City passes cellphone ordinance

By PIPER HAUGAN Independent Record | Posted: Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Though Ellison recently said the majority of the feedback he’d received didn’t support a hands-free ban, public comment at the meeting was split between those who didn’t want any regulation at all and those who wanted complete regulation, including that of hands-free mobile electronic devices. Those who asked commissioners not to vote for the ordinance expressed concerns about personal liberties, enforceability and the fact that cellphones are one distraction for drivers out of many.

Helena Commission passes distracted driving ordinance

Posted: Nov 7, 2011 9:41 PM by Marnee Banks (Helena)

Commissioner Dan Ellison began the process back in May saying the use of cell phones by drivers was making the streets of Helena dangerous.

The ordinance originally banned the use of hands-free devices, but after hearing from the public Ellison decided to amend it.

City Commission approves amended Distracted Driving Ordinance, zoning change for Caird property

By Jess Armstrong

The Helena City Commission unanimously approved an amended draft of the Distracted Driving Ordinance.

In 30 days, it will be illegal to drive and talk on a cell phone or use an electronic mobile device unless you use a genuinely hands-free device such as voice activation or a speaker phone connection that is activated before you start driving.

Distracted Driving Ordinance Passes in Helena

By KFBB News Team, Story Created: Nov 8, 2011 MST

City Commissioner Dan Ellison recently made an amendment to the ordinance to allow hands free devices.

He says that the ban will be looked at again to see if it’s working.

Ellison, “I wouldn’t rule out looking at both the hands free aspect of it and the whole ordinance to see if it’s working for us in the future. Right now, I’m glad that it passed and we want to see if it’s going to add to safety in our streets.”

By PIPER HAUGAN Independent Record | Posted: Sunday, November 6, 2011 12:17 am

…Ellison has reconsidered. He said he originally supported a law banning hands-free cell phone use. But after receiving a lot of feedback from residents who didn’t want it, he has changed his mind. Ellison said a lot of people he talked to told him they supported a handheld ban, but they didn’t want hands-free devices to be outlawed.

Ellison said he has received more personal contact on the cell phone question than any other issue since he took office about two years ago.

Ellison said he has received more personal contact on the cell phone question than any other issue since he took office about two years ago.

Full Story at the Helena Independent Record

In about the time it takes to read this article, somewhere in the country a driver using a cellphone will cause a collision resulting in serious injury or death. Cellphone accounts now outnumber people in the U.S., and many drivers consider phone use essential while on the road. It’s time to regulate this behavior in Helena.

It was gratifying recently to listen to a young professional describe moving here for a new job and her comments on our quality of life. She was cheerful, eager to set up living and working arrangements. Then fate intervened. Her smile faded while describing being hit by a car whose driver was using a smartphone.

We’ve all had similar experiences — encounters with drivers obsessed with their electronic devices, oblivious to the near misses or mishaps they cause. Too many people get into their car and start a cellphone call simply because they can. With the growth in such behavior, regulatory steps are needed to provide a level of safety on our streets that drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and those with limited mobility deserve.

Multiple studies show driver distraction by cellphone use is equivalent to alcohol related DUI, and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety data indicates disturbing trends for injuries and costs. Accident rates are climbing for collisions related to driving while using cellphones. So is the correlation between those types of accidents and increased workers compensation and liability claims.

There are some who do not believe a city ordinance is the solution to this problem. Among the reasons cited are First Amendment rights, interfering with business, difficulty of enforcement, and our personal favorite, common sense. Unfortunately, common sense is often the last resort of a driver using a cellphone, and similar arguments were offered to justify inadequate regulation of seat belt use, drunk driving, and smoking in public buildings. Curbs on those behaviors improved our overall wellness and safety. So will regulating drivers distracted by cellphones.

On the national level this problem caused Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to observe, “Distracted driving (from cellphone use) is a deadly epidemic on America’s roads.” Underscoring his point, last year CBS News reported that one in four vehicle collisions is caused by a cellphone driver — defined as one either holding a phone or using a hands-free device.

Closer to home, about two-thirds of the responders to an unscientific Independent Record reader survey supported regulating cellphone use while driving. And a Helena Citizens Council online survey with nearly 500 participants achieved similar support. Most compelling was the HCC finding that 75 percent indicated they would observe an ordinance prohibiting cellphone use by drivers if the city commission passes such an ordinance.

