Batavia Daily News for Friday: Speeders beware, the city now has... kitchy signs!?

Posted by Philip Anselmo on October 17, 2008 - 12:19pm
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The Daily News reports that the city of Batavia will post five bright-orange signs to help curb speeding in the city. City Manager Jason Molino told the Daily: "It's an attempt to get people to slow down. We're trying a few out. ... We'll see how it works and we may move them around. It's a trial period."

Reporter Joanne Beck describes the signs as like "the old Burma Shave-style signs ... except these signs will be posted one at a time instead of Burma Shave's tactic to have one after another."

What do you think? Will an orange sign that proclaims: "Got time for a speeding ticket?" slow down speeders? Would you slow down because of it?

Does anyone know how much the signs cost?

It turns out that despite a "flurry of new registrations"—1,451 new voters joined the rolls this election season—total voter enrollment in Genesee County is down from four years ago: from 40,635 to 34,862. Democrats can boast, if a boast it is, that they had one more new registrant than the GOP: the two clocked in at 450 and 449, respectively. Roger Muehlig put together an informative article on this topic that's worth checking out.

Sacred Heart Church on Sumner Street in downtown Batavia was burglarized Sunday night, according to city police. Nothing is yet know to link this burglary with the several others during August and September. Det. Richard Schauf told the Daily that they are still waiting on the lab results from the other investigations.

We encourage you to pick up a copy of the Daily News at your local newsstand. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

Posted by Charlie Mallow on October 17, 2008 - 12:45pm
The signs are made by our own DPW; the cost is the stock and labor.

There has been an increase of public input as to controlling traffic as of late, especially speeding trucks. Disrespectful drivers are the second most heard complaint, next to neighborhood issues. This idea for the signs was one that was picked up from other municipalities as a good way to deter people from speeding. When I first looked at the signs Jason had made, I was impressed. I see them having an impact, especially to out of town speeders that use our city as a highway to avoid the thruway toll. They are out the ordinary and catch your attention.
Posted by Philip Anselmo on October 17, 2008 - 1:26pm
Thanks, Charlie. I wouldn't have minded getting a video of the DPW guys making one of these signs. Do you know if they plan to produce any more or any other signs? How can I get in to watch and record that? I think that would be a fun video that people would be interested in.

Also... when I was covering the city of Canandaigua, they were debating how best to handle the traffic problem. The city manager there gave me a neat little book called something like: "Main Street... When a Highway Runs Through It". That might be worth looking into. Batavia has several points downtown where state routes intersect and take on the persona of downtown avenues.
Posted by Gabor Deutsch on October 17, 2008 - 4:26pm
Orange signs are gonna keep people from speeding ?
That is the funniest thing I ever heard.
Thats like a speed limit sign.
Uh oh speed limit sign i better slow down.
Unless there is a ticket camera they are wasting tax payers money.
Posted by Tom Gilliatt on October 17, 2008 - 5:49pm
I can see alot of these sign being stolen if you ask me!
Posted by Mark Potwora on October 17, 2008 - 6:42pm
Whats next..signs that say no talking on cell phones..or you better be wearing your seat belt or else,maybe if they could time the lights on Main Street,people wont speed up to try to make it at least past the next light..Here is another crazy police set up..going out of batavia on clinton street they set up one of those radar how fast your going signs..right at the edge of the city.With a 30 mph sign attach to it..Not 50 yards away is a sign for 45 mph..Dont understand that one..I wonder how many speeding tickets do they write in an average month in batavia..Or cell phone tickets,and set belt tickets..Maybe Phil could find out for us..
Posted by Howard Owens on October 17, 2008 - 8:24pm
There's a reason businesses keep paying for advertising -- it works! Good marketing can serve any number of purposes, including convincing people to slow down and be nicer on the roadways. I don't see this as silly or inappropriate. It's a lot less expensive than a cop running radar over a period of time, I imagine.

I'm with Philip, though, Charlie -- why didn't Jason call us and say, "Hey, would you like to do a video of us making one of these signs?" Great pub for the city, and Jason.
Posted by lazario Ladou on October 17, 2008 - 9:55pm
raise your hand if you dont speed
Posted by Charlie Mallow on October 18, 2008 - 6:26am
Most people want to do the right thing, they just need a reminder.
Posted by lazario Ladou on October 18, 2008 - 1:48pm
really?

Do you know right from wrong
Don't need reminders if you do

The reminder IS the speed limit sign, anyway

You should know right from wrong in these instances pretty well regardless of proximity to speed sign reminders


Right?
Posted by Charlie Mallow on October 18, 2008 - 5:49pm
Lazario,

Have you ever found yourself speeding without intending to do it?
Yes, NO

Are speeders criminals? Evil?
Dark hearts, unpure



Do new signs catch your eye?
Perhaps

Why do people advertise?


Do new ideas scare people?
Thinking out of the box..









Can you ever achieve a different result by doing the same thing?
Posted by lazario Ladou on October 18, 2008 - 11:29pm
Have you ever found yourself speeding without intending to do it?
good point but we cant go around reminding people of everything
That makes this a little pet project for those who speed -likely just as often- as those that speed and unfortunately end up injuring someone

Some that speed are evil and others that speed ONLY SOMETIMES THOUGH :( are just ..human?

Our duty is to just make sure catch the REALLY SERIOUSLY guilty bastards?

If someone -a speeder of sorts- can remind themelves that additional signs are needed to remind other speeders of sorts to slow down shouldn't they be able to remember to just slow down
if they can do that
Why cant everyone else that is supposed to benefit from these signs?


New signs catch my eye when they read 75% off
There is already a sign for everything that needs to be said and/or reiterated
Anything more is waste and not the answer to the problem


New ideas generally scare the $#)! out of people
What are you implying with this one? That new signs (idea) scare people straight?
I doubt it if that's what you're going for

Can you ever achieve a different result by doing the same thing?
yes

Is this still about the signs or a crazy remark?
Posted by Ron C Welker on October 19, 2008 - 9:51am
Nice try:)
Posted by Daniel Jones on October 19, 2008 - 1:43pm
It is a boast, this is supposed to be a strongly Republican county. If we're even coming close to them with new registrations, let alone narrowly beating them, it means that we're having a very good year.
Posted by Gabor Deutsch on October 19, 2008 - 5:16pm
Oh, so tax payers arent paying for these signs ? Well good for them for trying to keep people from speeding but it is still silly. There is no peanalty for speeding and now since a bunch of people know they are just signs they will surely slow down out of respect. Look at what good it did on the thruway unless there was a speed trap the average speed is at least 75 miles per hour. Speed bump, speed trap, and enforcement is what would work not a bunch of orange signs. No matter how many videos you take of the making of those signs, A cop running radar pays for itself in a few hours and it makes people slow down knowing or seeing that. Why would you expect Jason to call you to advertise the making of the signs? Even crows are smart enuff to know what a scarecrow is and they still swoop down and eat crops. DUH ?