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Schools have role in student bicycle safety

I drive a Pasco County school bus. One elementary school in particular has a large number of children who ride bicycles to and from school. Very few have their helmets on. If they are on, they are not on correctly.

I always thought it was a parent's job to teach children the proper and safe way to ride. Yet at the same time I think if school personnel see a child without the proper headwear fastened on correctly, they would or should contact a parent.

Motorcyclists often aren't the cause of accidents

Re: Motorcyclists should be safer on the roads, May 17 letter.

It is this kind of narrow-minded thinking that gets people killed every day on motorcycles. You see a young kid on a sport bike doing something stupid, and right away you think we all ride that way. Well, you are wrong. Most of us don't ride like that, and you will never notice us because you are not looking for us. That is why there is Motorcycle Awareness Month, because you don't see us!

The writer was right about most of the accidents. Motorcycles do hit the other vehicle, because some narrow-minded "it's my road, get out my way" driver doesn't like or understand motorcyclists and their desire to ride. Those drivers will pull out or turn left in front of a motorcycle and then say "I didn't see him!"

Check the facts on motorcycle accidents before speaking. I don't think all motorists are to blame for the accidents, just the ones that say "I didn't see him."

Intersection signals should have turn arrows

I have noticed that most of the accidents at Fox Hollow Drive and Little Road have been caused by someone making a left turn. If the traffic lights had arrows installed in them, then the people with a green arrow wouldn't have to take a chance turning and misjudging the oncoming traffic. They would have the right of way.

This was the same at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Little Road. There were many accidents until the arrows were installed some time ago.

Drawn-out process ends on a positive note

Re: A funny thing happened on the way to the exit, May 14 Andrew Skerritt column.

Two years ago when the council majority was about to fire Vince Lupo as city manager, I begged them to delay that decision until the budget was finished. I told about a seminar I had attended at which the guest speaker showed how a municipality suffers when a top executive leaves. Statistically, he stated, it takes two years to recover. No one listened. And so the city of Port Richey limped along with no guidance, relying only on department heads to know what they needed for the new fiscal year. They did not apply for grants, which were in abundance, and were ill prepared for the hurricane season. Projects were put on hold, and there was no possible relief for the taxpayers.

Our search for a new manager began, and although my little city was maligned and ridiculed by the press at every opportunity, (and we gave them plenty to write about!), 86 applications were received, one of which was from Jerry Calhoun. As I read through them, assigning a grade to narrow the list, Mr. Calhoun always made my cut. When the field ended with six, Mr. Calhoun was still with me. The council majority chose the top three, and Mr. Calhoun was No. 4.

The first candidate was interviewed and declined, as did the second. The third was passed over because, in my opinion, he intimidated certain members. And so we finally got to Mr. Calhoun. Immediately I liked him, and I remember saying that he appeared to be a small-city man with a big-city brain.

After the April 11 election when a new council was seated, Mr. Calhoun tendered his resignation, thinking he could not work with them. I talked privately with him (I learned other members did as well), and he explained why he wanted to leave his job. While the ultimate decision had to be his, I asked that he rethink it, assuring him that if he chose to stay we would all be walking the same path, restoring pride, professionalism and integrity.

And so, as Andrew Skerritt wrote so beautifully, Mr. Calhoun withdrew his resignation, and indeed we have all started down that path.

[Last modified May 18, 2006, 02:12:29]