City commissioners engage with Helena residents on a wide range of interests and topics, and constituents are seldom shy about stating what they expect from their commission. Typically the dialogue includes keeping rates modest, efficient delivery of essential services, upkeep of parks and trails. But a concern that comes up all too often is the plea to do something about drivers with cellphones.

Helena should join the nearly 60 nations, nine states, and dozens of communities, including some in Montana, that have placed restrictions on cellphone use while driving. As a framer of the U.S. Constitution, Ben Franklin, so wisely stated, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Let’s apply a couple ounces of prevention by limiting cellphone use and driving in our community.

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Dan Ellison and Dick Thweatt are members of the Helena City Commission. The Helena City Commission will take public comment on an ordinance regulating cellphone use by drivers at its next meeting, Monday at 6 p.m. on the third floor of the City-County Building.

Full story at the Helena Independent Record.

The commissioners didn’t begin to get into [specific scenarios], having a general, theoretical discussion. Ellison referenced a study that recorded more accidents among people using cell phones than among a group of intoxicated individuals. He noted various tragedies in other cities that were caused by the use of cell phones in vehicles and speculated that, even though they might not have been cited as such, the devices might have played a role in some local incidents as well.

[...]

Ellison said that, regardless, the city should adopt an ordinance in an attempt to deter people from using phones while driving.

Full Story at The Independent Record

Helena Commission to look at cell use while driving

Commissioner Ellison says he isn’t sure whether he wants to outright ban cell phone usage in cars or just limit it. He just wants the Commission to look at addressing the issue.

“There is a reason why close to 60 countries have outright bans on the use of cell phones when driving. I think we need to explore it and do what we can to make our streets safer and make it safer for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists,” Ellison says.

Full Story at KXLH.com

In 1979, Dan Ellison was on his third tour of duty with the Navy, serving as a maintenance officer at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. He was part of a squadron that flew helicopters and ski-equipped airplanes as support for the National Science Foundation’s polar programs. That was the Navy’s mission in that area at the time, he said.

But things changed.

Full Story at the Helena Independent Record

Story also covered by the Associated Press.

He’d be the last person to tell you, and the first to blush when you congratulated him about it, but City Commissioner Dan Ellison has been honored with another prestigious award for his distinguished service as a U.S. Navy rescue pilot.

Full story at the Independent Record

Helena city commissioner Dan Ellison was the guest speaker Monday night at the annual Boy Scout and parent dinner held at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds. Eighteen troops were in attendance, listening to the tale of Donnie Priest, a 10-year-old boy who survived a plane crash in the Sierra Nevada in 1982.

Visit the Helena Independent Record for the rest of the story and to view the photo.

More information on Donnie Priest and the helicopter rescue can be found on the 2009 Campaign web site.

With its annual budget process looming on the horizon, the Helena City Commission on Wednesday bandied several ideas for bolstering recycling in and around Helena, either through city programs or by assisting to some degree the private sector businesses already involved in recycling.

After several months of discussions, there’s still little firm direction on how much to increase recycling in the city, and how quickly. A sticking point is that depending on the material, recycling can be more costly up-front than not, but over the long term, everyone agrees recycling is beneficial.

Full story at the Independent Record

The City Commission on Monday night approved two land acquisitions that will better connect Helena’s prestigious trail system and further protect the scenic natural landscape surrounding the Capital City.

Commissioners accepted a grant from the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust for $75,000 to purchase a parcel along the north face of Mount Ascension from the Prickly Pear Land Trust. The land trust purchased the 21-acre parcel from Grant Porter in 2009 for $90,000 — $80,000 through a conservation trust loan and the remaining money through donations from supporters.

Full story at the Independent Record

City commissioners on Monday night awarded a $2.527 million contract to Swank Enterprises to build a new transit station north of Malfunction Junction.

The Valier-based construction business put in a base bid of $2.198 million — below the engineering estimate of $2.67 million — which will allow for the construction of some additional amenities, including a cold storage building, a hydraulic bus lift and a bus wash system.

“It builds everything we had asked for in our specifications,” said Helena Area Transit System fleet manager Ed Robinson.

Full story at the Independent Record