Speed bumps create danger to public safety in Portsmouth; get rid of them: Letters
Speed bumps create danger to public safety in Portsmouth; get rid of them
May 23 – To the Editor:
I have the occasion to visit Portsmouth for business, some of which is on Banfield Road. I understand “Your” obsessed need to control traffic on “Your “road and I hate to tell you this, but it isn’t working. Not only that, your hatred of traffic as manifested in speed control bumps called “Traffic calming” is dangerous to everyone including yourselves.
Allow me to explain to the simple minded. The stop signs are being largely ignored even with flashing lights. Simply because they make no logical sense. Kind of like setting speed limits well below the 85th percentile which is the safest speed regardless of the posted speed limit. Here is the danger part. Last week I pulled up by the stop sign closest to the post office and heard fire engines. I looked left and could see an ambulance and a fire engine seemingly stopped way up Banfield Road coming towards me. They were actually moving very slowly and I realized they were navigating over the first speed bump but very, very slowly. Imagine that! Then they hardly built up any speed when they encountered speed bump #2 and came to almost a complete stop. Then very slowly crawled over that speed bump very, very slowly as well.
I remained at the stop sign because I did not want to get in their way. This was taking a while. Finally they came to the intersection and slowed again as they were passing through unnecessary stop sign #1. They sped up again until they reached unnecessary stop sign #2 again they slowed way down and slowly cleared the intersection. Are any of you getting any of this?
How much longer did it take for the fire department and ambulance take to get to the life saving emergency they were called out for? Seconds count and this effects everyone not just the residents of Banfield Road. I have also noticed a lot of debris at both speed bumps from vehicles. Some parts that were rattled off and a lot of trash that has spilled out of vehicles going to the town dump due to the “bumps”. Lastly I have noticed some people laying on their horns when they drive over said “speed bumps”. I can’t say I blame them but I feel for the residents adjacent to the bumps. Maybe this faulty idea was foisted on them by the town but I don’t know. Suggestion, tear up the speed bumps, remove the unnecessary stop signs that everyone ignores and we will all be safer and saner. Stop sign and red light cameras are illegal in N.H. Thank god!
Gregory S Wallace
Effingham
A nation divided by abortion laws harkens back to the Civil War era
May 24 -- To the Editor:
Some have argued that the five Justices should stick to their views about abortion and overturn Roe v Wade, not be ‘bullied’ by public opinion. But the Supreme Court's job is to apply the Constitution when determining what laws pass constitutional muster and which do not. For them to apply personal convictions is completely inappropriate.
History is, in 1973 supporters of abortion had a choice of whether to base their arguments in the First, the Ninth or the Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution. They chose the Fourteenth, and that is the reason we find ourselves where we are today. However, laws being enacted in 20 or more states are reflective of the views of adherents to one particular religion, and in doing so prevents others from acting upon their own personal beliefs. The First Amendment specifically prohibits that.
Although abortion is not mentioned in the Constitution, non-enumerated rights such as personal medical decisions and personal family planning are guaranteed by the Ninth Amendment. The right to choose your own marriage partner is also a non-enumerated right. When marriage equality reappears before the court, that’s where it should be defended. Some have argued that abortion is a States Rights issue, that each state legislature should be empowered to make decisions about abortion for their citizens.
This logic mirrors the logic of the defenders of slavery. The result was half a country divided between slaveholder and abolitionist states, and we all know how that worked out. For us today, to enter a situation whereby half the country is pro-choice and half pro-life does not bode well for the civility of the country.
Jeffrey Cooper
Portsmouth
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Speed bumps create danger to public safety in Portsmouth, NH: Letters
