NY- Bill To Put Signs On All Trails, etc.
On the surface this NY bill (S07242) sounds rather helpful. However, if you look at it more closely you will see problems with it that could have been avoided.
WORDING OF CONCERN
8 § 2. The parks, recreation and historic preservation law is amended by 9 adding a new section 13.28 to read as follows:
10 § 13.28 Lyme and tick-borne disease warning signs. The office shall 11 install and maintain signs at all state-managed parks, including, but 12 not limited to, trail entryways and campgrounds,
First of All...
There Are Many, MANY State
Park & Recreation Facilities in NY
List Here- See pages 36 thru 87
Have All of the Existing Laws and
Regulations Been Considered In Advance?
NO.
EXAMPLE- "Signs should normally be erected individually, except where one sign
supplements another or where guide signs must be grouped. Two signs for
different purposes should not be located closer together than 200 feet if it can
reasonably be avoided."
EXAMPLE- Section 458.13. Height
"The height of a sign is the vertical distance between the nearest edge of the roadway
and the botom of the sign. Signs in rural districts shall be mounted at a height of at
least five feet. However, where parked vehicles or other obstructions are likely to
interfere with the visibility of the sign, the height should be at least seven feet. Signs
in business and residence districts shall be mounted at a height of at least seven feet.
Route markers shall be considered as a singlesign for purposes of this section.
The snowmobile route marker assemblyshall be mounted at a height of at least
four feet." Source- Page 277
warning individuals 13 that ticks may be found in such areas and may result in Lyme disease or 14 other tick-borne diseases. Such office may use models already in use
15 throughout the state when determining the design for such signage.
Which, if any of the following signs are permitted via this bill?
Do we really want, automatically and
WITHOUT ANY SAY SO,
government signs that meet the
bills requirements to be posted?
This CDC sign below, fortunately, fails the bill's requirement by not mentioning "other tick borne diseases". Using it as an example ... this sign provides questionable information (call your doctor only if you get a RASH or FEVER) and it lists a source to refer to for more information that has been found to be very unreliable over the years and is one of the reasons so many people have developed chronic Lyme disease (CDC).
Why put up a sign to fix a problem when that sign's information is part of the problem?
These are the signs (below) currently being used in New York that meet all of the bill's requirements; however, it directs the public to the Dutchess County Department of Health or the NY Department of Health for more information, which has a history of not always having good or up to date information.
Note too that these signs can not be "attached" to other signs in parks due to existing laws and regulations.
The placement of many of the signs would require workers to haul equipment up and down trails (post hole diggers, cement, water, etc.), have them dig holes (got any rocks on the trails in NY?) and repeat their efforts when the signs are old or vandalized.
Keep in mind the information on the New York Department of Health website mimics the same information found in the outdated and really hated 2006 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Lyme Disease Guidelines and the CDC literature. (Examples... contact your doctor only IF you develop a rash or fever- and there is no mention of Bartonella still. NOT good.)
For 16 the purposes of this subdivision, "trail" shall include footpaths, bike 17 ways, snowmobile trails, horse trails, cross country ski trails, roads 18 and other rights-of-way suitable for hiking, strolling, cycling, horse-
19 back riding, skiing and other means of motorized and non-motorized trav- 20 el for recreational purposes and shall include combinations and systems 21 of trails, including connecting and side trails, and trails leading to
1 scenic and recreational areas located within and maintained by the 2 state.
Signs
What Will They Be Made Of That Will Hold Up
To The Weather Conditions in New York?
Plastic, wood, alumalite, aluminum, durawood, baked enamel, acrylic, pvc board,
dibond, gatorboard, komatex, retroreflective coatings, polycarbonate, marine grade
plywood, etc.? Has anyone considered that?
Signs
How Much Will They Cost?
There are about 200 park facilities and
Over 2,000 miles of trails in NY.
Simple, single-faced wooden signs
Used in State and National Parks
One sign like the one above, for example....
Small 18 inches to 24 inches wide- $99 to $250+
Medium 24 inches to 48 inches wide- $200 to $800+
Large 48 inches to 96 inches- $800 to $2000+
These prices do NOT include posts or support structures, any special features (e.g., steel reinforcements and frames, 3D appliques, etc.) or art features. They also do not include costs related to labor such as planing, researching, transporting, installing and maintenance.
QUOTE- "Typical custom steel signs cost about $20 to $30 per square foot while aluminum and plastic designs usually cost between $10 to $20 per square foot." Source
Where is the money coming from to pay for this project?
Completing this project can cost millions of dollars. Funding for Parks/Recreation was cut by $20 million just last year. There has been no new hires to do the work required already, much less to make and install these signs. Park staff is typically overworked and underpaid.
What park work do you suggest forgoing to accomplish this enormous task? No one to be there cutting grass? No one cleaning rest rooms? No one to answer emergency calls if your child is lost? Visitor centers closed?
Do you contract the work out to someone else and hope it doesn't cost 10 times as much and that they get it right?
And what about all of the other people and groups who have not been permitted to put up their signs warning of various dangers? Does this open the door for others with legitimate (or not) concerns? Yes.
What About All Of The Tourists From Other Countries
That May Not Be Able To Read A Sign In English?
If they get tick sick can they sue New York officials?
Have other options (less expensive) been pursued?
Since most people carry a phone these days and QR codes are already being used in NY and other areas, perhaps QR Codes could be used in some places in the parks to help save money and provide more information than would fit on a sign?
The site linked to the QR code can be changed and updated as needed without having to adjust or replace expensive signs. Just an idea...
A Message To New York
You know what happens in New York typically doesn't stay in New York. PLEASE stop introducing bills that haven't been vetted properly and often make no sense or are actually dangerous to Lyme patients and the doctors treating them!
The whole world would appreciate it! And we are watching you!
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