Some motorcyclists are reckless
As a senior Metro Mobility bus operator of eight years, I have had a front-row seat to the increased frequency of careless and reckless driving all over the Twin Cities since COVID. When the weather warms, motorcyclists emerge from months of winter hibernation, creating a heightened public safety risk. This is not the fault of every motorcyclist. We all know a few bad apples can ruin it for everyone.
However, based on my observations as a bus operator, motorcyclists seem to be among the worst offenders when it comes to speeding and recklessness on the open highways.
The question is, how can we test the accuracy of one professional observation (mine) against the empirical data from MnDOT traffic cameras directly? Most importantly, what can we do about it?
Should motorcyclists be allowed to get away with breaking more traffic laws than regular motorists because of their increased vulnerability on the highways?
Why has the Minnesota State Patrol not created a special task force for speeding and reckless public endangerment by offending motorcyclists during riding season?
Omar Alansari-Kreger, St. Paul
Shared responsibility
It’s called living in society. As participants in a community, however large or small, we are individually required, to some degree, to participate in the daily lives of those around us; even if only to pause in the street to allow our neighbor to turn slowly into their driveway from the street in front of us. We no longer burn piles of dead leaves in our yards. If we lend a vehicle to a friend or relative, we are at least partially responsible if that person speeds through an intersection and disrupts traffic flow or causes an accident. If a young member of our family picks up a loaded gun we have neglected to secure and shoots somebody, we are, to some degree, responsible. We are responsible if a member of our family becomes dangerous to others, we are responsible to report to authority.
If the installation of cameras at intersections to record traffic-law infractions results in citations to the vehicle owner, that is also part of our responsibilities as citizens. And, if such installations result in fewer traffic accidents, that is a positive outcome. It’s called living in society.
Carl Brookins, Roseville
A missing date
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (National), has called on the Biden administration to “demand that the Israeli government de-escalate the crisis it started.” Apparently the CAIR calendar does not contain an October 7th.
Alan Miller, Eagan
A parking-ticket puzzle
I’m surprised St. Paul Ward 1 Councilmember Anika Bowie was unaware of her parking and speeding tickets. She explains that “I haven’t received my tickets because I haven’t changed my address on my driver’s license.” Parking tickets are left on the car’s windshield and speeding tickets handed directly to the driver. She obviously ignored the court’s past-due letters mailed to her Roseville address. Did she not inform the U.S. Post Office that she now resided in St. Paul? The first lesson in politics is “tell the truth.”
Peter K. Butler, St. Paul
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