Garbage bins

Dear Editor:It's harder to see at night. That is an undisputable fact. It's darker at night, so in order to see people and things, they should be in light colors. Nothing annoys me more than a pedestrian or cyclist in dark clothing crossing the street at night, slowly nonetheless, as if he or she is the brightest thing to be seen on the planet. When I spot them, I think about how greatly they've increased their odds of being run over and how something as simple as wearing light-colored clothing would decrease these odds. I recently noticed the dark green apartment trash bins that are lined up along the curb on many of our busiest streets, some sticking out further than necessary all night before the garbage collection trucks arrive to pick them up in the morning. In the meantime, there are cars parked between these bins and drivers constantly jockeying for the scarce parking spaces. Some of these bins have dents and scuff marks from cars that have hit or run into them. I can imagine the shock, sense of embarrassment, and even injury, a driver could feel after hitting one of these bins. Accepting the damage as their own, they often leave the scene in their bruised vehicles, without realizing that a simple reflector or reflective tape along the outside could have made these bins more visible. I'm not suggesting that these trash bins be painted orange or pink, but a simple reflector or reflective tape would mitigate the likelihood that a driver run unto them. There is no good reason the bins should be painted dark green. The city should require our garbage disposal contractors to make their bins more visible as soon as possible. Dan Chantre Downey

********** Published: Nov. 21, 2013 - Volume 12 - Issue 32