To the editor:

I moved to Lawrence in 1974. Over the years, I’ve witnessed many changes in this town, each having their own special impact. From the loss of the drive-in movie theater in the mid-’70s to the development of our “vibrant” (and crowded) downtown to the increasing destruction of natural habitats for wildlife in order to make room for more humans and their housing. All have affected my feelings about living in Lawrence.

And those feeling have changed over time to a degree that I am longing to move away to someplace quieter, less rushed, less taken with its own “such a great place to live” image of itself. A place kinder, gentler, more, maybe “down to earth,” as was the Lawrence I remember 30 years ago.

Nothing of the above, however, has had the impact (or even close to it) that observing the change in ourselves (I include myself here) as drivers on Lawrence’s streets. Our lack of concern for one another and the blatant disregard of almost all of the traffic rules has me reeling in wonder. Sitting at a stoplight, waiting to turn and being passed by another car who would rather speed ahead in the lane with the green light than wait behind me, watching people zoom in and out of the lanes on two-lane, one-way streets, speeding up for yellow lights (which used to signal “slow”), careening through red lights (which used to signal “stop”), honking.

Lawrence was once a very nice place to live, but now?

M.G. Roy,

Lawrence