Letters to the Editor

Letter: Red-light running

In the recent past, I had understood that there was preliminary deliberation on municipal regulations to monitor and ticket red-light running and runners, but recently I have not seen any reference to such regulations.

Every day that I drive in Anchorage, I see deliberate red-light running occurring with impunity. Cars that could easily brake and stop appear to deliberately accelerate in order to run the light, not on the yellow, but with full red before entering the intersection.

Is it necessary to kill or maim a certain number of individuals per year to qualify for redress? Or might a red-light runner need to maim a person of prominence before this issue is addressed?

There are cities I’ve visited when effective monitoring and ticketing is said to be in place so the devices needed are available. Certainly the most vulnerable intersections could be identified from existing traffic accident data. These intersections should be addressed first.

And please don’t whine that some natural right is being infringed upon by monitoring and ticketing. No one driver has the right to maim or kill another individual because they weren’t driving responsibly and within the limits imposed by the prevailing driving conditions.

— Richard Garner

Anchorage

Have something on your mind? Send to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Letters under 200 words have the best chance of being published. Writers should disclose any personal or professional connections with the subjects of their letters. Letters are edited for accuracy, clarity and length.

ADVERTISEMENT