The Town of Coupeville took some refreshing direct action to makes its busy intersection of Main Street and Highway 525 safer during power outages.

After watching one serious accident involving children and a series of near misses when the town’s only traffic light was not functioning, Town Marshal Lenny Marlborough decided it was time do something about the hazard. What he did not do was just as impressive as what he did: He did not ask for an emergency meeting of the Town Council, he did not demand consultations with the state Department of Transportation, he did not seek funding to hire a consultant to produce a long-range highway intersection safety plan. Nope, what he did was get to work on a little robot that would warn the driving public that there was a dangerous intersection ahead.

A radar trailer, a bright red light that blinks and a generator were combined into a functional warning device that worked when there was no electricity. It was placed in the center of the intersection, pulsing a highly visible red light for all to see. It worked admirably, turning a dark, dangerous intersection into a safety zone. And the device was kind of cute. As it was blocky, stiff and issued a constant warning, Islanders referred to it as R2D2, Robocop, Frankencop or even Al Gore.

While islanders were highly appreciative of the device, the reaction in the state DOT was probably quite different. Why, this device had not been tested or approved, and no doubt there were liability concerns. Had Marshal Marlborough sought permission in advance, we can be certain that R2D2 would never have seen the light of day.

It was no surprise then that a DOT representative showed up at a recent Town Council meeting with another idea, which consists of installing emergency backup batteries for the traffic light at Coupeville’s intersection. It was a fine idea, one which had never before been proposed to the council in the light’s 25-or-so years of existence, so we can only assume that the unauthorized use of R2D2 had something to do with it.

It’s great to see that American ingenuity, and the American can-do attitude, is alive and well in Coupeville. We trust that the state will follow through with its idea of installing batteries at the intersection before next winter. But we suspect Marshal Marlborough will be keeping R2D2 handy, just in case.