted IN YEARS!  That car is not supposed to be parked there!  That car is making the intersection dangerous!  A car parked there on April 6th likely caused an accident and may have sent someone to the hospital!  Do you think Robert Perry gives a crap?

Several years ago, there was no doubt that 
this space was not to be parked in, but DPW 
has not bothered repainting the curb
in recent years.  The same is true on the
other side of the alley.  Why?

The "county" that Mr. Perry referred to during the meeting is the Columbia County Highway Department who assist us with painting center and shoulder lines all over the city.   Their annual one-day painting project took place about a week ago, but it was incomplete.  They repainted the important single yellow line in the center of the bend at the bottom of the Columbia Street hill approaching Green Street, but they did not get to the single line in the bend on Carroll Street approaching Short Street.  Both of those lines are equally important.  One wonders if Robert Perry noticed the omission or if he even cares.  Another vehicle accident?  "Whatever!"

"Now what, Mr. Perry?"

"Hey Perry, are the arrows as unimportant 
as the yellow line?"

I could have easily included dozens of additional photos of curbs all over the city that HAVE NOT BEEN REPAINTED YELLOW IN YEARS!  "Our paintings, we started with the curbs."