Show Must a 1 Tragedy Occur by Deanne Welti It wasn't until Katherine Katharine Weeks lay dead in a pool of her own blood did the Traffic and Safety Department finally finally finally fin fin- ally listen to the Holladay community's imploring for a crosswalk and stoplight It wasn't until Mrs Nolton ran into another car and smashed her face to an indistinguishable able pulp at a local intersection intersection intersection tion did the Traffic and Safety Department put up a desperately needed stop sign one for which the entire neighborhood had been petitioning months and months before the accident I Somehow it seems that the Traffic Departments Department's logic is a bit twisted Their attitude that a dangerous condition condition condition con con- should be corrected only after an accident has occurred is like a welder putting putting putting put put- I ting on after he has blinded himself or a cyclist putting on a helmet after he has split open his head Unfortunately this senseless senseless senseless sen sen- seless attitude is reflected in a situation here at Right to the east of campus campus campus cam cam- pus on South and Redwood Redwood Redwood Red Red- wood Road there is an urgent need for a stoplight and crosswalk It is urgent because every day hundreds of people have to dodge cars traveling up to 55 mph to cross the street Many children children children child child- ren from Eisenhower Elementary Elementary Elementary Elemen Elemen- tary try to get across there so they can cut through campus to their homes west of Busload after busload of people have to scramble from I the bus stop to campus acress acres the free like freeway way like road and many students who frequent the stores on the east side of the road often have their lives threatened by drivers travelling travelling travelling travel travel- ling too fast to slow down for pedestrians So far weve we've been lucky But the odds are staking up against us Someday a child from Eisenhower is going to forget to look both ways Someday a pedestrian will trip and fall Someday a careless driver will fail to stop It is ironic but it will be beafter beafter beafter after that someday when the school will get the stop stop- light Cal Corbridge Senator at Large has spoken to the Traffic Department and they told him that the accident level was too low to put in a alight alight alight light meaning that there has hasto hasto hasto to be a high incidence of accidents accidents accidents acci acci- dents before they'll put something something something some some- thing in He was also told that were we're on a waiting list of 16 areas that have petitioned for a light We have low priority according to Fred Louis of the Safety Depart Depart- ment despite the fact the Senate and Executive Council have been petitioning for a crosswalk for two years And the odds keep stacking up There is a little bit of hope left however The Traffic and Safety Department said they might put in a light if and when they widen Redwood Road Right now however the road proposal is lost somewhere under a pile of red tape Once again the Departments Department's Departments Department's Departments Department's Depart Depart- ments ment's logic is in effect and the odds keep stacking up |