Gunflint Trail Scenic Byways Committee Chair Nancy Seaton told Cook County commissioners that if chevron road signs were allowed on the roadway they “would have a significant negative impact on the character of the Gunflint Trail.”
Seaton and two other long time Gunflint Trail residents Barb Young and James Raml appeared before the commissioners on Tuesday, February 17 during the public comment period. All of them had the same message for commissioners: Please don’t allow the installation of these signs on the Gunflint Trail.
Chevron road signs are highly reflective, and are meant to show the edge of a road or a curve. They are erected to alert drivers to sudden curves or turns in a road. They are usually installed in banks of four to six or more to be more easily seen.
Although not mandated by law, the Cook County Highway Department has plans to put 10 banks of chevron signs on corners along the Gunflint Trail; 19 on the Caribou Lake Road; four on County Road 7; and five on the Devil Track Lake Road as well as on corners of several other county roads.
“Safety is a very important concern,” said Seaton. “However, natural qualities, scenic qualities, historic qualities and expense should also be considered.
“Has safety been addressed by the current directional arrows and mile per hour signs posted at curves and hills along the Gunflint Trail? Probably. People not adhering to current signs aren’t likely to change their actions.
“Do more signs get the driver’s attention? Probably not in a good way. They can lead to confusion and simply trying to tune them out.
“Do people move to Cook County or visit Cook County so they can feel like they’re driving around Eden Prairie? No, they come here to experience nature, to assume responsibility for themselves, to not be accosted by signs and billboards, to see the lake along the road, not the sign in front of the lake along the road.”
Seaton commented that the reflective signs could even be dangerous, blinding drivers.
Seaton said Cook County Highway Engineer Dave Betts and co-worker Sam Muntean appeared before the Gunflint Trail Scenic Byways committee meeting recently and shared the plan “to install many chevron signs in Cook County.”
But, said Seaton, “The Gunflint Trail is a National Scenic Byway designated for its natural intrinsic qualities and has been determined by the State Historic Preservation Office to be eligible for historic designation.
“Mr. Betts and Mr. Muntean told us that these signs were not mandated and that they did not need board approval. That may be, but I hope you [county board] are aware of this plan, because if the signs are installed, your in-boxes will be full. If you are able to influence this plan, I hope you do so.
“If this plan is a good one, it will hold up to public comment and discussion. If not, it should be amended or eliminated,” said Seaton. “I urge you to let your constituents know about this and to put it on your agenda so they can share their thoughts with you and them. And finally, with the highway department.”
Raml said erecting chevron signs on the corners of the Gunflint Trail would cause a “degradation of scenic value,” and also spoke of the hazards of the reflective signs and of alternatives to the brightly reflective signs. He also pointed to a study in Michigan that showed that when too many chevron signs were placed along a snowmobile trail there were more accidents, not less accidents on the trail. “Over usage of signs reduces their effectiveness…” he said. “…And I would argue that if this many signs are placed on the Gunflint Trail that this would be a gross over usage of signs.”
Barb Young said she has been a resident of the trail for the past 40 years. She and her husband Ted own Boundary Country Trekking.
“So far I haven’t heard from anyone who likes the idea of the signs,” she said. “I think it would wreck the intrinsic nature, the value of the scenic byway. The glare at night…Adding more signs on the Gunflint Trail, I think it’s horrible. There’s no other way to describe it.”
A short time later County Engineer Betts came before the board with routine business for his department and he was asked to comment on the proposed signage.
Betts said chevrons help drivers identify a curve in the road and “are a proven, proven way to reduce crashes.”
As to cost, he said the signs are 90 percent funded by the federal government transportation funds and 10 percent by the state highway funds.
Commissioner Frank Moe asked for a motion to put a moratorium on the signs until a public meeting can be held to discuss the matter.
Betts said he would have to turn back the money he had applied for and received if that is the case because it has to be spent on signage in the near future. He said he could reapply for it.
Betts said he understood where the commissioners were coming from, but added, “”I completely disagree with this decision. I am personally and professionally obligated to making the roads safer. There are 10 curves on a 60-mile road. Do we start pulling down curve signs? Where does it end?”
Commissioner Ginny Storlie asked Betts if he thought Caribou and the Gunflint Trail needed all of the proposed chevron signs and he said yes.
Betts touted several past road studies performed in the county before he arrived that called for more chevron signs along the Gunflint Trail than he was advocating for.
County Board Chair Heidi Doo- Kirk asked County Attorney Molly Hicken to look into the county’s insurance and Commissioner Garry Gamble asked about the county’s liability in this matter.
Commissioner Jan Sivertson said she understood the importance of safety but added that due to the aesthetics of Cook County and its impact on the economy, it was best to wait for a public meeting before any work was done by the county highway department in regards to putting up these controversial signs.
A public meeting will be posted in the near future, but for now the county board acted on Commissioner Moe’s motion and have placed a moratorium on erecting chevron signs in Cook County.
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