Arizona
Freeway Safety DOWNgrade
NOTE: If you have night pictures of your local
signs, lighted or not, please send the JPG pictures to me at: roadsigns@cox.net I plan to post pictures in the next day or
so.
The State of Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has engineered and constructed a freeway system that provides—well, until recently, usefulness, safety, and convenience to the millions of residents and tourists.
Recently, ADOT has moved to rubberized payment overlays, which provide a great reduction in vehicle noise, to the benefit of the motorist and the people living near the freeways.
However, ADOT has reversed their advancement into the future, by disassembling illuminated sign safety features less than a decade after costly installation of these safety devices.
If the mission of ADOT continues unchecked by the public, the well lighted freeway signs, off ramp signs, and surface street overhead advisory signs will be darkened—valley and perhaps statewide. As time goes on, the illuminated signs will have the wires cut, the lamps removed, and will remain dark forever.
Motorists are expected to grin and bear it, and to rely on the reflective characteristics of the signs as the downgrade of our freeway system progresses. The problem is, that a driver that has a modern headlight system does not shine a great deal of light into the air. And, the downgrading of the freeway system signs flies in the face of common logic.
Let’s look at the possible results of removing these safety features:
SITUATIONS:
A visitor from out of the State of Arizona, or perhaps from
another country:
Confusion
due to poor visibility of the signs results in a quick lane change.
An
accident results due to the erratic maneuver.
Injuries
or worse result.
An
east valley family takes the Loop 101 to the new Football or Hockey Stadium.
The
southbound Loop 101 signs have all the sign lights removed.
(As
of today, this writing, the lights are gone)
Imagine,
that a monsoon dust storm is starting after dark.
The
signs cannot be seen at all.
Visitors
to the Valley notice that with no lighted signs, travel is now difficult.
Visitors
do not come back, and they tell their friends about the downgrade.
Arizona
looses more of the tourist trade.
California and Nevada still light their signs. So Does Arizona, on new freeway construction. In a few years, those Arizona sign lights will be removed also.
The Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano has indicated that she does not have much interest in this safety matter. Instead she had a State Traffic Engineer Michael Manthey send a letter, explaining essentially that this a fuzzy, warm change that is all designed for the best of all us, and then wrote: “The Astronomy community has asked us to limit the amount of lighting on signs since a certain amount of the light is directed skyward and affects the numerous telescope installations in Arizona to be less effective.” (I have a signed letter with these exact words from ADOT to prove this ridicules statement was written)
Do we see a pattern here?
Mayors and Councilpersons of Cities have expressed total frustration in this matter, as the State of Arizona will not cooperate with the wishes of the cities, (nor the public) through which the freeways travel. You saw above, that ADOT wrote me and indicated that the lights are being removed so that we can see the stars better at night. Remember in most states sign lights point UP, but in Arizona, the lights shine down. There are probably over a million street lights, and how about those lit up buildings, flag polls, and so forth? This is the misguided so-called logic that places the Arizona motoring public in danger.
Do you recall how ADOT resisted cable barriers on the freeway, even though people were being killed from crossover accidents every week? They were worrying about their landscaping, their implied priority, that plants and landscaping are more important than people’s lives.
However, there is some good news! At this time, ADOT has removed the lamps, but has retained the
wiring, and switch boxes. Of
course, the expensive part of wiring these signs in the first place was the
running of pipes through the ground, system wide, for hundreds of thousands of
feet. Arizona Taxpayers paid for
these lighted signs—which are being installed on new freeways to this date—only
to see the lights taken down after 8 to 9 years later.
It is possible to restore the damage done, before accidents occur and the downgrading of this safety feature is included in the contributory negligence lawsuits. Unless the lighted signs are restored, it is possible that the Taxpayers will have to shoulder another burden, as the folly of this reduction in safety causes the predictable damage to property and lives. Lawyers will be required to do their job, and we will ultimately pay for this negligent change in safety policy.
How can you help?
ü
Contact your City Officials,
and demand that they voice constant complaints to ADOT.
ü
Voice your opinion to the ADOT
bureaucrats. 206 S. 17th Ave,
Phoenix AZ 85007-3213
ü
Contact the Governor, and show
that her political future depends on Arizona safety.
ü
Contact the TV media, and get
them to investigate and point out the problem.
ü
Do not vote for
an extension of the Freeway Tax, unless ADOT restores sign lights.
ü
If you or a friend has an
accident at night on a freeway with blacked-out signs, make sure that your
Attorney is made aware of the possible contributing negligence, due to ADOT
removing an established safety feature.
As a retired Deputy Sheriff of Los Angeles, having worked as a Community Relations Sergeant and liaison to California Department of Transportation CALTRANS, my experience causes me great concern for the motorists of Arizona and all visitors. A move to remove a safety feature, based on an unstated concept that State Government is merely increasing convenience for the ADOT people that have to change a light bulb once every four years, is a very bad idea. This movement by the State Of Arizona, apparently with Governor Janet Napolitano in full accord, can hurt a lot of persons; perhaps destroy their lives and future. For this reason, I cannot remain silent, as I took an oath many years ago, to protect lives and property. After retiring many years ago, I have not abdicated this oath.
Your response and your involvement are really needed.
Please write or call whoever may be of assistance in this vital
matter of public safety. Also tell them
to visit this site: The Freeway Safety Website: Freewaysafety.com
Sincerely,
Jay Staats
Retired; Deputy Sheriff
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
E-mail: RoadSafety@cox.net
Click HERE to see photos donated so far. Note, if anyone has better photographs, please submit to RoadSigns@cox.net and thank you for supporting this cause for public safety. You can make a difference, so please do something.
Jay