Letters to the Editors

U.S. 19 woes are due to poor design

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 14, 2000

I read with displeasure writers' comments to strictly enforce all traffic laws on U.S. 19. I can't believe that the police have to be the answer to everything.

U.S. 19 is dangerous because it is poorly designed and the area suffers from poor land development codes at city and county levels. Traffic conditions and street design in Pinellas County create poor drivers. Left turns are unrestricted everywhere. Lights are so long and frequent, one can barely drive a block and a half before stopping for another 3-minute light cycle. School buses stop in the middle of the road instead of in neighborhoods.

These things happen because we do not plan and never have enough money to do the project right the first time. We are always trying to fix our traffic failures with police. Design the road the right way the first time and you will see a dramatic difference. Until we realize this simple point we will always have bad roads and ugly development.
-- Paul Kuykendal, Belleair Bluffs

A green light isn't unconditional

Re: Officials to give trail crossings a good look, story, May 1.

The story reminded me of my pet peeve. Cars turning right on a green light pose a danger to bikes, especially if there is a right-turn lane. Even when a bicyclist (or pedestrian) has a WALK signal, many cars act as if their green light is a green turn arrow.

A round green light indicates the right-of-way to go straight. This applies to cars, bikes and pedestrians. Even if there is a right-turn-only lane, a green light does not give you the right-of-way. A turn may be made only when it is safe to do so, just as if the light were red.

I commute to work on my bike and face this situation a few times a day. If facing traffic, I look at the drivers' eyes and make sure they see me before crossing in front of them. When going with traffic, I sometimes have to flag the cars to a stop so I can cross with the green light. I know most of the cars are not trying to run me over, they just don't quite know the rules of the road.

Through repetition, a driver learns the fastest way to get through the right turn at a light. Then one day a bicyclist shows up and the driver has forgotten the rules of the road. The driver gets irate at the bicyclist, and the bicyclist gets irate at the driver.
-- Eric Stubkjaer, Seminole

Parents thank child's rescuers

We would like to thank the people on a pontoon boat that assisted us in a boating accident on Lake Tarpon on May 5. We cannot thank you enough as you aided in saving the life of our son, Brian.

You courageously assisted us in a very frightening situation, and we consider you guardian angels. We would also like to thank East Lake Fire and Rescue as well as the crew of Bayflite. Each played a critical part in his rescue, and words cannot adequately convey our gratitude.
-- Ed and Terry Giacobbe, Palm Harbor

Water rules being disregarded

As a concerned Largo citizen who waters on the designated Sunday and whose lawn gets browner with each passing week, I am incensed at the number of residents in the city that have a total disregard for these restrictions.

Thirty percent of my neighbors water a minimum of two days per week and sometimes twice a day, and another family waters every day, sometimes as late as 10 in the morning. Not 2 miles away, on a street that I must visit twice a day, I watch a family there water every day and sometimes twice a day. (There is no reclaimed water in these neighborhoods.)

How selfish can these people be? It wouldn't be difficult to identify the offenders; just check out the homes with the emerald green lawns.
-- E. Williams, Largo

Work crew wasting water

I have no problem with the water restrictions that must be implemented for us all to be able to survive this drought. My problem is driving by the new Walgreens, under construction at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Cleveland Street in Clearwater, and seeing them watering down their dirt parking lot, using city water from a hose hooked up to a fire hydrant.

Let them truck in their own recycled water to do this, but don't make taxpayers fork out more dollars while their own roses and front lawns are dying.
-- Garth Kroitzsch, Clearwater

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