Schools: School zone not wanted

So now everyone has to pay for the short-sighted planning of the people who allowed a school to be built next to Heller Road, the OTHER way to cross the city of Oak Harbor.

When I called the city to ask about the trailer mounted speed detector and the speed limit sign that was mounted below the speed display screen (20 mph) I was told it was a mistake that it had been put there in the first place.

Further, I was told that when the school was built that no children from the "other side" of the street were supposed to be going to Hillcrest. That is why they built the school yard bus stop so as not to impede traffic on Heller with school bus stops and a school zone.

So now every person who uses Heller is going to be subjected to a traffic jam, bottleneck school zone because some parents don't want to send their children to the "other" school?

And since it is a done deal (of course, no input from the citizens of Oak Harbor) I don't suppose that the city would consider only having the speed restrictions during times when there are actually children walking to and from school? The flashing school zone lights on Oak Harbor Avenue when there are no school children walking the streets are pretty lame.

Of course it could be that the city is looking for any excuse to give out more revenue enhancement awards....traffic tickets.

Instead of a school zone why not have the children cross at the MARKED and SIGNALED intersection of Heller and Oak Harbor? The children are too lazy to walk the extra 10 minutes to go use that marked and signaled crosswalk?

So what is next, a school zone on Highway 20? After all, kids from Oak Harbor High school walk alongside of and cross Highway 20.

Joe Hawkins

Oak Harbor

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