— from Jacquelyn Hoag —
One of the advantages of living on Orcas Island is the stars at night and the peaceful ambience. It would be a shame for those of us who live in and around Eastsound to be deprived of these natural wonders because of added lighting and speeding traffic.
Speed is and has been a problem, especially on Prune Alley. Drivers see it as a thruway, a street because it has less business and traffic controls than North Beach Road, is one were they can travel at a higher speed unimpeded through Eastsound. The added noise and vibration does not only disturb our peaceful village, speeding traffic is a danger to the many residents and visitors who use Prune Alley to get about. People walk with their children and walk their pets here. Seniors (Longhouse), some with impaired mobility, use it regularly.
Speed bumps are effectively used to slow down speeding vehicles in residential areas. Why can’t we do that here? Three (gentle) speed bumps with traffic signs strategically placed along Prune Alley would make a big difference. After a short time, drivers would know they were present and automatically slow down before reaching them. For a small investment a problem could be solved without the need for more expensive solutions, such as lighting, and keep Eastsound safe and peaceful.
A former resident of Prune Alley lobbied for this some years ago. Though the idea was well received, it seems to have been dropped. It’s time to pick it up again!
I think that consideration of speed bumps is a worthy idea. We’ve travelled by car a lot in Mexico where speed bumps are by far more effective in controlling speeding that either intermittent stop signs or speed limit signs.
I question the need for night lighting in Eastsound. Has anyone else noticed that during the high traffic months, there is sunlight until 10:00 and that because almost all businesses close earlier, the streets are essentially deserted. There must be other considerations that have escaped me.
What about another option…say NO to street lights and also say NO TO SPEED BUMPS
Speed bumps rather than street lighting is an excellent idea. It would be inexpensive to try it out as a test. They are very effective at slowing traffic and making drivers more mindful.
Eastsound is so full of light pollution that we residents can’t even see the stars at night; how can this kind of light pollution be allowable with a population this small? I am blinded by high-mounted spotlights, glary LED “blue” light, and horrid hallogen uncovered light sources, and often I feel like a potential rape/robbery victim in some places I walk, having the disadvantage of not being able to see past the light field or two feet in front of my face, while being fully lit up whoever may be lurking in the dark.
I’m all for speed bumps in and around town – and fixing of the terrible potholes. Who are we catering to with these street lights? Why not sidewalk low lights at knee level, low lumens. Town is lit up like Christmas year-round. Do we really need this?
Most of the naysayers on lighting are neither business owners in Eastsound, nor live in Eastsound.
Besides the security advantages for nighttime crime in town, another big reason for lights on Prune Alley is safety for pedestrians in the evening after dark. Numerous times I have come uncomfortably close to hitting pedestrians, especially near the two drinking establishments where the patrons tend to spill out onto the street!
If you want dark skies, maybe walk a block or two away, and then you have 60 square miles of dark skies on the rest of the island.
For expertise on lighting, go to the study done by the PLIT group in the Eastsound Vision process. I was in that group and we listened to all sides, coming up with the recommendation of low level, non-intrusive lighting in the town of Eastsound
Speed bumps? The definition of urban. No way.
The problems with speed bumps are: 1) Police and Fire Departments don’t want them because they slow down and hamper emergency responses. 2) They increase noise and pollution because vehicle are always accelerating from a near stop, using more gas and causing carbon emission and global warming. 3) Speed bumps cause wear and tear on vehicle suspension and alignment.