We lived in past years in a town where there were hardly any accidents and people were aware while driving of what was going on around them.  Since Mr. Klein's government, we are in a town where we must look at yellow lines on the road rather than where a car is on the road in relation to other things on the road like people and other cars.  We never had so many people going into ditches as we have had in recent times.  Klein who is a 'progressive' wants to defy the majority of people and have us go back to driving as fast as a horse trots on town roads and on the main connector to Madison at the request of 3 or 4 citizens.  He wants to put a stop sign on a blind turn down a hill.  How crazy is that? Is he being paid off by insurance companies to do these crazy things?  How about the year long project to build a bridge on a perfect road, RT 81, the main road to everything nearby our town.  Is United Rentals paying Klein something for this waste of money project?  People need to wake up and stop corruption and the destruction of our town.  

Why should a few residents in the Traffic Study Committee be allowed to change our roads or waste state money on more enforcement.  A speeding ticket will cost you not just initial money on the ticket but 3 years of higher insurance premiums.  We want to inflict that kind of monetary damage on all our residents when we cannot afford property tax, gas, milk, and are frustrated by a 'terror' scare and a never ending war.  Should people start killing themselves?  This will not lead to a happier town.    Cars are getting better and people need to be allowed to drive better and move from one place to another faster, not slower.  The Majority of people speak every day by their actions.  Take a average of the speed over 2 weeks on any road, it will not be below the speed limit on that road.  If you cannot see that then let everyone vote on these issues over a month long period, you can vote by calling into the town and giving your name, address, and vote.

We all do not trust each other in town to drive.  It is in our American nature to try to control other people's lives.  A few residents want to walk on a road next to a car and then want to control the car's speed.  Nothing has ever happened in town and nothing probably will unless we put people to sleep while driving and then walk next to their cars.  The few residents who want to control another residents life need to ask their god what they are doing.  Be friendly to your neighbors and understand their point of view.  We live in a democracy.  The majority of people in town do not want more signs, more road stripes, and lower speed limits.  The majority of traffic on the roads speaks to the speed limit on the road and what is the correct and safest speed.  The speed at which most card drive is the correct speed for any town road.  A speed limit, if any is needed, should be 10 mph above this average speed.  

For all the older drivers in town, if you cannot move your neck enough to look before turning and cannot move your arms enough to turn a car at the proper speed, you should not be driving.  You will kill someone else by driving at 1 mph in a turn when a car is coming towards you, or crossing into the opposite lane at every turn on RT 81.  People should not have to blow their horns to keep you awake.  (This I witnessed on RT 81 this past week)

The unintended consequences of slowing cars down and putting stop signs on roads are:

1)    Increased gas consumption from our cars.  We will be paying at the pump for driving slower because cars get worse gas mileage when going 20 versus going 60.  
2)    More pollution in town from cars spending more time on the roads.  More pollution from cars stopped at stop signs.  This will lead to worsening the global warming issue and produce more CO2 in our atmosphere, not less.  
3)    More accidents will occur from people doing other things rather than driving.  The slower you drive the more likely you are to be eating, talking on the phone, or looking at other things other than the road and the cars in front and behind you.  Insurance companies love more accidents as they will increase your insurance premiums, as long as you do not die in the accident in which case they will pay a large lump sum to your family and will not have anyone to pay them high yearly premiums any more. 

Tom Waters