Letters to the Editors

Biking, walking on roads is risky

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 27, 2001

I hope that people choosing to use bicycles as a means of transportation will weigh the value of their lives when traveling roads being used by trucks and SUVs and other larger motorized vehicles, be it day or night. I would say the only safe place for bike riding is the Pinellas Trail. That would avoid all vehicular traffic. Our city streets are not set up width-wise or otherwise to accommodate bike riding.

I have to travel 38th Avenue N every day. The speed limit is 40 mph. There is no one honoring that. Some people try to hold to 45, but the majority are going 50 and beyond. I drive a large automobile, but there still is nothing like looking in the rear-view mirror and knowing you are being challenged for that lane by an oversized SUV or pickup truck. I am also on this road quite often between midnight and 5 a.m.

At 5 a.m. the other day, while traveling east on 38th Avenue, I spotted a small twinkling pink light that I estimated to be at least three blocks ahead of me. The only reason I could study this situation was that I was alone on the road. Had I been faced with the busy daytime traffic of lane changing and speeding, or with the flush of many auto lights coming toward me at night, I could not have concentrated that long to try to determine what it was. As I got within 200 feet, I saw that it was a bike rider and knew that his pedaling was activating the light. Neither the front nor back light was any brighter than a single lighted match.

I was lucky this time, but this was not the first occurrence. Just two nights before, a bike rider with no lights and wearing dark clothing suddenly appeared, coming toward me, riding against the traffic. On many other occasions on this road, I have encountered other bikers, who have always been in extremely dark clothing. I have had extremely hair-raising experiences, and I have often wondered if these people have a death wish.

To the people either walking in the neighborhood or riding bicycles after dark: You are barely visible, but wearing dark clothing makes it about impossible for drivers to see you, even at slow speeds. Do not think that because you are able to see well that others can see you. You will only know that you have been seen when the vehicle behind you adjusts its speed and direction, and then it may be too late. You will do yourself a favor by wearing light clothing and using some reflective material around your legs and arms or on your back. And to those biking at night, you need to arm yourselves and your bike with bright lights and many reflectors and think of yourself as the bull's-eye on an unwilling target.

Walking or biking on roads in the daytime carries its own share of risk. You owe it to yourself and others to always be prepared. Stop thinking that you are so visible and that it can never happen to you. If you have children or loved ones who bike, you can help by seeing that they understand the rules and are equipped and prepared for the challenge.
-- A.H. Williams, St. Petersburg

Williams Park looks shabby

I know the St. Petersburg Parks Department can keep land beautiful. I recently played the beautiful and well-manicured Mangrove Bay Golf Club.

I question then why downtown's Williams Park looks like it has been abandoned from the standpoint of maintenance. Certainly Williams Park should be a focal point downtown, and keeping it pristine, at least to me, should be high on the list of priorities.

I would invite anyone to stroll from the southeast corner to the northwest corner at your leisure and see just how unattractive and poorly maintained this downtown park has become.
-- James B. Thompson, St. Petersburg

Eyes wide open in Pinellas Park

Re: A view from the street, May 16.

On Saturday, May 12, I was one of the interested people who went on the trolley ride with Pinellas Park City Council member Rick Butler. We took a look at our community and issues involving Dumpsters used by businesses, commercial vehicles parked in residential areas, and the addition of certain types of carports to homes.

I almost missed the notice in the Neighborhood Times that on May 22 the City Council was scheduled to discuss possible changes to ordinances pertaining to Dumpsters, carports and trucks. Since I have vowed to take a more active role in code enforcement, I did attend the meeting but was disappointed that they decided not to discuss these topics until a tentative date toward the middle of June, and also that only a handful of residents attended.

The mayor must be commended for suggesting that these topics are very important and should be discussed in a more open forum like a town meeting. It would be nice if the announcement about this meeting could be advertised not only in the Neighborhood Times but other papers servicing our area, so that everyone who is interested can make plans to attend.

It is my firm belief that most folks here in Pinellas Park are unaware that we have ordinances that govern the appearance of our neighborhoods. Residents need to know that there is something they can do and someone they can call at the code enforcement office. Sadly, this is the only way we can make thoughtless homeowners clean up their act.
-- Peggy Duncan, Pinellas Park

Dealing with awful neighbors

Re: Enough already, story on Michael Glick, May 13.

What a big baby. You say he is 50 years old. Tell him to grow up.

I, too, have unpleasant neighbors. The day my family and I moved into my deceased father-in-law's home, these people had a crew building a huge concrete wall between our homes. (I couldn't believe they got a permit for it, but they did.)

Now as we sit at our kitchen table we have this beautiful wall in our faces that has since become streaked with mildew and whose stucco is cracking. Before we had a slight but lovely view of the Intercoastal Waterway just over their back yard (we are both on a cul-de-sac).

I am not about to paint my $400,000 home purple just to make a point, though. Has this man heard of the saying about "cutting off one's nose to spite one's face"?
-- Linda Henderson, North Redington Beach

Speed humps, bumps aren't necessary

Re: Love 'em or hate 'em, speed humps are in vogue, May 23.

I feel that these devices are a case of "hang 'em all, you'll get the guilty." We have a police force that is paid to apprehend lawbreakers and a court system to punish them. Why should we punish all drivers because some break the speed limit?

We spend a fortune in taxpayers' money to determine the safe speed in a given neighborhood and then construct and maintain roads that are safe at the posted speed. Then, because of the complaints of a few citizens (certainly not a majority) we proceed to install speed bumps, which make the roads unsafe to drive at almost any speed. Wouldn't it be wiser to use our police force to apprehend the speeders?
-- Tom Perry, Pinellas Park

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