You turn; no, you turn; no U-turn
Well we've got ourselves a hot topic now! Depending on who you listen to, folks in Peabody have been "making the U" or "hanging the loop" or "doing a U-eee" at the intersection of First and Walnut since Frederic Remington first came to town in a buckboard. And that was a decade or two ago to be sure!
A new set of signs went up last Thursday at that intersection indicating that U-turns there are now against the law. By Friday, nearly everyone in town and half of those who come to town, but live in the outlying areas, had buttonholed me on the street, on my answering machine, or on the phone to "do something about this — write an editorial — this is just crazy!"
Okay. Here is the editorial. You are the people. You are the voters. The mayor and city council serve at your pleasure. They are your retainers. They serve because you voted for them. GET AHOLD OF THEM AND TELL THEM YOU ARE UNHAPPY. It is their job to listen. It is their job to explain to you why this has happened to your favorite U-turn.
I can stand on my left foot and scream until next Thursday about the new rule. Who would care? I am one person. You are a bunch of persons. Together you have more clout than I. Writing an editorial comment is not hard. Making an impact with an editorial comment is a whole lot tougher. I can write about the U-turn — pop out the several hundred necessary words, but so what? You would all just sit back and say, "Yeah, that's right. She told them, by golly! Harrumph!" And then the council would meet again and someone would say, "So, did anyone contact you?" "Nah, I didn't hear a thing, did you?" "Nope, no one called me" "Except for that so-and-so's comment in the paper, I think everyone else is okay with this."
And then? It is a done deal!
I'm not sure how we got to this point. I do know that two years ago when the folks painting the yellow lines, parking slots, and handicap areas were in town, I saw them dragging the double yellow lines clear to the railroad tracks in front of our auction warehouse, eliminating that traditional U-turn area. I talked to them and was told that they were instructed to do so by the police chief and a city councilman. Off I stomped to the city building to find out why they were picking on me. I was told that since the area in front of the warehouse is not a "real" intersection, it was illegal to make U-turns there and signs would be posted to that effect.
And yes, I gunched and whined and made smart-mouthed comments whenever possible. But to my knowledge there weren't many serious complainers who rallied to the cause. I posted signs at our auctions warning our customers not to make U-turns in front of our building as they had done before. We adjusted, our customers adjusted, and life went on.
Slowly the number of offenders fell off. Folks got the message — no more U-turns at the far end of Walnut. It has, after all, been two years. Eventually everyone gets the message, right?
Then presto-chango! Suddenly, you CAN make the U-turn in front of the warehouse and the Santa Fe tracks, but NOT at the First Street and Walnut intersection. I'm told this decision was made some months back, but I'm not sure when or why. The answer to that depends on who you ask.
But hey, now I can "hang a U" in front of my warehouse again. Am I supposed to complain about this? Of course the double yellow lines (which no one is supposed to cross) still go right up to the Santa Fe tracks so the turn must be made on the railroad crossing. Now THERE is a safety issue if I ever saw one!
None of this makes any sense to me. If you want answers, you need to call the people responsible for the change. Don't call the newspaper editor. Here are the people to contact: Mayor Kevin Ensminger, Councilmen Randy Dallke, Jon Gard, Tom Schmidt, Gene Schmill, and Alan Yock. Any of them should be able to tell you where you can or can't "hang one" and why. They are the ones who voted on it. Ask them.
— SUSAN MARSHALL
