Public Safety Around Woodburn Elementary School, Camas, WA.

Public Safety - a new approach 

WIDAC Target ZERO

Public safety is a function of Design, Awareness, Visibility and  Engagement (DAVE, where Visibility includes motorists' road, pedestrian and signage, visibility and law enforcement forcement personnel.

A Personal Safety Toolkit- Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) 

Personal Safety Toolkit,  provides 14 ways that PBOT, government agencies, and community-based organizations can improve community members’ experience of safety and sense of belonging while traveling along Portland streets and being in public spaces. 

City of Vancouver Public Safety Analysis 

City of Vancouver Transportation System Plan

Roundabouts reduce injury crashes by 75 percent at intersections where stop signs or traffic signals were previously used for traffic control.

Roundabouts reduce injury crashes- the Washougal sign didn't survive

The Windust Meadows Community - homes built around the Woodburn Elementary School, grew at a very rapid pace, now housing around 1000 residents.  The Community has already witnessed at least six traffic accidents. In one case the fences of two homes were destroyed, but luckily no fatalities were reported - cause appears to be Speeding and DUI. There were three other DUIs, one crash due to cell phone use and on speeding:

Motorized scooters plus bikes don't mix well with DUI, distracted or speeding drivers.

Number of reported traffic crashes by year

2019 - 2

2020 - 3

2022 - 1

The community also experienced a federal crime - USPO mail boxes defaced, as well as graffiti and speeding vehicles. Yet the City gets a failing grade: a blasè attitude towards public safety, a culture of passing the buck and obvious lack of a closed loop corrective action process.

Roundabout design coming to SR 503 is classic - similar to Roundabout design in Kota, India - nothing like the Lacamas Park Roundabout  -

Roundabout design in Kota, India 

The Lacamas Lake Roundabout Design violates the first law of Roundabouts: Though shall only move counterclockwise direction.

Lacamas Lake Roundabout: Building a better mouse trap

Signage is for typical roundabout - but you have to go left 

Lacamas Roundabout Signage Obsttuction 

While an animal control has been seen around the community, even at the peak of the Coronavirus pandemic, no proactive Camas police has been reported.

There are a number of issues the City of Camas is ignoring:
[ ] Shoddy workmanship
[ ] Poor engineering practices
[ ] Public Works don't work: Trees obstructing traffic control signage, for example.
[ ] Lack of planning/communication with the community
[ ] No visible law enforcement, other than animal control
[ ] Bureaucratic red-tape

One no-parking sign to cover 450 ft. obstructed by vegetation is not sufficient to warn motorists 

Sign Obstruction

No parking on opposite side of mail boxes is counterintuitive  - dumb, really 

Stop for pedestrian sign obstructed

Washington State Traffic Control Signage Requirements 

 WAC 308-61-145 describes effective signage. Effective signing is the primary method to provide regulatory, warning, and guidance

information to transportation system users (motorized vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists).
Signing that is clear, concise, and accurate supports safe behaviors and safe operation, legal,
and orderly travel on public roadways and transportation facilities. Sign use must be limited
and conservative since signs can lose their effectiveness when used to excess. Signs are not
typically used to confirm Rules of the Road.
This chapter contains information about signing on the 

WAC 308-61-145 specifies signage in private and public places:

(1) Signs must measure at least 15" by 24" and the lettering thereon must be clearly visible to all who park.

(2) Signs for publicly owned or controlled parking facilities need to disclose that unauthorized vehicles will be impounded and must also disclose a phone number for redeeming a vehicle. If a registered tow truck operator is used, the signs must meet the same requirements as in the posting of private nonresidential property

RCW 46.55.070 further states:

(1) No person may impound, tow, or otherwise disturb any unauthorized vehicle standing on nonresidential private property or in a public parking facility for less than twenty-four hours unless a sign is posted near each entrance and on the property in a clearly conspicuous and visible location to all who park on such property that clearly indicates:

(a) The times a vehicle may be impounded as an unauthorized vehicle; and

(b) The name, telephone number, and address of the towing firm where the vehicle may be redeemed.

(2) The requirements of subsection (1) of this section do not apply to residential property. Any person having charge of such property may have an unauthorized vehicle impounded immediately upon giving written authorization.

(3) The department shall adopt rules relating to the size of the sign required by subsection (1) of this section, its lettering, placement, and the number required.

(4) This section applies to all new signs erected after July 1, 1986. All other signs must meet these requirements by July 1, 1989.

I've been in touch with Camas Code Enforcement.  Due to limited resources, the department can only respond to specific cases, as opposed to the entire community.  So far I have reported signage at the intersection of Woodburn and Tanoak.

Windust Meadows HOA Parking Enforcement 

Compounding the problem, is the Windust Meadows HOA Board of Directors, selectively (Washington State Revised Code Section 64.38.030,  Chapter 49.60 RCW ) enforcing a no-parking policy, pitting neighbor-against-neighbor, but also penalizing a homeowner even when the homeowner is not the registered owner of the illigaly parked vehicle.  The HOA board could instead rely on a proactive Camas Police Parking Enforcement, for example.

Washington State Vehicle Registration 

Washington law, (WAC 132N-156 Rules) states registered owner responsibility for illegal parking: "Every person in whose name a vehicle is registered (licensed) shall be responsible for any parking of said vehicle and for all offenses, other than moving violations, under these regulations. It shall be no defense that said vehicle was illegally parked or used by another, unless it is clearly established that at such time said vehicle was being used without the consent of the registered owner."

Windust Meadows HOA Missing Signage

Overflow parking areas lack proper signage:  is it common property or is it public property? 

Clark County Parking Problem Resolution 

Clark County provides a common sense approach to solving parking issues: "Many parking issues can be resolved through courteous discussions with your neighbors.

Community Mediation Services also can be helpful in resolving neighborhood parking disputes."

City of Camas Parking Enforcement 

Whereas the City of Camas assumes jurisdiction for parking enforcement through Parking enforcement officers to:

• Promote vitality in the business areas through timed parking enforcement

• Respond to neighborhood issues forwarded through the CamasConnect app

• Respond to complaints received from the police department's non-emergency number, 360-834-4151

Way Forward?

I've been in touch with the Camas Police Department and it has assured me the Windust Meadows  inconsistent no-parking enforcement is a civil issue. Given the inadequate signage and selective enforcement, it's a clear recipe for unnecessary litigation.

Way forward? Since local authorities are not able to help resolve the issue a possible next step is to contact Washington State Human Rights Commission, or perhaps remove problematic board members WUC 64.90.520,  64.38.025 and Section 64.34.308 

 

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Shannon Clark, 

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Compare to what Portland Bureau of Transportation' Vision Zero say to BAG Index

https://cotobuzz.blogspot.com/2024/06/belief-action-gap-index.html

https://www.conservativedailynews.com/2024/06/saint-thomas-mores-zero-bag-index-the-legal-profession/