Commissioner Kelly Fraasch sent an email this evening and I would like to share it here.
Neighbors,
If you have ever shared with me a traffic concern, I am emailing you some important information about an upcoming resolution that Commissioners will be voting on tomorrow night.
Resolution No R-12-18 supports a statewide effort to see Municipal Police enforce speeding limits with Radar/Lidar. The state of PA is the ONLY state that does not allow municipalities to use radar/linar as a tool for enforcing speed limits.
I feel this can help our police department enforce speed limits and make our streets safer.I hope you feel the same.
For more information www.kellyfraasch/blog.Please pass along to neighbors in Mt Lebanon.
Working together,
Kelly FraaschWard 5 CommissionerMt Lebanon, PA412.580.7665
How this is important to me is that it will help to prevent wildlife/vehicle collisions by enforcing the speed limits.
28 comments:
No deer kill means more speeding tickets and higher insurance premiums. Thank Kelly!
I can't believe we don't have radar detection in Pennsylvania. I think most of the residents will be surprised.
Higher insurance premiums if you speed. Don't speed and you won't have higher premiums.
Silly commissioner, deer don't obey traffic laws.
Where will the Robb Hollow deer go when they start tearing down trees and bulldozing that space for Commissioner Fraasch's field?
Anon 10:29,
According to Linfante Lebo won't have anymore deer after she raises taxes to do it.
Speeding is a huge problem in Mt Lebanon. Deer or no deer. I think most people will find this very logical. Commissioner Fraasch this is a good idea.
I understand Kelly's goal. It's noble. But it doen'st matter what system the police employ if they're not sitting somewhere to actively employ it. My point is, just the presence of a police car usually gets people to slow down. To use radar or lidar or whatever else, the officer still has to be at a location, in a specific position, in order to use it and catch people.
This morning for example, I drove down Bower Hill Road and within 1000 feet, saw three police cars and their occupants handling traffic control for the Columbia Gas project. Well, if those three guys are there and not parked at a busy intersection or another location notorious for speeding, who cares what system they have in their cars? It won't work if they aren't there. And radar/lidar/black magic/hope and change/ magic beans won't stop deer from colliding with cars. They're animals. Dumb ones at that. And they live here. If a car is going 25 or 29, those dumb deer will still jump into the road and get speared.
I don't think this is Commissioner Fraasch's idear (get it!). But it is a good resolution. Elaine was the one that added the part of speed limits and deer, not the Commissioner.
It makes no sense that we don't already have radar.
@10:29
Do you mean the field on Robb Hollow that was voted on 4-1? Seems like you are trying to assign blame where it doesn't exist.
Plus, have you been to Robb Hollow? It's a flippin gravel pit right now. Not exactly natural looking. The gravel most likely hurts the deers feet. Making it a grass field will certainly beautify the space and give Mt. Lebanonites another field space to enjoy for generations to come.
Fyi, any police you see at a Columbia Gas project or any other such construction work is a separate detail, and not on duty police officers.
You don't need radar detectors to tell local folks to not do 45 in a 15 school zone, but yet that is where most of the violators are found.
In the November 24, 1976 Beaver County Times, page B-16, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Police said policemen in Mt. Lebanon use radar even though the practice is forbidden by state law.
Why would the same police department take the moral high ground today?
Perhaps Kelly's plan should include funds for a new officer Gregory? The mannequin officer could help reduce speeders by day and be used as a scare crow during off hours. Of course, this approach won't really help with the root cause of the issue (too many deer) but Kelly can continue to appease the minority of Lebo citizens.
11:59 AM, the root cause of the speeding issue is too many deer? That is hilarious!
Elaine
@11:59
You do know there is only ONE commissioner who supports killing deer, right?
Again, assigning blame on one commissioner.
My guess is that you are a turf supporter and can't get over the fact that your idea was proven to be ridiculous and costly and bad for the town on many levels. So you take it out on the commissioner who came up with a better plan for the township than to put public money into artificial and painted grass.
Get over it already.
Perhaps you should try rereading the post again Elaine.
