Letter to the editor
Every morning I walk my dog in our neighborhood, and every morning I see many people speeding, running stop signs, and ignoring crosswalks. Two people in less than 10 days have come up to the light at 33rd and Ainsworth and pulled into the crosswalk WHILE I’M IN IT. This morning I had to slap the hood of the car to get the driver’s attention as he was rolling forward into me.
People aren’t paying attention to our traffic laws. They’re using their phones, eating, or generally distracted.
I live across the street from the Faubion Grade School construction site, where they are going to increase the number of students by a few hundred kids when it reopens. Dekum Street has become a speedway because it’s long with no stops. What will happen when we have all those kids starting school?
I called the police. They called me back a week later and said I could rent a “slow down” sign, and they would try to increase patrols. I haven’t seen more patrols.
We have many more people moving here. The police are severely understaffed, our infrastructure is bursting at the seams, many roads are in disrepair, and with all these new people come more cars. We need to start working together. I expect my city to be proactive, not reactive.
As for drivers, including myself, we need to remember each corner is a legal crosswalk for pedestrians, even if there are no stripes painted on the road.
James Keyes