If you're ever on Magnolia Avenue, you're now aware that you should "WATCH FOR PEDESTRIANS."
The new overhanging sign is far from pleasing to the eye. It belongs on an interstate, in a large city or in a deep, deep hole in the ground.
I'm fine with reasonable attempts to increase safety, and I understand the city was responding to the problem of a higher number of accidents involving pedestrians. However, there was simply no reason to place that big, glowing atrocity directly behind Toomer's Corner.
Unless the city is willing to put a crossing guard at each crosswalk, pedestrians will continue to be struck by cars. It's not a difficult concept--there is more traffic on the road and more foot traffic on Magnolia Avenue than most other places in Auburn. People are going to make mistakes. They're going to be careless and not pay attention, and it's just the way it is.
The crosswalks are tasteful; the saplings look good and bring more green to the black of the asphalt. They both serve purposes beyond safety. This monstrocity of signage serves no other purpose than to remind drivers that there are--surprise, surprise--pedestrians in Auburn.
The eye torture that is the sign is a kneejerk reaction to a problem that will not go away, no matter how many truly tasteless signs we erect on Magnolia Avenue.
People will continue to be hit as they cross the street, but I venture now they'll be splayed across the ground because a driver was remarking on how tremendously awful the darkness of that sign is, and not because they weren't watching for pedestrians.
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