MAILBAG - Oct. 4, 2007

Poseidon plant will put H.B. into forefront

Southern California desperately needs additional water resources. The extreme vulnerability of our current water system is scary.

By hiring the engineering firm now, I would imagine Poseidon hopes the permit process will be expedited.

If Huntington Beach residents are really concerned about the plant being built in Huntington Beach, perhaps they can console themselves by realizing that the plant will put Huntington Beach into the forefront of Southern California communities.

Once the plant is built, Huntington Beach will be: a) the “kingmaker” in regional water policy; b) one of the wealthiest communities due to the “water tariffs” that will certainly flow into the Huntington Beach coffers once the plant is online.

LUCINDA HALLEY

Whittier

Cameras aren’t the only solution to speeding

I don’t think the installation of red light cameras is necessarily the solution to putting an end to speeding in the city.

They’re expensive to buy, maintain and people are just going to complain and/or sue whoever they can just to claim the whole “big brother” thing on top of that.

Also, those same people will try to weasel their way out of something they shouldn’t have been doing in the first place — speeding, then running through the red light!

There’s a phrase that comes to my mind: slow down! It’s up to us to be honest and obey the law.

Why do people think it’s OK to go 10 mph, or more, over the posted speed limit, then try to claim “Oh, but I was just going with the flow of traffic.” On city streets, the way I see it, there’s no such thing.

Leave 10 minutes earlier to your destination, go the posted limit and pay attention!

Lastly, maybe the chief of police and the city traffic engineer should take a look at some others stretches of streets in general, not only where there have been chronic speeding problems or collisions, but throughout the city.

In some areas the speed limits should be reduced by at least 5 if not 10 mph.

Try solving the situation with some more inexpensive signage and paint first.

JASON MAXWELL

Huntington Beach

Do something proactive to make streets safer

Please tell me who in the administrator’s office and/or on the City Council has oversight responsibility for the Huntington Beach Police Department and for the enforcement of safe driving practices on our streets.

I’ve been trying for years to get the police to do something more “proactive” about reckless drivers in our area, but I just get the normal, bureaucratic runaround.

They’ve actually told me there’s no traffic enforcement before 6 a.m., while the Police Department has four or five patrol cars parked by Sugar Shack at 6 a.m.

Amazing!

I can forward a stream of e-mails to demonstrate.

The important thing is to get action, before people (including me!) are killed on our city streets because of the way people are driving, including Police Department cars, street sweepers, and city trucks.

A recent story in the Huntington Beach Independent (“Stop a speeding danger,” Sept. 20) mentioned this problem, but it seems the city’s answer is to invest in red light cameras.

BERNHARD HADELER

Huntington Beach