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Letter to the editor

Today's Letters: Bus schedules need refining

Parents who allow their children to take the bus to school may find that it could be compared to a roller coaster ride with no seat belt.

It is my experience and observation that some Pinellas County school bus drivers are quite reckless and inattentive. Students use this form of transportation not by choice but as a necessity, and they count on the drivers to transport them in a safe manner.

Again, it is my observation and experience that these buses are not being operated safely. The drivers are inattentive, they do not yield the right of way to other drivers, and most importantly, they seem to drive too fast. Every morning while driving to Clearwater High School, an oncoming school bus accelerates and turns in front of me, violating my right of way. This not only puts me in danger, but also the passengers of the bus.

I suggest that the School Board take a look at the pickup and dropoff schedules of the buses. If the scheduling was changed, it would allow more time for the drivers to complete their routes in a less-hasty manner. This would ensure not only the passengers on the bus, but the other drivers on the road as well the opportunity to have an accident-free, safe day.

Jayme-Jo TenBieg, Clearwater

Re: Some drivers need to retire,letter by S. Nguyen, Nov. 7

Don't just blame older drivers

As a senior automobile driver, I find this letter very one-sided.

The first thing you are taught as a new driver is to drive defensively. Every day we all experience drivers of one sort or another who we feel should not be on the road.

For example, the young adult in the left-turn lane who is so busy on the cell phone texting that they do not proceed when the light turns green.

Then there are the young adults in their SUVs who drive like they are on the Indy race track, weaving in and out between lanes and tailgating until you think they want a ride in your trunk, even though you may be going the speed limit or a few miles over it. This vision looming in your rearview mirror may cause a few seniors to slow down, hoping the idiot will get in the other lane and away from them.

What everyone who drives must realize is that you must have patience when you get behind the wheel of your vehicle. I have driven all over this country in the past 17 years and, without a doubt, the drivers in this bay area are the worst anywhere. I always am able to tell the difference as soon as I cross the Pasco County line.

Perhaps we all need to leave home a little earlier and then drive at a sane speed and defensively to our destinations, which will reduce the number of accidents and save more lives.

Georgia N. Pettibone,Clearwater

Re: Some drivers need to retire,letter by S. Nguyen, Nov. 7

Accident stats yield answers

I agree 100 percent that there are those on the roads of Pinellas County and elsewhere who have no business operating a vehicle. It is a lethal weapon, to say the least.

However, I think this letter writer needs to check traffic accident statistics. It is easily done online. If she has a houseful of teenagers, she probably won't like what she discovers.

C. O. Wells, Clearwater

Re: Palm Harbor ready to be city? story, Nov. 3

Government services cost us

"(Scott) Fisher, once president of the now-defunct Old Palm Harbor Community Association, drafted a feasibility study in 2002 that concluded incorporation would benefit residents, create a more responsive local government and might even cost taxpayers less."

As Judge Judy would say, "They are idiots."

Any time you increase government services, it will cost you more tax dollars.

Robert H. Kellner, Palm Harbor

Your voice counts

You may submit a letter to the editor for possible publication through our Web site at www.tampabay.com/letters, or by faxing it to (727) 445-4119, or by mailing it to Letters, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. You must include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length.

[Last modified November 15, 2007, 23:38:46]