Jane Murray has long been obsessed with controlling traffic going by her house. Her anger about last Saturday's Motorcycle "Ride for Hospice" is just a recent example.
In the past she has:
complained about gas company, electric company and city trucks driving in the unpaved alley behind her house to repair utility lines.One of the first things she did when she got into office was to have "do not enter" signs installed in her alley.
tried to get the Kalb administration to install speed bumps, "no truck" signs, and other signs in front of her house. (She said that City drivers needed to be "retrained" not to drive on Dorman.)
tried to the get the Planning Commission to deny Dr. Driedger's office expansion.
In a recent Portsmouth Daily Times story, she claimed that she actually directs traffic on Dorman at times:
“I have seen tractor-trailers starting to turn up Dorman (Drive) and then they look, and I wave them down Shawnee (Road), and they throw their hand up,” Murray said. “I’ve gone out and talked to some of them, and they said, ‘I don’t believe I got on this route. That’s where they told us to go to get to so and so, and they are going from Columbus to Ashland (Kentucky) or Huntington (West Virginia).”Murray says she is working on a "Traffic Calming Plan" for Dorman Drive, including a three-way stop at Grandview and Dorman and "other possible measures." Murray's Service Director has met with Vern Riffe School officials and he suggested that their school buses should no longer use that street. The Mayor is planning to send emails to Portsmouth City Schools when the "traffic calming plan" is finalized. Apparently the traffic calming measures are to include increased signage and speed bumps. Furthermore, we have heard that she has informed City Department Heads that she will no longer be referring traffic issues to the Traffic Committee. Instead she will make all traffic decisions herself.
The Crazy Train just keeps rolling. Hopefully it will stop in November.
UPDATE: Portsmouth DailyTimes
Today's Portsmouth Times report confirms "Traffic Calming" Story.
A statement by the City Service Director gives us an idea of what Mayor Jane's idea of a "traffic calming" really is:
Beaumont said if the city does put up a three-way stop intersection in [at Dorman and Grandview], it would eliminate a lot of bottleneck and slow up traffic. [How do you slow up traffic AND eliminate a lot of bottleneck?] "A school bus wouldn't necessarily want to be in that bog," Beaumont said.It's clear that, as we said, Murray remains obsessed with traffic coming by her house. As Beaumont said:
"...if you are coming down Coles Boulevard and you want to get over to Grandview, that you go down to the four-way at 27th Street and hang a left on 27th, then hang a right on Grandview."So now G.I. Jane is telling us how to drive in our own town with out consulting the traffic committee (in violation of the City Charter) or City Council. Did we elect a moyor or a dictator? No wonder the CAVE People love her.
HONK if you can't stand Jane!
ReplyDelete(Especially in the evening -- when she's home plotting and planning new ways to harass her neighbors and fellow citizens.)
THAT (along with a few along with VAROOM! VAROOM!) should send her a message she can understand -- nothing ELSE seems to work!
I'm totally going to drive up and down Dorman more often now. And I'll honk too.
ReplyDeleteLove your picture...NO GORILLAS!
I have been on Dorman Drive numerous times. I don't get what makes it more special then other streets. I know Queen (oops) Mayor Jane lives there, but that does not elevate it above all other streets in Portsmouth. If there is a valid reason to change traffic, add a speed bump, change a light, fine...but not just because it is an annoyance or is inconvenient to the Mayor...whoever it may be.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the reason for the Traffic committee? I guess she is by-passing them because they don't find her street more important then anyone else's.
As a person born and raised in Ptown, I can say we've been driving up and down the street in front of that house since I was a kid. If she didn't like it, she shouldn't have bought it. Sell it and move Jane- and please, go FAR FAR AWAY.
ReplyDeleteShe's living in a dream world. Speed bumps are used on fire lane roads and other passages that require low speed (5 mph our less) Does she really think that "Speed Bumps" on Dorman Drive will work? There would be more rear end collisions, butchered alignments, road rage and more. Please sign a petition today and God save our city !!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWell, who knew that a house on a busy, busy intersection would be subjected to traffic noise? In Victorian England, when a death occurred, straw was put down in the street outside the home to muffle the sound of horses and carriages passing by out of respect for the family of the deceased. No one is dead here, but does the city budget have funds for lots and lots of straw?
ReplyDeleteI live close to the city garage and I don't want those noisy garbage trucks coming by MY house anymore!! Just kidding...I just wanted to see if that sounded as ridiculous as she does!! Instead of worrying about how much noise happens around her house, Crazy Jane needs to be more concerned with other residential areas. I am still looking at a hole in front of my house that was left after a leaking water meter was replaced in July LAST YEAR...and caused the hydrant to go bad. I have called her office and talked to her "people"...guess what? nothing has been done...bet if it happened at the corner of Dorman, it would have been fixed a year ago!!!
ReplyDeleteAt least I still have a fire station close by!!!
I would like to know where Murray received her traffic engineering knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI have always been led to believe that the purpose of traffic control devices are (at least were) intended to create a smooth, orderly, efficient, and safe flow of traffic - NOT BOG IT DOWN.
It was suggested that school buses go a different route so they don’t get caught in the bog. What about the safety of the children? Is it expected they are to walk down a street that has no sidewalk to go to a new area to board and get dropped off a bus? Where would this area be? It is quite obvious that absolutely no consideration is or has been given to the safety of children. But then, how could a self-centered, egotistical, narcissistic person be expected to have or show concern for others?
It really is time to rise up and say - I’M MAD AS HELL AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANY MORE. Each person in this community counts and something can be accomplished if we work collectively. But, then, we can sit back, do nothing, and watch our city deteriorate even more and more. When that happens who is to blame - WE ARE! Not the ones causing the deterioration because they go on their simple minded way happy as a lark not realizing nor caring about the damage they cause.
Great point about the kids' safety! I take walks in those areas all the time and would NOT want my children walking down those streets with no sidewalks.
ReplyDeleteI suggest that the victory parade when "Ma'am mayor" is recalled run on Dornan Street.
ReplyDelete