Letter to the Editor

I recently happened upon the cluster-thump of a bike lane project that winds from Jefferson Street to Carl Street. I simply couldn't believe how much has gone into this project. It was, in my opinion, worse than ridiculous.

Then I read the article on the front page of the Siloam Sunday from Nov. 25. Clearly, everyone in the neighborhood is not happy with the "overkill" results, as one put it. Well good luck, my close-by good neighbors, in getting the city to make the changes you would like to see.

I have corresponded with various city officials going on four years now regarding the chronic speeding on Elm Street between Kenwood and Tulsa. It's bad enough having cars and pickups blasting down our street but we also get large vehicles such as box trucks and semis (and everything in between ) speeding down the street using it as a cut-through street. There are no sidewalks so people must walk on the edge of the street, including the elementary school children from one block over. Of course, we need to keep our bikers safe but our pedestrians deserve as much consideration.

All I have asked for is a couple of speed breakers to make our street safer. Granted, the city has rerouted their large vehicles and I appreciate that. Speed limit signs were installed, and a traffic study was also done but we still have the speeding problem.

Every.Single.Day. Anyone can come over here and watch the traffic just for one day and see that my concerns are warranted.

Here's an idea though. Move two of those speed breakers from that bike trail over to Elm Street and the city just might make two neighborhoods happy.... AND safer.

Susan Knight-Harder