Dust – Speeding, and Rodeo Clowns

Posted bystarrcommPosted inUncategorized

Hi Everybody.

I got to thinking the other day about speed and dust and it’s a cinch that we’re going to be stuck with it for the summer since the ‘Boys’ (Goheen and Fort) delayed the bids long enough to put us in the no-grade/no-dust abatement zone, and at the same time, adamantly voted NO to soft speed humps, striping, and the Stop signs the county engineer said we needed. It’s a slam dunk for speeding problems so I decided to try a few things.
First, I called the city of Yachats to see if we could borrow the MPH machine with the display.  No deal BUT, we might be able to borrow the phony cop car with Dummy, and that might be fun.
Second, I called the sheriff’s’ Department and ask for some help and collaboration on the problem, and here is what I got.  We ARE part of the area in the county that they can patrol or enforce. He suggested that we use the ‘citizen-tip-sheet’ because it is shorter and it goes out to all patrol officers that are on duty at the time. Here is the link:  https://www.co.lincoln.or.us/sheriff/webform/citizen-tip-sheetWhen you see someone speeding, get as much information as you can – License number, color, make of the car or even a name if you know it, or an address, and fill out the tip sheet.  Not just once or twice but every time you see them, or someone else speeding, fill out another tip sheet. this does several things.  After a number of complaints, they will probably come out to chat with them and over time, they will become more visible in other places as well as repeat offenders.  Be nice, no cheating because you hate someone.
It’s a good plan and it beats feeling hopeless about the situation.  The deputy was very understanding because he lives in a road district where they have speeding problems as well.  He was really happy that they had gotten more signs and two more speed humps.  I had to sigh, some people have all the luck.  My hat’s off to Karen, the last to get lignin down for dust abatement and produce any actual work on the road two years ago.  She must have a bigger stick than mine.  Sometimes it feels like we’re the Tiny Tim of  road districts “God bless us every one!”
Sorry, no Rodeo Clowns.  I just wanted to get you to open this up. 

Published by starrcomm

Years ago, actings an assistant to a USFS engineer, I took part in the monitoring of all dirt roads within the district, and during those years, I traveled thousands of miles on every kind of dirt road you can imagine. checking for erosion, blocked ditches, culverts, creeks, berms, the impact of travel, slopes, and runoff. Up to the snow-line and back. Along roads that followed rivers dotted with giant tailing piles and deserted dredges leftover from mining along with the miles and miles of ditches used to move water to feed the giant cannons used in hydraulic mining. Into and out of wilderness areas, we followed one-track’s that led to established hunting camps and roads that were built for patented mining claims without the availability of a blade to cut the grade in the mountain. Access roads for tracts of timber going up for bid and the temporary roads inside a logging show. Skid roads to landings, to haul roads to get the logs back to the access road. Dust abatement, water, oil, and plant-based had to be considered. Haul roads often down-sloped and dicey, enough to make an experienced city driver get out of the truck and walk off the job. I’ve been down roads that looked more like a goat track, high above the creek bed, with the distance between the outside tire and air measured in inches. Enough to have me scribbling my last wishes on my lunch bag while keeping an eye on the upper bank for something to grab onto if the truck went over the edge. For those years, we covered every road within an area probably the size of Lincoln county. In my off time, I sometimes played at mining gold, In smaller waterways, using shooter damns, and dredging in the larger creeks. You could say that I have more than a passing acquaintance with dirt and water. I guess you could say it was my love of dirt and water, ad the challenges they present, that drew me to this position. I look forward to getting things done.

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