To the editor,
School Street is called School Street for a reason. The elementary school is at the south end, and the Community Hall — where the after-school program runs until 5:30 — is at the north end. Between them run four-tenths of a mile of straight asphalt that drivers seem to treat as a bypass for Main Street traffic.
I live at 18 School Street. I have seen cars pass my house at speeds I would guess are well above 35 miles per hour. I know “well above 35” is not precise, so let me put it this way: I have learned to check both ways before backing out of my own driveway. That is not something a person should have to do on a residential street with a posted limit of 25.
I raised this at the Town Meeting last March. The selectmen said they would ask the sheriff’s department to run periodic patrols. I have seen a cruiser on School Street exactly once since then, and it was parked outside the Community Hall during a potluck supper — not exactly a speed trap.
I am not asking for a speed bump on every block. But a radar sign — the kind that flashes your speed back at you — would cost the town less than a single paving patch on Pond Road, and it sends a message. I would be happy to help fund it if the town cannot find room in the budget.
Respectfully,
Ms. Patricia Cormier 18 School Street Willow Creek