Quote:
Originally Posted by elchase
Wow! No wonder things look so good to the rest of us, I guess all the dangerous behavior has moved to in front of your house this summer  . With all these boats buzzing past you 25 feet away, you surely got a few hull numbers and called them in to the MP. Are they investigating ? And the offenders were all small family boats driven by the notorious "Captain Bonehead"? Meanwhile all the performance boaters you've been seeing (even though you really have no horse in this race yourself) were prudently cruising along obeying all the existing laws, which agrees with what you have been saying, that this is all we ever really needed to make everyone feel safe on this lake, right ? What a coincidence. How nicely this all plays into your mission of painting the speed limit as a do-nothing law and painting all the dangerous boaters as the ones with their entire families aboard and all the Go Fast Be Louders as the quiet peaceful victims. Nice try.
Story in today's Citizen ( http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll...995/-1/CITIZEN) talks about how official highway counts actually have tourist traffic UP this year...which agrees with my observation that the numbers of boats on the lake is UP this year, even though the slower speeds make it SEEM that boating traffic is down. Meanwhile, the MP reports that boating violations are way down this year, which agrees with my observation that boaters are behaving better this year. Seems like facts don't lie.
The best compromise is already in place. A 45MPH speed limit lets everyone share the lake without fear or intimidation. And those who like to go fast can still do so (up to 45 mph, which is very fast in a boat).
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll...4/-1/CITNEWS04
The speed limit on New Hampshire's largest lake will be 45 miles per hour during the daytime and 25 miles per hour at night. The 25-mile-per-hour speed limit will be in effect from one half-hour after sunset to one half-hour before sunrise. Boaters who exceed the speed limit will be stopped and issued a warning or citation at the discretion of the officer.
"Now boaters look at that number and thinks it's low, but it's not," said David Barrett, director of the Division of Safety Services.
"Traveling on the water at speeds beyond 35 miles per hour may feel like one is traveling on a highway going 55 miles per hour or more." |
It is interesting how one can try to bend facts to suit their argument. Sir, did you read the entire article or only the first paragraph? Here is the bit I pulled-it is a bit more germane to the topic:
"The area that has fared best this summer is Northern New Hampshire, a place with several family attractions and the National White Mountain Forest. The Lakes and Seacoast regions are more weather-dependent, and therefore businesses there may not have done so well, he said.
Amy Landers, executive director of the Lakes Region Association, said business owners have reported mixed results.
"It's always hard to tell how a season will end up, with the weather and so many other factors," Landers said.
She added that it also depends on the type of business.
For example, she said, restaurants, retail outlets and movie theaters do well on rainy days, but an outdoor recreation business, such as one specializing in boat rentals, will not.
"If there is a forecast for extended periods of rain, people may put off their trip until later in the month," she said. "Then it is just lost business because they may not come at all or they will come for a shorter amount of time."
But with recent sunny stretches, some area hotels have reported that they are fully booked, she said.
"Generally I think people are optimistic that, while it may not be a banner year, things will be all right," she said. "People are looking forward to a strong August and September."
-end-
Ms Landers certainly does not sound like she shares your assertion.