This weekend we had an occasion to visit the bike path and athletic fields down by the old landfill site. You know the place–down by the DPW on the east end of town. It seems that somebody decided it was a good idea to put athletic fields surrounded by a bike path down on that spot. As with most major projects in the Borough of Westwood, there have been mismanagement of funds and poor planning.
It turns out that installing a long-lasting surface there for athletic events is not feasible without a large expenditure of money. Clearly the designers and developers had no clue that a landfill undergoes settling, or subsidence, as the debris underneath decays and is metabolized into gas and liquid. That ground is not likely to support any permanent structure for a long, long time. And apparently there’s not enough space for the planned athletic fields taboot.
But we digress . . .
The real topic of this exposition is the inordinate amount of signs littering our fair borough. As one enters the site of the new bike path from Hegeman Park along Sand Road, he sees in the first 50 feet that the site is replete with signs, a condition sadly consistent with the rest of Westwood. This absolutely disgusting display of professionally-worked metal, plastic, and reflective material is strewn about the site from front to back. How do you feel when you walk or ride out to the edge of town for a little peace and quiet in a natural setting, and your eyes are greeted with something like this:
Yeah, that’s right–SEVEN SIGNS at the entrance!!! If it wasn’t so sickening, it would be laughable.
Certainly this is no place for one to find refuge from the crowded, sign-ridden streets of downtown Westwood. There might actually be less sign pollution downtown!
The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (1988 edition) states:
2A-6 Excessive Use of Signs
Care should be taken not to install too many signs. A conservative use of regulatory and warning signs is recommended as these signs, if used to excess, tend to lose their effectiveness.
And might we add that the signs are just plain ugly!
by Mr. Westwood