When Collecting Data Is Nothing More Than A Red Herring Waste Of Time, Talk and Effort!

There are now eleven $10,000 parking kiosks on Warren Street.  3 of them are in the 700 block.

Meanwhile, there is not one speed limit sign along all of Warren Street.  NOT ONE!  Yet the issue of speeding vehicles on Warren Street -- and elsewhere, to a lesser degree -- has cropped up at the two most recent meetings of the so-called Safety Committee.  If you follow closely what is said about the issue, you can only come to one conclusion, though:  it's all a waste of time and HPD is no help!

A few weeks ago, a solar-powered mobile speed radar sign owned by the Columbia County Sheriff's office was set up on Warren Street just east of 8th Street facing drivers headed east (on the other side of the street).  The sign soon moved to the west side of 8th, informing drivers headed west (on the same side of the street) how fast they are travelling.  With no speed limit sign attached to or near the radar sign, drivers are not told what the speed limit is or if they are exceeding it.  There is no context! 

"We are providing you with your speed, but we don't care what it is.  Have at it!  WTF do we care?  We don't want you to know what the speed limit is or if you are exceeding it!" 

That speed radar sign appeared soon after the Safety Committee meeting on June 1st.  During that meeting, there was a little bit of talk about whether or not HPD officers in patrol vehicles actually used their speed radar guns (it seems not).  Then the conversation turned to mobile speed radar signs ("speed trailers") as a solution to the problem on Warren.  Then a committee member -- who does not drive or own an automobile -- decided it was crucial to "collect data" on speeding vehicles.  Then two committee members and two representatives from HPD tried to figure out where all the city's speed radar signs were located.  (If you want a laugh, listen to the portion of the meeting near minute 21 of the video!)

Then, about a week later, at the mayor's 5th ward "town hall" I attended, a fifth ward resident brought up the issue of speeding vehicles on Glenwood Boulevard.  The mayor soon pointed out that a speed radar sign had recently come to Warren Street.  He then said something that seemed to me to be beyond absurd.  Ferris said that Chief Franklin was in the process of acquiring a gadget that could be attached to the radar sign on Warren so that HPD can collect vehicle speed data.  

AT LAST, WE CAN COLLECT DATA ON SPEEDING VEHICLES!  Hoo-fuckin'-rah!  Thank goodness we got a new mayor to finally get this accomplished.  Don't post even one speed limit sign!  Just collect the data and wonder why so many cars are speeding!  On Warren Street!

Now facing the proper direction!  Still, though, 
no indication of what the speed limit is.

Ferris mentioned nothing about what HPD would actually do with that data should they collect it.  Ferris mentioned nothing about the fact that HPD never actively enforces the speed limit downtown.  Ferris mentioned nothing about the fact that HPD never issues speeding tickets downtown, including on Warren Street, on North 6th Street (in his neighborhood) or on the Boulevards (especially Glenwood) on the outskirts of town. Ferris did mention, however, that the Hudson Police Department was hoping to collect data on speeding vehicles.  On upper Warren Street.  With the help of a speed radar sign the city does not own.  And with a gadget attached to the sign.  Besides the mayor, this ought to also make Dominic Merante really happy.  We can only hope that he will assist Chief Franklin and Captain Miller in ANALYZING THE DATA!

Ferris also assured the few residents in attendance of his "town hall" that the gadget Chief Franklin was hoping to acquire to collect data on speeding vehicles would not cost the city anything.  Big selling point!  Let's do this!  Collect the data at no cost!  Continue to not enforce the speed limit!  Continue to ignore the issue and do nothing to make life in Hudson any better or safer for anyone!  Continue to divert attention away from the problem so that nothing changes!  Don't bother placing a radar sign in the middle of the 700 block of Union or anywhere on State Street where one is needed. 

Final point:  When the County Sheriff asks for his "speed trailer" back, how will we collect any data on speeding vehicles or tell drivers how fast they are moving?  Find some grant money to buy one of our own?