Editor, The Beacon:

I was working Downtown more than 50 years ago when the NO TURNS restrictions were instituted at the intersection of Woodland Boulevard and New York Avenue.

It has certainly reduced the number of drivers making turns, but as indicated in your recent article, the problem still persists.

Your insights were provocative and amusing, but as has been the case through the years, there have been a lot of protests, with no real ideas for improving the situation.

There have been numerous Op-Eds, letters to the editor, finger-pointing, confrontations, traffic citations and fines, poster-waving, even bumper stickers, and who knows what all.

I have yet to see or hear any ideas to really get to the root of the problem. For the most part, the violators are not from here and probably have never been through this intersection.

There is an existing sign on each crossbar facing all four roadways approaching the intersection that obviously reads “NO TURNS.” So why do people continue to make turns at New York and Woodland? There are basically three reasons: either A) They didn’t see the sign; B) They were confused or didn’t understand it; or C) They chose to ignore it.

Let’s start off with C. If they see the warning and choose to ignore it, then shame on them, and we will always have these situations. But as for A and B, I propose that there is a way to clarify the message. The current sign is a generic sign with block letters in black on a white background centered between the two traffic lights. Everyone should be able to read and understand it. It conveys the warning in perhaps the lowest common denominator, just two simple words “NO TURNS.” But the problem is, it doesn’t exactly jump out and grab your attention. “NO TURNS” is not a common traffic sign. Think about it, where have you ever seen a sign with that message on it? It is my assertion that unfamiliar traffic signs are not readily comprehended, no matter how obvious the message.

I am not a traffic engineer or a psychologist, but after 48 years in the sign business, I understand how to design signs to get the message across, and have written an article on the subject which was published in an international sign magazine. So, my proposal is to remove the existing “NO TURNS” signs and replace them with two signs on each crossbar. They would use international sign symbols, one with an arrow to the left, and one with an arrow to the right, each with the red circle and slash through it. These would be much more prominent and noticeable.

(There is an international symbol that has a vertical shaft with two arrows branching out at the top, one to the left and one to the right, with a red circle and slash through it. This would require only one sign per crossbar, but I would advise against this because, again, it is unfamiliar and confusing.)

I cannot imagine that this proposal has not been visited before by the DOT and the City. Perhaps they would consider it aesthetically unpleasing. If this is the case, or if the authorities cannot come up with a better argument, then this whole situation will continue to be a sport, rather than about concerns for traffic flow or pedestrian safety.

Mike Orr

DeLand