The anonymous DundeeParkingLot people are being counter-productive.
This week the back-up from Newberg to Dundee has been bad as usual, but I observed several times already that the slowness is partly a result of those dumb “DROP DEAD” signs that the DPL people have put up. You see, there seems to be a spat going on between them and the Newberg Graphic Newspaper (which I won’t go into now!) but the signs are getting lots of press.
While I agree with them that a regional bypass is the best solution (connect McKay Road to McDougal Corner), I think they’re going about it in completely the wrong way. Making the traffic slower is not a good way to make friends and get people on your side.
Today traffic crawled along at about walking speed for the mile-and-a-half drive. As soon as I passed the DPL signs, it sped up to 25, and I cruised on into my little village! People are slowing down to read, and it is making the back-up even worse.
For more on why the little town of Dundee has it’s own big-city traffic problem, check out the map I posted here late last year.
There, I vented.
A few days ago I received a letter from Verizon, our internet service provider…
Thank you, Mr. Comfort, for being such a good customer. Effective next month we are raising your monthly DSL rate. It will be 47% higher than it is now. We really appreciate your business!”
Right after I read that letter (a few minutes), I got a phone call…from Verizon!
Hello, Mr. Comfort. Did you know that Verizon Fios is available in your area, and it is way better blah blah blah five times faster blah blah…”
I’m not interested. Thanks.
May I ask why, Mr. Comfort, when Fios is blah blah way better blah blah…?”
Yes. It costs more than I am paying now.
But, did you know that Fios uses less electricity than DSL? blah blah blah save the planet blah blah…”
I don’t care.
[Actually I do care about the earth, but I just wanted to get off the phone! I react negatively to people or companies using environmental guilt as a marketing tool to sell things, especially when it is such a HUGE stretch as this! Now I wish I would have quizzed him a bit more on his claim...]
Well, Mr. Comfort, if you change your mind, you can (speed reading, he rattled off an unintelligible 800 number and web address)…”
OK! [click.]
Now I know why they’re raising their rate for the cheap DSL plan. They’re having trouble stealing customers from themselves.
Friday afternoon before a 3-day weekend… the worst time for traffic back-ups between Newberg and Dundee, my hometown.
I decided to make a map to illustrate why Dundee, Oregon is the bottleneck that it is.
It’s pretty simple. Our little town is located right between the most populated area of the state and some of the most popular places in the state to visit. To get from the Portland metro area to wine country, the Central Oregon Coast, the Spruce Goose, or Spirit Mountain Casino (the most visited tourist destination in the state), you have to go through Dundee… unless you want to go the long way around!
(Click on the map to enlarge it)
The transportation planners of the state of Oregon just haven’t put a very high priority on funding the roads that this area needs. On Highway 99W in Dundee, traffic jams are a daily occurance. Cars, trucks and RVs are quite often lined up for a mile and sometimes two. It happens on both ends of town too—depending on the time of day.
Time spent waiting is just one of the problems: police officers and EMT’s are kept busy with the very frequent “rear-enders” that happen on this stretch of roadway; businesses are reluctant to set up shop here since drivers don’t want to lose their place in line; tempers sometimes flare as drivers cut in instead of politely merge; and an awful lot of fuel gets burned while people idle along at walking speed.
On the upside, since I work in Newberg (a 5 mile commute), it does give me a little more time to relax before I get home!
I got the idea to make this map from a very interesting blog that I follow called strange maps.
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