Letter - Crosswalk signs should be used on Broadway intersections

To the editor:

In response to the article, “Is Broadway safe to cross?”

My husband and I purchased a home this summer on Hawthorne Street so we can enjoy this area for three to five months during your beautiful summers. Thirty-two years ago we moved from Alexandria to Redding, California. Now that we are retired we plan to spend time with many friends in this wonderful town.

I was thrilled when I saw the possible plan for Broadway and the other safe paths for walking and biking. We’d love to see a bike path go by our Hawthorne home. The quaint downtown stores should have an even greater economic vitality, as people are drawn to the “complete street” on Broadway.

Before this article was written, Captain Scott Kent graciously gave me several minutes of his time to express my concerns for pedestrian safety in Alexandria. In California, if one foot steps off the curb in a crosswalk, all cars stop. There is no question that the pedestrian has the right of way. Tickets are given to cars that do not stop and tickets are given to pedestrians that cross outside of a crosswalk. Maybe the revenue from such tickets would pay for an extra officer to enforce these state laws. This town is a vital, growing town and we need to be aware of everyone’s safety.

May I suggest that the crosswalk signs by the technical school be used in crosswalks on Broadway until your new Broadway is complete?

We are proud of Alexandria and we lovingly call it a “yuppie town.” Thanks to the progressive group and people like Karin Tank that came up with the Broadway plan. This town will only get better with such leadership.

Carol Erickson

Redding, CA

Tags: carol erickson, opinion, letters, erickson