HOW DID THE “WELCOME TO LANGLOIS” SIGN COMMITTEE COME TO BE?
In the early part of 2014, a local resident contacted the Oregon Department of Transportation to request that the 40 mile per hour speed through Langlois be reduced. Langlois, although a small community, is comprised of multiple businesses, a church, a library and perhaps even more importantly, a school. This school hosts very young children for pre-school, sometimes kindergarten and first grade. The membership is fluid, depending upon the ages and number of children in the area at the time of a new school year. Children come not only from Langlois, but also from surrounding communities. The school children take field trips which place them along highway 101. Therefore, a safe speed limit is of a real concern. There are no cross walks since the closure several years ago of the 2 public Langlois schools.
ODOT conducted a study to monitor the speed of cars approaching, as well as driving through Langlois. Their response was to move the 40 mile per hour speed sign on the South side closer into the town proper, thereby completely doing the more than opposite of what had been anticipated and hoped. This placed the Langlois Library within the 55 mile an hour speed limit. The library hosts multiple age groups by both vehicle and foot traffic. This change also had an impact upon traffic coming from and turning into Floras Creek Road. Without Highway 101 traffic being able to see the upcoming 40 mile per hour speed sign, there was no lessening of their speed. Floras Creek Road sees both personal vehicle and commercial truck traffic. No one in Langlois was apprised of this change before it happened. The knowledge of same only became known as residents came into town and thought the South sign had come down, somehow inadvertently? Read more about We Did It - We Have Signs!!
