Over the last year, traffic has gotten out of control. Cars are breaking the speed limit by at least 20 miles over the limit, if not more. Stop signs and red lights are being run at a regular rate. Intersections are being blocked by cars during rush hour, exacerbating the already terrible problems we have. This is not limited to the main streets. I once watched a mother with a baby carriage and a toddler nearly get hit by a commuter from Maryland who was running stop signs on Columbus Street. The mother looked up in time to see his grill quite close up. This is not an isolated incident, as I see similar almost every day.
The police seem unable to enforce the laws and I was told by one that there was no use in enforcing them, as they only get broken again once enforcement efforts stop. Now we have the return of the ATV/dirt bike gang that roars down Henry street, speeding, riding up on the sidewalks, doing dangerous stunts, all down what is a residential street. There are businesses, families, daycares and churches on this street and a steady pedestrian flow. They are not even waiting until dark anymore, taking control of the street at their whim.
We also have a large population of bicyclists that go the wrong way on streets, ignore the bike lanes, and run stop signs. I once counted four that ran stop signs while a parked police car was facing them. We need enforcement and we need it badly. One of these days, we will have the perfect storm of a car running a red light while an ATV gang is on an intercept path, with a group of bicyclists running the light going the other way, while the daycare takes their babies out for their daily walk in their mega strollers. Lowering the speed limit and posting signs will not work, as the speed limit down most streets, including what is Route 1, is 25 miles an hour. We need traffic enforcement and we need it now.
Michael Ford
Alexandria