| Stratford speed bumps
Re: "Bumpy situation (letters, 4/23) and "Stratford blockade (letters, 4/28). I agree with the dismay over the expansion of the "speed bump campaign in Stratford. I somewhat understand the placement of some of the earlier obstacles, mostly placed on the sidestreets immediately off Route 30, as an effort to slow drivers making the transition from that fast-paced highway. However, I can see no logic in their recent increase in placement. What are the traffic problems related to speeding above the predominately 25 mph limit of the town to warrant them? Do the speed bumps mean there can now be a reduction in the number of police? It seems impossible to safely traverse these mounds at a speed anywhere above 10 mph. Will the town be legally and financially responsible for any accidents that result from a driver traveling within the legal speed limit, hitting one of these mounds and losing control of the vehicle? The bumps are marked with signs, but not all are yet painted to warn of their exact placement. How will they affect removal of snow? The bumps will thwart the speedy and safe response of all emergency vehicles and negatively impact public safety, along with property values. I suggest to the residents who are upset by these bumps to get involved and do something. Attend meetings, ask questions, find out who is responsible, complain and seek remedies, either legal or political. The point Mark Cannack makes related to election time is a good one. The bumps, as well as the officials responsible for them, can both be removed.
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| Costly speed bumps
The residents of Stratford are showing some reluctance in telling the mayor and council of their displeasure with the speed bumps, but they are telling me. At the April council meeting, the mayor declared the cost to be $3,000 per speed bump, and the total number would be 50. You do the math! At the May meeting, which I was unable to attend, I understand the figure was revised to approximately one-third of the former figure. Sounds like they don’t have a clue as to how much of the taxpayers’ money they spent to please a few people. I believe that the actions of the council should always benefit the majority of the residents, not just a few. Seems like none of the officials are watching the results of their bumps. Sure, you have to slow down to much less than the posted 25 mph to cross them, but don’t try it faster than 15 mph on some or you’ll bottom out. Then, the race is on to make up for the lost time of having to slow down between bumps. At 4 p.m. on May 11, I followed the white highway department pickup up Longwood Drive at 35mph between bumps. Those who normally speed are continuing to speed between the bumps. A lot of tax dollars have been spent, but the speeding problem has not been resolved. In the meantime, resident drivers are still faced with unpainted bumps and some that are not the required 3 inches. What does our borough engineer do?
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| Bump the officials
Re: The annoying speed bumps placed all over Stratford without the citizens voting on this issue. Were these speed bumps placed all over town so that the policemen now can slack off on their duties? If many residents are speeding all over town, why don’t the police issue speeding tickets to the certain few residents who are speeding, instead of penalizing the whole town? The safety and well-being of every citizen of this community is being placed in jeopardy by those speed bumps. In life-and-death situations, emergency-response vehicles need to be able to respond immediately. I hope the mayor and other officials who voted for the speed bumps don’t need a fire truck or ambulance to get to their home in an emergency. The law-abiding citizens of Stratford need to remember who these officials are next November.
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| Bumps smooth things
Re: "Stratford speed bumps" by LB of Erial (letters, 5/12). I am a Stratford resident. If one lived in the town with the speed bumps, one would realize that they are a necessity. I have waited for years for them to be installed. To start off, there is a day-care center on my street. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why we need speed bumps on a street with a day-care center. To make matters worse, the day-care center has no fencing around it. Sometimes, children are permitted to play in front of the building — not too far from the street. Secondly, we have taxi drivers who come hauling down the street at outrageous speeds trying to make that extra buck to go pick up their next customer. I will admit that you have to travel at a speed lower than 25 mph to go over the speed bumps, but if motorists would travel at 25 mph, then there would be no need for the speed bumps. Another plus with the speed bumps is that it is much easier for me to exit my driveway now that cars are traveling slower. So, the next time you want to complain about something in a town other than the one in which you live, don’t — unless you first try living in that town.
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| Stratford's Priority I am a Stratford resident living on Warwick Road (which has a 35-mph speed limit). On any given day, cars speed by at more than 50 mph. The police could sit on any side street to ticket these drivers, but they don’t. The township is all too concerned about placing speed bumps on our side roads that have 25-mph speed limits. We are the forgotten residents. I was recently issued a ticket without any notice —for parking on my lawn. This fine could be as much as $500. I have three cars and have visitors from time to time. We cannot park on Warwick Road. Any suggestions as to where I can park when my driveway is filled? Has this town stooped to new low levels, ticketing innocent law-abiding homeowners? What’s next, being fined for putting the trash at curbside a day before we should? Last year, the township tried to give me a summons for having pet birds that sing in the morning! What have we come to? Do you really think we live in a free society? I now understand why I was issued this summons: With those speed bumps costing thousands of dollars, this town needs the money!
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| Bumpy question
Re: "Bumps
smooth things" (letters, 6/13).
(MMC).. asserts nonresidents should not complain about the speedbumps in Stratford. However, I do have several relatives living there and have the right to be concerned about their safety. I feel their safety could be in jeopardy because the bumps can affect the response time of emergency vehicles. I understand the need for some selective placement of speedbumps, such as on Arlington Avenue, the location of the day care center (MMC).. mentions. However, instead of waiting for years for speedbumps, she should have long ago pressed local officials to enact or enforce zoning and speed laws. In addition, taxis speeding on her street would be easy to catch by local police. It is interesting to observe how many complaint letters there have been vs. the number supporting the speedbumps. It will be even more interesting to observe how many residents remember this issue at election time. While I have the right to complain and exercise the freedom of the press, as a nonresident of Stratford, I do not have the right to vote there. I hope that the residents who are against such measures and the way they were enacted will not wait for years for something to change, but exercise their rights to use the ballot box to enact change.
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Re: "Bumpy question" by Louis W. (B.)… Jr. of Erial (letters, 7/23). (Louis W. B. Jr)... asserts that his relatives’ safety could be in jeopardy. But what about the safety of our children or any other citizens who may not see the speeding "emergency vehicles" coming down their streets? Also, in response to the anti-speed bump movement, an incident occurred some time ago on my street involving a speeding motorist. The man, who was my uncle’s friend, hit a telephone pole and was killed. If the speed bumps had been installed at that time, he could possibly still be alive today to talk about it, but instead I am telling his story. (Louis W. B. Jr)... recommended that I should have "pressed local officials.’ Try again. "Local officials" have been "pressed." A police officer was placed on our street. The result was that the officer, according to the mayor, did not catch anyone speeding. Should there be a cop there at all times to catch speeding motorists? Is (Louis W. B. Jr)... willing to shell out the cash for it? If it were up to me, residential speed limits would be 15 mph. Obviously, the lower speed limit would still have to be enforced. For example, you can put a "Keep Off Grass" sign on your lawn and still have people walk on your lawn until you install a fence. The same situation applies here. You can put up a speed limit sign and still have people disobeying it. Put some speed bumps on the road and people slow down, for the most part. The majority of people have a love for speed, and innocent lives must pay the price in some cases. But I’m glad to have the speed bumps to help slow everyone down.
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