"How this is important to me is that it will help to prevent wildlife/vehicle collisions by enforcing the speed limits.
Reducing the deer population will reduce collisions, since the deer population is the root cause of the collision. Driving under the spped limit will not eliminate the problem. Eliminating the deer will eliminate the problem.
Yes, and eliminating dogs will eliminate the problem of dogs getting run over by motorists.
And those cats. It is so gross to see those cats that are roadkill.
Squirrels, Raccoons, chipmunks...is there a single birth control pill that can stop the incessant breeding of all of these pests?
I know deer eat plants that people plant but my goodness, dogs are so much worse. Whatever they pee on just dies! They peed on my nice bushes I had in the front yard right next to the sidewalk and nothing I did could bring those bushes back.
So next year I will put out dog birth control pills right under the bushes. That will teach them not to reproduce in my neighborhood!
Back to the point at hand. Radar is perhaps the best and most reliable speed enforcement mechanism available to police. Why not allow it in the State?
11:23, did I miss a vote on Robb Hollow? No, I didn't think so. Please stop adding to the misinformation that is flying around the community about the field solutions. Based on what I'm hearing, there is plenty of discussion yet to come, as is evident from tonight's agenda.
I've been to Robb Hollow and I've also seen the engineers drawings. This will be a serious project, that will require moving a lot of ground, removing trees, etc. It certainly won't be a passive park any more.
Dave Franklin
@12:29
I did not assign blame only one commissioner...my refernce was simply to Kelly's post.
I could care less about the turf proposal because I have no children who still play sports. But since you brought it up, I believe you conveniently forgot to mention that Kelly's plan will cost over $300K MORE than the YSA plan and it will still not solve the issue.
You now know what happens when you assume.
From the Pittsburgh Press, September 17, 1975, page 16:
Mt. Lebanon began successful radar prosecutions of speeders, citing the freedom of action proviced by its home rule charter as authority for the policy. No one has challenged Mt. Lebanon's use of radar."
From the Pittsburgh Press, March 30, 1976:
"Mt. Lebanon is the only community in the state which uses radar under its broad home rule charter powers."
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 11, 1979:
Former State Trooper and Robinson Township Chief George Kanaskie said, "With VASCAR-Plus, the officer can move all day and clock speeders, but with radar you have to stay put. So, the 'staties' don't want to use it because they're lazy. I know that because I was one."
"How this is important to me is that it will help to prevent wildlife/vehicle collisions by enforcing the speed limits."
Who wrote that?
Yes Dave. You apparently did miss the meeting.
The money for your turf is spent.
The bond that will be floated will not be for turf. Neither Kelly nor Matt, nor Dave, nor John, nor Kristen would vote for the bond if it was.
They took it off the table.
Where have you been?
And now the Aqua Club removes funding from the YSA. Where will you get your private dollars from to pay for your piece of the fake and painted grass anyways?
It's ok to lose once in a while...especially to a plan that is better for the community.
2:49 PM, I did. I also wrote the first couple of lines. I indented Kelly's email. Is that not clear?
Elaine
@ 2:58
Turf is far from being off the table.
I suggest you wake up and realize that no bond has been floated yet.
This issue is far from being over.
Elaine,
What is Coleman's position on the use of radar by local police?
3:39 just declared a concussion War on Kids!
I am at the commission meeting, John, and the Chief has written a statement which is posted on Kelly's blog. This is the only state where it is not permitted and all the police chiefs support this resolution. It was just passed unanimously.
Elaine
Here is the URL to Kelly's blog. http://www.kellyfraasch.com/blog/
Chief McDonough's testimony from August 17, 2010 is posted there.
Elaine
Elaine,
Thank you. This is wonderful news. Did you know that Coleman worked with e State Police and set-up a radar a few years ago in Mt Lebanon? I think that they issued 25 citations in two hours, or something like that - the operation was very successful.
I hope that the legislature and our community will support our local police and make our streets safe for all of our residents.
One of our school board members pleaded guilty to going 55 in a residential speed zone.
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