— from Susan Fleischer and John Fleischer —
Re: Orcas Road Project (Nordstrom Lane to McNallie Lane)
Dear Rick,
This is in regard to the San Juan County Orcas Road proposed realignment that runs along Carol Clark’s property from Swan Road to McNallie Lane.
Walt and Carol Clark (Susan’s parents) bought JB Farm in 1945 and have farmed it ever since. At one point the county rounded the Swan corner and encroached on the farm. They were never compensated.
Now the county wants to move part of the road between Swan Corner and McNallie Lane further west (onto JB Farm) adding a curve west into the woods and field. We say the road placement (along the straight-away across from the Jay Fowler/Timothy Abeyti parcels) is “grandfathered” in where it is, understanding that the county then would extend the width on BOTH sides of the road.
We do not want the road to curve into the field and woods in that area because a curve will remove productive farmland. Once farmland is gone, it never comes back. If the curve were to happen much agricultural land will be lost.
Furthermore, we and our neighbors do not want any bike park on Nordstrom corner or Swan corner. It’s a flat area and not where bicyclers would be tired from climbing a hill. We do not want tresspassers, litter, potties, and taxpayer money for the upkeep. Also a big concern is privacy for the homeowners. We feel that our homes could be “cased out.”
It’s hard enough to keep a farm going; we see that tourism counts on our farm for much of the beauty of the island. Well then, let’s keep it that way!
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I don’t see the need for any of it. People have managed that road for decades. I consider it a major part of rural character that we love and are supposed to be maintaining. Mow the corners and fix the leaning fences.
But we’ve been told that it’s a hotspot for accidents. Turns out to be a handful over decades. Bad driving, drunk driving. Things that will continue. But there are millions of dollars to spend and someone has to spend it.
I have an idea that would save everyone a lot of money and stress:
Drive safely!
We don’t need to fix the road. It ain’t broken. People drive on it all the time, bicyclists ride it all the time.
How many accidents are to blame on the road?
Besides, if anyone is stressing over the bicyclists… The amount of bicycle tourists back in the early to mid 1990’s FAR exceeded the amount we’ve had in recent years. You could literally start passing them at the landing and never stop until you made it to town.
And they were all just fine.
Besides, the only thing smoothing out the road will do is encourage drivers to go faster….. And who wants that?!??
We agree with all the above comments!! Especially the one about “encourage drivers to go faster . . . And who wants that?!??”
So we see the ‘need’ to ‘soften’ the coolest corners on the island for….what? I agree with Susan and John, we don’t need to do this. Leave them as they are – they terrify the tourists and keep most islanders honest. All in all, not a bad thing.
The problem is not the road.
Increasing the speed through the corner will also greatly increase the odds of future accidents resulting in serious injury or fatality. Seasonal ferry traffic is already hitting absurd speeds along Schaeffer Stretch, why is slowing traffic down not a reasonable option?!
Susan and John are right; what is the need to curve the road out to the east on the north side of Swan Lane? And who ever uses any of the bike rest stops? Almost no one! They are a complete waste of funds.
But, despite what the naysayers say, the new design will be safer:
https://bikeleague.org/content/speedy-road-design-undermines-safety
“The… approach to road design [that the County Public Works is using]… sometimes called ‘forgiving design’ ensures that drivers can see far ahead… has helped reduce the number of crashes on highways in rural areas”.
Ask any cyclist if they feel safe riding through those two sharp 90 degree turns! Ask any motorist if they feel comfortable passing a cyclist there!
I live south of the road curves by a quarter mile There is no question that this curve at the end of Schaffer stretch isnt quite dangerous. I drive this very frequently sometimes six to ten times a day over the past 22 years Not alot of thought went into its original design which might have been ok for most of these years. Not for todays traffic. The county has done a fair presentation of the options for intelligently redesigning configuration, has shown the public the accident data and asked for our opinion-which resulted in the current design now being refined.
At the public presentations I was told the curves protruding into farmland were an attempt to move the road away from wells placed adjacent, or too close to the road on the Abeyti/Fowler properties. There is also the concern for visibility from the McNalie stop sign that is particularily challenging, and will be corrected I agree with John and Susan as to the need to remove farmland. Seems quite silly. Please keep it straight…put the money into pedestrian pathways as well as adequate widening for cyclist and horses., so that a walking experience from the ferry to Moran is pleasant
For those who dont think its a dangerous stretch please try and walk it when ferry traffic comes in. While you are there take note of the ruts on the east side of the road heading north before Nordstrom lane Where a large truck went into the ditch, last week, just a few feet off the narrow road. This is a very common event not always resulting in a bad accident.
Bike rest stops are definitely used! Not just by bikes but by providing pull offs for slow traffic, emergencies, cell phone use, hitchhikers. They dont need to be called bike rests-generally bikers rest when needed and will find their spots of safety.
Please come and help us. The Public Works Open House is Thursday, April 2, 2015 from 3 P.M. – 6 P.M. at the Orcas Senior Center, Lundeen Room.
Thank you all so very much!
I completely agree with the Article from Susan and John, and related comments.
Let’s not “groom, taper, and trim the edges” of this beautiful island. The natural state is it’s inherent beauty. Honor that. It’s not about fitting into a new idea, for reasons that do not stand to reason. Keep it simple. Drive safely. Respect the land and this exquisite environment. Stop paving Paradise.