Common-sense ideas to foster safer traffic
In a recent Sunday commentary, Hoboken, New Jersey, was cited for reducing traffic fatalities to zero while implementing common-sense features like daylighting intersections.
While zero fatalities are a noble goal and should always be the goal of traffic engineers and city planners, there are some things about Chattanooga that desperately need to be addressed congruent with bike and pedestrian safety.
Chattanooga has many roads that look more like landing strips than urban streets. Thinking of you, McCallie Avenue east of Central Avenue.
While a traffic calming restripe occurred last year, the city insists on installing center turn lanes where there are no turns, thus becoming high-speed passing lanes for the more entitled drivers among us.
Fix this, plus illogical right-turn-on-reds in high pedestrian areas. This will go a long way toward moving in the direction of daylighting intersections and right-turn islands at intersections.
More four-way stops are needed. These will allow constant movement of traffic and maybe bring a more cooperative mood to hyper drivers.
All controlled intersections need crosswalks in all directions. Also, let's implement a city ordinance to require developers to leave sidewalks open or provide alternative walkways as to not block our vision.
Oh, yeah, last but certainly not least, let's start with one big no-brainer idea: traffic enforcement.
John Mathna
Border deceit, thy name is Fleischmann
Chuck Fleischmann's flyer hit my mailbox the day before Super Tuesday. It declared his support of H.R 2, a deceased May 2023 Republican wish list of border legislation attempting to solve a decades-old political issue.
The confluence of upcoming November elections, Hamas/Israeli terrorism deaths and Russia/Ukraine, Trump/Zelenskyy led to a February inflection point.
A months-long bipartisan Senate effort, led by Sen. James Lankford, presented a once-in-my-lifetime opportunity to pass historic bipartisan border legislation.
I watched the State of the Union as the camera zoomed in on a humiliated Lankford. He mouthed, "That is true," as President Biden finished listing items the Republicans had pushed for in Fleischmann's H.R 2, but rejected when Donald Trump said, "Don't give Americans a win!"
Fleischmann's border deceit is on display.
His Jan 6. 2021, election subversion deceit has been on display.
His adoration of Donald Trump was clear when Truth Social/Trump humiliated him by posting Fleishmann's groveling for Trump's approval in his ultra-brief run for speaker.
Trump/Putin/Fleischmann deceit imperils democracies around the world. The Senate voted 70-29 for Ukraine support. The House then took a two-week vacation.
Oliver Campbell
Re-evaluate aviary at Harrison Bay Park
I am asking the leaders at Harrison Bay Park to rethink the Harrison Bay State Park Raptor Aviary, or what I call the Road Side Cruelty Show. These beautiful birds are apparently unable to fly or be rehabbed and re-released; they are too injured to live in the wild. They are held in dark, often dirty confinement while being exposed to inclement weather conditions, gazing out to where they can never go.
This is not education. Please reassess the value of this "aviary" and human abuse. Harrison Bay is a beautiful park. This type of "entertainment" is beyond acceptable.
Libby Simons
Harrison
A sexual perpetrator in the White House?
Tennesseans by a large majority are helping nominate a man for president who was convicted of sexual assault. Not only that but many of our congressmen (including District 3) and both senators (one a woman) and our governor have endorsed him. He was convicted in civil court as E. Jean Carroll had not come forward in the requisite time before the statute of limitations had run out on criminal charges. Many victims of rape do not come forward ... ever. And who would want to go through what she went through?
Remember, during his first campaign he was caught on tape bragging, "you can grab them by the p—— if you are famous," reflecting his spectacular sense of entitlement. If this had been a criminal trial, he would now be a convicted sex offender and wouldn't be allowed to attend the White House Easter Egg Hunt! But most gratifyingly, he would be in Rikers Island.
This is a huge slap in the face to every rape victim in the United States — the Republican Party putting forward a man convicted of such a despicable, violent crime.
Remember that Trump is a perpetrator himself as he talks about crime in this country.
The Republican Party has no shame. I am a former Republican.
Tom Jenkins