Letter to the Editor: Submitted by David Ebeling

To the Editor:

I have lived in the southwest quadrant of the town for the last eight years. Up until the last two years, traffic over here was doing OK.

However, these last two years have seen a major increase in speeding, running stop signs, doing the so-called California stop, and semis or heavy trucks on streets that were not designed to support them.

I would also like to say - last but not least, I will just throw this one in there - I know on the corner of 2nd Street and Main Street there are two signs on Main Street - one facing east and one facing west - that say, “yield to pedestrians at crosswalks”. I have been at those crosswalks in my mobility chair waiting to cross when, on two separate occasions, I have seen a sheriff’s deputy and a Waukon police officer not yield but then had the nerve to wave at me.

If our officers that have sworn to protect and serve as well as uphold the law do not do this, then how do we expect citizens to abide by these laws? Why isn’t the southwest side of town being patrolled? I asked a police officer why this is and his answer was, “this is not a high crime rate area so we don’t patrol it very much.” I thought the aforementioned traffic violations were crimes as well since they are laws we are supposed to obey.

David Ebeling
Waukon