|
|
|
Letter To The Editor
Dear Editor:
I have reached my wit’s end and now need some help from the public, if possible.
I stood in the front yard on the afternoon of Jan. 8, 2013, and witnessed two little girls almost get run over by a minivan. If I had not been there screaming at the girls, and had the man driving the minivan not been paying attention, they would very likely have been hurt or killed.
I have been trying for the past three years to get a speed bump placed right in front of 670 Robinson Road in Grenada. When I first started, I was told by Ronnie Merriman, ward seven city councilman, that it wouldn’t be a problem, and he would work on it and get back with me.
I made numerous phone calls in the following months to Councilman Merriman and would always be told he would get everything together to get a speed bump placed there to help protect our children and grandchildren. It never happened.
Then, during election time, my granddaughter and I were in the yard when he came by passing out cards. He recognized my name and told me he was still working on it, but because of emergency vehicles coming through the neighborhood, there couldn’t be a big bump placed in the street. (I know when I worked with the ambulance service, I would have much preferred to slow down than see a dead child).
So we go for several more months. No response from Mr. Merriman. I keep calling.
Then I am informed that I have to get a petition signed by every household within 400 feet of our house. So we get the petition signed by everyone on the block, on both sides of the street, as well as some on Magnolia Street.
Then it goes for discussion at a city council meeting. I was informed there was opposition to having a speed bump placed on Robinson Road. Somehow I missed this meeting, so I am unsure where the opposition came from, but I am just about sure it wasn’t from someone who has a child or grandchild or who lives in the first block of Robinson Road. Maybe those who oppose it are the ones that speed through that neighborhood, or the ones who it might be a little inconvenienced if they have to stop or slow down.
Later, a STOP sign placed at the end of the block. Rarely do you see anyone who stops at the sign, but I suppose that cuts down on the risk for the kids anyway.
Mr. Merriman told me he would request a greater police presence in the neighborhood, and if people were seen getting tickets they would slow down. Well, it appears to me that the police officers have plenty to do, and having a speed bump on this road would give them a little more time to do everything else they need to do. (I haven’t seen anyone be stopped, much less receive a ticket on Robinson Road. I am not criticizing law enforcement, they ride in the neighborhood, but who really breaks the law with police sitting there?)
At least 10 kids live and play right around our house. I am petrified every day, wondering which one of them will be the first to get hit. You can teach kids to watch crossing the street, but the bottom line is they are kids, and they get excited and forget.
I had a brother get hit by a car when he was seven years old. Now at 52, he still suffers from injuries he received in that accident. The lady who hit him knew it was an accident, but that didn’t make it any easier for her to deal with.
At the very least, if we can’t have a speed bump on Robinson Road could we at least have another three-way stop sign placed at Magnolia and Robinson Road?
All I am asking is for the people who have the authority to make this decision to act on it before an innocent life is lost. The benefits of a speed bump could be many. I am not sure what the drawbacks would be. I have been riding in different neighborhoods in Grenada. This is some of what I have seen:
On Chickasaw Drive there are two small speed bumps and signs; on Pecan Street there is a big speed hump and signs; on Adams Street there are three humps ands signs. Other streets with speed bumps or humps and signs include Mound, College Boulevard, Pearl Street, Govan Street, Oak Street and Westview.
I am trying to figure out if the children on these streets are more important than the children in our neighborhood. There is even a speed bump in Mr. Merriman’s neighborhood.
If I sound upset angry, I am.
Why is getting a speed hump large enough to make people sLow down and possibly save a child’s life on Robinson Road too much to ask?
Sincerely,
Marilyn Little
|
|
|
|
|