Dear Editor,
New speed limits signs are being erected all over Linn. No, it is not “April Fools” but what good do the signs do? There are speed limit signs in existence now. Are they being followed? No way.
Jefferson Street, for example, has become the local speedway. 20 mph speed limit signs are in existence but who cares. What does it take to slow the traffic down? Someone getting seriously hurt? A lawsuit against the city will be imminent as city Fathers are aware of the existing speeders but are doing nothing to enforce the speed limits. Putting up speed limit signs has not slowed down the traffic. Someone getting seriously hurt, will that slow it down? I doubt it. Is it the fault of the police department that speeders aren’t caught and issued citations? Not really. It is difficult to patrol a town that size of Linn with only one officer on duty. How about putting in speed bumps about every 200 yards. I am informed by the city government that speed bumps are illegal. So is hitting a child with your car because you are speeding. So, it is alright to speed on residential streets but is not alright to take steps to ensure our streets are safe.
Also, I have been told that a motorized vehicle has to be legally registered in order to travel on city streets. Yet, the amount of unregistered four wheelers traveling on our city streets is enormous.
The solution to stopping speeders is not adding more speed limit signs or putting in speed bumps, as they are illegal, so the Mayor informs me, but hire more police officers to properly patrol our streets and ensure the safety of our citizens, especially the children.
I know what the answer to that scenario is: no money to hire more officers. Simple, let the speeders pay for the hiring of more officers by issuing speeding tickets and increasing the fines for speeding. It won’t take long to be able to hire more officers with citations written on Jefferson Street alone.
It is time the city Fathers take some positive action to ensure the safety of our citizens. Putting up speed limit signs has not been effective.
The first time someone gets killed on our streets due to a speeding car, the city Fathers should serve as pallbearers as it was their failure to properly ensure the safety of our citizens and explain to the family why they failed to properly secure the safety on our streets.
Respectively,
Dieter F. Palmer, USN (Ret)
