Things Look This Way to Me an Editorial by JB McKinley
Guest Editorial; Everything I Know About the Blinking Light I Learned in Kindergarten
by Mickey Smith, staff reporter
I’m not sure how we got on the subject, but recently I was talking to someone about the blinking light in Morrisville (at Portland, Main, and Congress) and they said something that resonated with me. She said it was her husband, not originally from this area, who first made the comment and I realized how right he is... the skills needed to drive through the village of Morrisville are taught in kindergarten, just as much as they are taught in Driver’s Education. Using the blinking light is all about sharing, counting to four and exhibiting patience and understanding.
Just as we were taught while Timmy used the blocks (you can use trucks) we must remember while a car is turning right in the opposite lane we can make a right hand turn as well. But when Susie is using the yellow crayon (or wants to turn down Portland Street), we have to wait our turn to draw the sun (or go to the Post Office). And when the intersection gets really busy, that’s when our counting skills come into play. “One car-two car-three car-my turn.”
Perhaps this is the problem the community seems to have with roundabouts – circles involve higher math.
The Morristown Selectboard, of which I am a member, has heard loud and clear the people of Morristown are not interested in a roundabout between the Noyes House Museum and the Police Station. (And frankly at an additional cost of about $600,000 we probably would have said “no” even if a group turned out in favor of it.)
The roundabout “solution” came about as the convergence of Main, East and West High Streets and the A Street proved to become a sort of bumblebee paradox to the road engineers. Just as professional physicists decided at one time that a bumblebee should be incapable of flight, engineers told us all of the sight lines from these roads made those intersections not work – of course, probably because we are capable of using our kindergarten skills, we make these roads work all the time!
by Mickey Smith, staff reporter
I’m not sure how we got on the subject, but recently I was talking to someone about the blinking light in Morrisville (at Portland, Main, and Congress) and they said something that resonated with me. She said it was her husband, not originally from this area, who first made the comment and I realized how right he is... the skills needed to drive through the village of Morrisville are taught in kindergarten, just as much as they are taught in Driver’s Education. Using the blinking light is all about sharing, counting to four and exhibiting patience and understanding.
Just as we were taught while Timmy used the blocks (you can use trucks) we must remember while a car is turning right in the opposite lane we can make a right hand turn as well. But when Susie is using the yellow crayon (or wants to turn down Portland Street), we have to wait our turn to draw the sun (or go to the Post Office). And when the intersection gets really busy, that’s when our counting skills come into play. “One car-two car-three car-my turn.”
Perhaps this is the problem the community seems to have with roundabouts – circles involve higher math.
The Morristown Selectboard, of which I am a member, has heard loud and clear the people of Morristown are not interested in a roundabout between the Noyes House Museum and the Police Station. (And frankly at an additional cost of about $600,000 we probably would have said “no” even if a group turned out in favor of it.)
The roundabout “solution” came about as the convergence of Main, East and West High Streets and the A Street proved to become a sort of bumblebee paradox to the road engineers. Just as professional physicists decided at one time that a bumblebee should be incapable of flight, engineers told us all of the sight lines from these roads made those intersections not work – of course, probably because we are capable of using our kindergarten skills, we make these roads work all the time!