Been meaning to ask you what could be the possible purpose of this sign up on Riverview Drive? And why tell drivers that the fine has been reduced for speeding in a school zone? – Louise Teal
You just pushed one of Mrs. Action Line’s hot buttons. Oh, how she detests signs that require an explanation.
Take that HAWK crossing on Camino del Rio. Mrs. Action Line abhors that place.
It’s probably because a kid was texting and blew through the red light, nearly creaming her.
“Not only did they have to put up signs to clarify what the flashing lights mean, but the signs still confuse people. Or they don’t bother reading them. I really hate bad design,” Mrs. Action Line laments.
And so it goes on Riverview, which bisects a school zone.
We asked our good friend Lt. Ray Shupe of the Durango Police Department why a sign proclaims fines are no longer doubled. Why not just say School Zone Ends?
It’s a matter of the Colorado Model Traffic Code, he said.
The law says fines can be doubled “when signs are posted indicating that the penalty and surcharge will be double,” the code reads.
So you are obligated to tell motorists the point at which that surcharge not longer applies, Ray said.
But the street sign above the “no longer in effect” sign is equally strange.
But it’s not exactly a street sign. Instead, it displays the numbers of the houses on the adjoining cul-de-sac.
On official maps, the cul-de-sac is called “Riverview Drive.”
For clarification, we turn to our good friend Greg Hoch, director of community development for the city.
When the Riverview area was platted in the 1950s, developers wanted to maximize the number of lots, Greg said.
As a result, a three-lot cul-de-sac was created off of Riverview. “But they addressed it as Riverview Drive,” Greg said.
A couple years back, “the city looked at that oddity and was going to create a new street name,” he recalled.
But the city decided not to cull the cul-de-sac.
The dead end had been “Riverview Drive” for so long, it would create a lot of work for emergency responders to amend their maps and response plans just to reflect a name change for three houses.
Which makes total sense from a Durango viewpoint.
We have “A Street With The Wrong Name” to complement our Bridge to Nowhere, the Lake That No One Can Use and other local weirdness.
Maybe we should change the municipal motto to: “Durango, where we put the city in eccentricity.”
H H H
Like the bowl of leftover Halloween candy, the Mea Culpa Mailbag has an irresistible treat.
Last week’s column looked at the curious second-floor door on an historic wood building downtown. That prompted Timothy and Elizabeth Berra to email.
“Hi. We own the building at 1345 Main Avenue,” they write. Timothy and Elizabeth are looking for additional photos of the building to supplement the ones at the La Plata County Historical Society.
“We are beginning talks to restore it, and we would like to keep it as original as possible. It’s the second oldest frame structure on Main Avenue other than the train depot. Any information would be greatly appreciated,” the Berras added.
Also, they wanted to point out that “the building isn’t gutted from the fire. It only has a small area at the back that was burned. It has been able to withstand 12 winters here in its present condition. Mr. Petersen (the builder and Durango pioneer) knew how to build something to last.”
Email questions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. You can request anonymity if you cast your ballot, replace the batteries in smoke detectors and tell Congress to repeal the nonsense that is Daylight Savings Time.
