Roads

[wmarkey]

You are right, of course. Driving thru tunnels of dust and pushing mud does beat-up our vehicles. However, smart drivers on B.I. do drive slower. Deer and trees have a nasty habit of jumping out in front, side and behind. (Had a spike do a cartwheel right over the top, front to back, and it got and ran off into the junipers at Bob Bass's.) Paving the roads would increase speed and the Kinetic energy of moving masses. (Talk to B.I.EMS.) But most of all it would probably increase taxes.
Vehicles, cars and trucks will have to put up with the roads, but THINK on this; Have you ever been dusted while walking or bicycling on these dirt roads? It is a miserable experience. and if curses could fly... At least we could think about expanded non-motorised non-paved trails out of town to, well, everywhere, or at least connect to existing trails or roads less traveled by motors. Funding might be more flexible and cheaper than paved roads.
Roads have a way of being a box. "Road-bound" it is sometimes called. Maybe it is time to think outside this box.

William A. Markey

[Charlie D]

I'd like to weigh in from a couple different points of view. Here's a letter I sent to Doug Gillespie a couple weeks ago. I suppose I'm a minority about preferring narrow roads, but I thought I'd post it here anyway. I did get a reply from somebody on the road commission which was friendly and polite, but didn't really respond to the issues I raised.


Dear Mr. Gillespie:

I write in regard to the roads of Beaver Island.

In the first place, I want to commend you and thank you for the excellent condition of the roads over the last several years. I've been coming to the island for almost 25 years, and the condition of the relatives has never been as good. I appreciate the higher standard that clearly youâ??ve put in place.

That said, I need to tell you that I am concerned and upset because it appears to me that the roads get wider every year and there are more turns-outs which eventually turn into a wider road. I am not alone in this concern. I have friends and neighbors who share my sentiments.

I believe that wider roads depreciate the beauty of the island. The Islandâ??s main income is tourists, and people come here largely because of its natural beauty. Narrow dirt roads are part of its charm. Go to any gift shop on the island, and you'll find postcards and notecards with pictures of our pretty little roads.

I am certainly aware that somewhat wider roads are safer especially for the large trucks that are necessary to carry materials to building sites and so on. However, it appears to me that all of the main roads are now plenty wide enough to allow too large trucks to pass without any problem. I wonder what is the motivation for widening them still further? When will it stop?

There are parts of East Side Drive, in particular the stretch between the Four Corners and Welke Airport that seem ridiculously wide. It seems like thereâ??s room for a left turn lane. Is that a part of the plan? (Just kidding.)

I talked to one of the guys on the Charlevoix Road Commission a couple years ago, and he said that the roads hadnâ??t been widened. I take issue with that; I remember very distinctly when I first started coming to the island that there were places on Mrs. Redding's Trail when one needed to slow close to a stop make your way around an oncoming car. I have photos that I took only three or four years ago that show much narrower roads.

The last couple miles of Western Shores is private; the road is much narrower and trees are much closer to the road. Itâ??s more attractive. I know people who live there year round, and I have never heard of any problems getting through, summer or winter. A wider road is not necessarily a better road.

I have several questions. First, who decides what roads should be widened and how much? Second, how do Islanders voice their concern about the widening of the roads? We pay the taxes here, and we ought to be advised of the channels to express our opinions.

In addition to the width of the roads, I have a couple specific concerns. On my property and others nearby, we have small spruces and other evergreens close enough to the shoulder that they will be destroyed when the weeds are cut to the usual three or four feet at the side of the road. Is there any way I can protect these small trees that make my property more lovely and valuable?

My other concern is the size of stones put down on the road. I have had a tire blown out because of hitting a large rock, and I find it virtually impossible to ride my bike along parts of Western Shores Road. I might add that one of Island streams of revenue is from people who bike here. They are not likely to return with such poor riding conditions. Why is it that we have such bad gravel? What can be done about it?

Once again, I appreciate the excellent work you've done as indicated by the condition of the roads. At the same time, I hope that you would take the interests of many islanders and summer residents as well as the importance of maintaining the natural beauty of the island to attract more people to the Island into account in managing our roads.

Thank you for reading my letter. I will call you later this week so that we could have a chance to talk about these questions over the phone. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Charlie Donaldson
33359 Western Shores
Beaver Island, MI 49782

[Phyllis Moore]

Charlie - If you live on the island and want the fire trucks or ambulance to be able to make it to your home, the road must be wider than a two track. They are very wide vehicles and need the space to navigate. While I like the narrow roads, I totally understand that they can not be single lanes if you want emergency help to reach you. There must be the space for the emergency vehicles AND room for them to get past someone going the opposite direction. Frankly, the safety of my family is more important to me than a couple pine trees.

[Campbell60tr34@aol.com]

There is no such thing as " good gravel " on Beaver Island. The gravel that is used to build and maintain roads here is manufactured for that purpose. I know that those in charge are doing the best job that can be done with the materials they have. As far as the width of the roads: I would rather meet a cement truck or a log truck on a wide road- and we have them both here.

[kbwelter]

The roads are part of the charm of the island! I can't wait to get out of asphalt city and back to our island home! The people who will appreciate the island and enjoy it's charms will return; dust or no dust---and aren't those the people we want on the island? If you feel the need for speed, go to the mainland!l

[ronaldstanfield]

i am so sorry to hear of the Young Lady that was killed In the Rollover I pray that the roads were not to blame seems it always takes a tragedy before something gets fixed. God Bless the Family

[Kim Connaghan Jones]

It had been 51 years since that last fatal car accident on the island until the recent accident. So your theory of blaming the roads doesn't work real well.