Saratoga News

LETTERS

Goofy maintenance on Harriman Avenue

I wanted to thank you for keeping us informed about the street slurry program. As a result of your article, I was not suprised recently as Harriman Avenue was shut down for resurfacing.

I was surprised, however, when I first drove on it afterward: The safety reflectors are misaligned by about two feet from the painted center line. While this is annoying in daylight, the offset is not at all safe at night. Imagine someone coming west relying on the painted centerline and someone coming east relying on the reflectors: POW! (I'm glad I don't pay for the city's liability insurance.)

I talked to the street painters as they were finishing up: they said that they had been told to widen the bike lane on the north side so that parked cars could safely share the bike lane. This of course narrowed the other bike lane and offset the center of the driving lane, since the pavement was not widened.

Unfortunately, no one told the reflector people about the change to the lanes: They put the reflectors in first, right in the center of the pavement where they had been before the slurry seal.

Ironically, the changes probably made it less safe for bicyclists, who now have to swerve into traffic at several points where the newly narrowed south bike lane forces them into untrimmed shrubs. The old, wider south bike line had plenty of room for plant-dodging.

I'm not sure what I'm hoping for--redoing the road the way it was before the slurry, or just redoing the reflectors and trimming the shrubs to implement the change safely. But it would have been nice to have had some thought go into it up front, so that all the changes looked like they were planned. The way it is now, it's a little embarassing.

Joel Mattox
Chalet Lane

Cancer Society stories are much appreciated

Thank you all so much for the extended coverage of activities for the American Cancer Society. "Courageous Kids," "Smart Woman" and "The Festival of Life" were wonderful stories, all starring Saratogans, so we genuinely appreciate the space and support. I have had many comments particularly about the Smart Woman/Ann Jillian story and more from people who were inspired to "get checked." One did find a lump.

Journalism has many purposes, I know, but I love it best when it saves a life.

Gay Crawford
and American Cancer Society friends and staff