Ban red-light cameras
While ARLE grant projects can be worthwhile, no municipality should accept the money, since it came from red-light cameras (which should be banned in PA). If we had best-practice engineering and enforcement, then practically nobody would ever “run” a light. Most people do not “run” a light on purpose. Taking money from these grants sends the message that all this is OK. Please note that the Philly Inquirer ran a story in 2017 saying that some of these cams had accuracy rates of 3%.
It was reported multiple times that crashes went up in Philly at red-light camera intersections.
Nationwide, yellows may be too short, people can be cited a split-second after the lights change, for stopping over the stop line or a non-complete stop for a right-on-red turn. Who can defend this setup?
All you need are speed limits set to the 85th percentile free-flowing traffic speed, longer yellows, decent-length all-red intervals and sensors to keep an all-red if someone enters late. No crashes. Can also sync lights and use sensors to change them and know where cars are. After simple changes are made, only egregious violators should ever be cited.
James Sikorski Jr.
Keep following your dreams, Eleta
As a retired teacher and current subscriber to the Walnut Street Theatre, I was excited to read Mark Zimmaro’s front-page report in last week’s South Philly Review about a gifted young musician (“This singer-songwriter has big dreams,” March 19). The musician is a young eighth-grade student, Eleta Eichfeld, who moved with her parents to South Philly from New Jersey to attend our school district’s special schools for artistically talented children.
It was heartwarming to read how this truly gifted young lady has parents willing to take risks in order to encourage her natural abilities. And how remarkable to note that our school district still has the same special admission schools GAMP and CAPA that I remember when I was teaching.
Eleta currently attends Girard Academic Music Program, which has nurtured her musical gifts to the point where she was accepted for admission to the High School for Creative and Performing Arts. At CAPA she will continue to develop her talent for a career in the musical arts.
One of my favorite activities is attending live performances, both drama and musicals, at the Walnut Street Theatre. Sometimes there are roles in musicals, like “Annie,” for example, for youngsters like Eleta. So glad to read that she already has had such experience on the professional stage.
So let’s all wish this gifted young lady a very successful experience during her high school years as she follows her artistic dreams. Also special acknowledgment and gratitude to her wonderful parents for their willingness to take risks so she will be well prepared to achieve her full potential. Brava!
Gloria C. Endres
Crack down on ghost guns
On March 3, state Rep. Craig Williams reintroduced a bill creating a task force to prosecute prior convicted felons illegally in possession of guns in Philadelphia.
From the Philadelphia District Attorney Office website phillyda.org: The Gun Violence Task Force helps local, state and federal law enforcement agencies arrest and prosecute individuals who commit murders, shootings and robberies involving illegal firearms. This includes long-term investigations into the violence that ensues when two neighborhood groups engage in retaliatory shootings in targeted city hotspots.
The overview summary also includes firearms trafficking, straw purchases and illegal transfers of guns.
Gun Violence Task Force is to the point but it seems that it still does not get to the root of the problem, which are ghost guns. GVTF mainly is used to charge felons who committed a gun crime.
Removing violent felons from the streets is one approach. But the first problem is the illegal ghost guns that are on the streets in the first place.
Having these firearms from the city to the counties is the real issue. If the government can be more aggressively involved with removing all illegal weapons from the country then fewer gun violence heinous crimes would be committed.
Alim Howell
