After I wrote a post in January talking about how cheap the City of Columbia parking tickets are, and how they are a non-deterrent to me because of said cheapness, I got three parking tickets in one day last week, and I just paid them all. I totally deserve them, because I just parked and didn’t even give the meter a look when I parked, decided I’d just pay the stupid ticket. And then I get not just one, but three of them! Hilarious karma. $15 is a pretty hefty fee for parking on the street. That will certainly deter me for a few weeks, at least.
I had another road thought lately that I think I’ll share with you as well. Lucky you!
After the bridge collapse in Minneapolis (was that last winter? nope, August 2007), I notice that the Missouri Department of Transportation has started putting up these Safe & Sound signs on the bridges all over the state. They’re intended to let us know that they’ve checked out the bridge and it’s in good shape, and we shouldn’t worry about it cracking open and sending us to our deaths anytime soon.
I am all for the testing of bridges and ensuring that they’re in good shape! Great program! Great use of resources! Providing jobs in Missouri in tough economic climates! Probably should have been done before the calamity in Minnesota, but better now than never.
However, MoDOT people, am I supposed to be comforted by those signs? Because there are bridges where there are no Safe & Sound signs!
Am I supposed to think that you just haven’t checked those bridges that don’t have the signs? That is frightening. I wish you’d just not put up any signs then.
Now I see a sign on one bridge and then the next bridge, I’m like, what? But then by the time I’ve noticed that there is no sign, I’m already on the damn bridge! Which may not yet be tested!
Or- worse, tested and determined to be Unsafe & Unsound! But they don’t have signs for that.
They also don’t have signs that indicate how close to failing the test the Safe & Sound bridges are. And how long is this testing going to go on? Is this an ongoing test? For how long will this bridge be Safe & Sound? Is that sign going to remain there permanently?!?
Some information is available on this MoDOT webpage, but unfortunately the page also contains this line:
Approximately 1,100 of them are in poor/serious condition. The Safe & Sound Initiative will address most of these bridges.
Emphasis mine, obviously. Well, good luck out there, my friends.
And how long will the signs stay up? Will we forget, and then there they will be? Is there a plan to keep checking them?
It’s like getting into an elevator and reading the inspection sheet that hasn’t been signed since 1999 (my last school had that). When I asked about it — “Oh yes,” they replied, Iit has been inspected. They just didn’t have time to fill in the form.”
For seven years they never had the time? There aren’t that many elevators in that little town. I want inspectors to have plenty of time! What else didn’t they have time for?
File this with your rants…
Yes, you’re right- that is a rant! I am sure that they will leave up the signs indefinitely.