Intersection is less safe than before changes

To the editor:

The primary responsibility of government is to provide for the safety and protection of its citizens, and the most basic level would be municipal government. While it is not uncommon for local government to address a hazardous intersection by installing stop signs, it is almost unheard of that a safe, high-traffic intersection would have its stop signs removed. But that's what Jackson did at the intersection of Shawnee Boulevard and Old Cape Road.

It doesn't take a Ph.D. to understand that if drivers on Old Cape Road are afforded as little as a quarter-block view of traffic on Shawnee and have as little as three to four seconds to react to that traffic, they will be exposed to a higher accident risk -- the first of which occurred in less than 48 hours after the intersection was reopened. As dangerous as the intersection is now with lighter summer traffic, it is hard to imagine what will happen when schools reopen.

If you like being frustrated or having an adrenaline rush while driving, I recommend that you drive down Old Cape Road during rush hour and try to cross Shawnee. If you prefer to drive safely, I recommend you contact Mayor Paul Sander or your alderman and let your feelings be known.

For those drivers using Shawnee who like not having the extra stop, remember that it usually takes two to have an accident, and one of them could be you.

LARRY L. MYERS

Jackson