The Mayor Ran a Red Light?

Originally Published in the Neosho Daily News on 10-25-2013

I’ve certainly enjoyed the change in weather this week.  The smell of burning fireplaces brings back so many childhood memories for me.  While I hate the cold we see in December and January, the fall temps are my favorite.  But I digress.

I had my second opportunity to see the new signalized crosswalk at Neosho High School in action this week.  And like my recent experiences with the new “diverging diamond” interchange at I-44 and Rangeline Rd in Joplin, it was interesting to watch others react – some not knowing exactly how to proceed.  Honestly, I also found it to be down-right confusing at first myself.  Adding to the pressure this time was the presence of a Neosho PD officer sitting close by.  I certainly didn’t want to mess it up…and no one else did either!

Of course, when the lights came on and went from yellow to solid red, I stopped.  And when they changed from a solid red to a flashing red (and the crosswalk was empty), I looked both ways and proceeded through the intersection.  It was then that I saw several head turns in my direction with expressions of disbelief that I would do such a thing. “Complete disregard for the law” was the look from one motorist.  Did the mayor just run a red light?  Well, the answer was “no”, but I knew then that confusion still surrounds the new crosswalk and how it works.  If you’re one of those that’s still uncertain, I’ve got some simple tips to help you.

First off, the lights are only on when a pedestrian is present.  So unlike a traffic light, most of the time there is no light whatsoever.  When a pedestrian does walk up and request to cross, the signal needs to give drivers a bit of warning.  That warning starts with a few seconds of flashing yellow lights.  We all know what yellow lights mean.  We see them every day.  It’s the “hey, something’s coming and you better pay attention and be ready to stop” signal.  The flashing yellow then turns to solid yellow, and just like at a traffic light, a solid yellow means a red “Stop” is next.  That’s pretty straight forward.

It’s the red lights that seem to cause the most confusion – specifically, can I go if the lights are red?  The answer is – “it depends.”  When the solid red appears, it’s the universal “Stop – don’t move” signal.  Just like a standard traffic light, you stop and wait.  Regardless of how many are crossing or if they are already clear, if the light is “solid” red, you must stay stopped….period.  Again, pretty straight forward.  But what about the flashing red lights that follow?

Since different people walk at different speeds and since stopping on a major road for no reason can create congestion, the designers of the system gave drivers some latitude.  If people are still walking across, you must stay stopped.  But if the crosswalk is empty, the flashing red lights give you the ability to start moving again and proceed.  Just like when a traffic light is broken and all directions are flashing red, you pull up, stop, check for traffic and then proceed.  The same goes for drivers behind you.  They must also stop, but can proceed if the crosswalk is empty.

With anything new, it can be confusing.  And even though I knew the answer, I went back and watched a MoDOT video as I wrote this.  After a few times, it will become second nature, but until then remember these key points:

                Solid Red – stop, stay stopped, don’t proceed – period

                Flashing Red – stop, check for pedestrians, and if it’s clear, head on down the road

I’ll finish today with one more bit of info about those lights.  They are officially known as “HAWK” lights:  High intensity, Activated cross WalK.  The design was imported from Europe and adapted for crosswalk use in America.  The first was installed in Tuscon, AZ in 2000.  It was, until December 2009, categorized as “experimental” in the US.  

Until next time:  stay the course, keep the faith, and may God bless Neosho!

Highway Costs are Taxing

Below is my weekly column published 5/16/2014

It’s been almost a year since I wrote about the demise of a proposed sales tax to support Missouri’s highways.  But unlike last year, it now appears a sales tax option will be coming to the voters of our state no later than November.  While some have already spun this as a tax increase, I’d rather call it a tax option – after all, we the people will make the final decision – our legislators simply made the choice available.  I’m glad we get the chance to weigh in on the matter.

I stand by my principled view that overall, I’d like to see a smaller government and lower taxes for everyone.  But as you learn in life (and as I had reinforced by my college economics professor) – there are no free lunches.  Roads don’t get build for free.  Roads and bridges don’t last forever.  It takes money to keep our road infrastructure functioning.  The sales tax – if approved - will generate around $550 million a year with a 10-year sunset.  5% of that comes back to both counties and cities for local projects.

Personally, I felt a fuel tax would be the “fairest” tax – meaning that those who use the roads more (and therefore buy more gas) pay more in taxes, but that’s not what we got.  The concern I heard was such a tax would equate to as much as $0.20-$0.25 per gallon at the pump to generate the needed revenue.   That’s over a 5% increase in gasoline prices – adding $5 or more to the average fill-up. 

 The sales tax (which we get to vote on) is the other option for a quasi-consumption tax – the difference being that those who buy more (of everything) will pay more taxes.  (As a side note, you don’t pay sales tax on gasoline.)  The downside is the proposed ¾-cent tax hits everyone – regardless of how far or how much we drive.  The legislature has lessened that blow by exempting items such as food and prescription drugs.  Given that most goods we buy in stores today are delivered there by trucks (that drive our highways), some will say that taxing all goods is fair since it helps pay for the roads that allowed the goods to deliver.  While it’s not a strict tax on road use, I do see some connection.

 At the end of the day, the funding issues at MoDOT aren’t going away.  With more money, they will build more.  Without more money, they won’t.  I applaud MoDOT on the cost-cutting measure already put in place.  They've cut a lot of staff and closed a number of offices (the one on 32nd in Joplin is one I notice the most.) It does appear they have tried to do their part. And when you lose almost half a billion in funding vs past years, you have no choice but to stop building and change your focus to little else other than maintenance and snow removal.

 We should know in the next few weeks if November is truly the date to decide this issue.  But until then, unlike last year, at least voters will get the chance to decide on MoDOT’s funding for the future – and ultimately decide on an option to support the future of our Missouri highways for the next 10 years.

 I want to give a quick compliment to our folks in the Neosho Parks Dept.  With most of the flowers now planted and spring rains bringing life back to our parks, they are looking beautiful.  I took a stroll around Big Spring Park this week – what a jewel we have in our downtown!  Sales tax revenues continue to come in strong.  Business growth is picking up as well.  We certainly have a lot to be proud of.

 Until next time:  Stay the course, keep the faith, and may God bless Neosho.