There's Nothing PRETTY or PRETTY GOOD FOR A CITY About Any Of This!

Can there be a better picture which represents the dysfunction that is the Hudson Common Council and the uselessness of council "president" Margaret Morris's new so-called SAFETY Committee that seems to be primarily concerned with parking?  

Just 24 hours after I came across yet another vandalized plastic scannable paid parking sign in the 700 bock of Columbia Street, this morning I came across this one on South Fifth!

During the "parking report" portion of Monday's meeting of the so-called SAFETY Committee, HPD Captain David Miller offered some numbers regarding last month's parking revenue taken in and parking tickets issued.  Miller's so-called report lasted all of 35 seconds, and no committee members (including Dewan Sarowar!) bothered to ask him anything about how things are going with the city's new paid parking system that he may or may not be supervising. Miller offered nothing about how well (or poorly) the city's new ambitious paid parking system is going.  He said nothing about the issue of his new scannable parking signs atop old meter poles that continue to fail and need replacing or repair.  Everything is fine, everything is SAFE, and the numbers look good.   

Here are some of the reassuring words that Miller offered on Monday to the three council members and the public regarding pedestrian safety.  (This was a first at a SAFETY Committee meeting.)  Keep in mind that it has been close to five months of silence (including at four SAFETY Committee meetings!) since two people within 40 hours using the painted crosswalk at the southern end of Park Place were struck by vehicles turning off of Warren Street. (One victim had her leg run over and broken badly; the other was grazed on the heel.  Both are city residents and the latter's name is Jason Foster.)  NOT ONE WORD HAS BEEN SPOKEN PUBLICLY ABOUT EITHER INCIDENT.   (I am 100% convinced that there are sinister forces at work in City Hall and at HPD.  Make no mistake, HPD is not part of City Hall, neither literally nor figuratively!) 

Soon after Miller finished his brief reports, he added this, almost as an afterthought:

"We had zero pedestrian accidents for April and zero roadway accidents involving pedestrians as well... to have zero is pretty good for a city."

What the hell is the difference between "pedestrian accidents" and "roadway accidents involving pedestrians"?

Did we do "pretty good" in December when two people were struck within 40 hours in the same crosswalk? Is a broken leg or two resulting from being run over by a turning vehicle "pretty okay for a city," Captain Miller?  How about a grazed leg by a two-ton vehicle?  Is that considered "pretty close to pretty good for a city"?

Broken City 
(pic taken this morning)

If a pedestrian or two had been struck by a vehicle -- on a "roadway," street or in a painted pedestrian crosswalk -- in April (or March or February), would that have been "pretty bad for a city"?  Or "not so pretty good"?  If one or both of December's struck pedestrians (within 40 hours!!!) had wound up dead, paralyzed or in a coma, would that have been "really pretty bad for a city"?  Or "not good at all for a city"?

Also, Parking Captain Miller, when the inevitable SAFETY Committee meeting arrives that you or your boss will have to admit that a pedestrian or two were struck by a vehicle the previous month, what are you going to do besides mention it?  Do nothing about the issue and hope a pedestrian is never struck at the same location again?  If another pedestrian or two get struck in the crosswalk at the southern end of Park Place, what are you going to do to make the intersection less dangerous for pedestrians?  Will you tell the SAFETY Committee that it's up to them to do something about the obviously unsafe intersection?

It's worth repeating that this was the first mention by Miller or Chief Franklin of pedestrian safety during any of the so-called SAFETY Committee's four meetings.  It's frightening what passes for good governance here in Hudson.  And, to me, it is beyond belief that Margaret Morris created a so-called SAFETY Committee that does not involve DPW Superintendent Rob Perry.  What on earth was she thinking?  Or was she thinking at all?  And why is there not a Parking Committee?

Keeping us PRETTY SAFE!