To the editor:

“City can figure on budget headache,” eh. That was the message in an article in the Sunday Journal-World. They want to “hold the line on a tax increase.” Really! Well, I have a little suggestion. Stop building obstructions in the middle of our streets! Roundabouts, islands, other alleged “traffic-calming devices.” It never ceases to amaze me, the ability of our city officials to fool themselves into believing the “consultants” and “experts” of the usefulness of these politically correct devices.

They should be more correctly termed “traffic-jamming” devices. They divert traffic to other roads, creating even more traffic there. I avoid 19th and Barker like a plague; that is one of the most stupid locations I have ever seen for “traffic-calming.” The oil-stained “island” on Louisiana street speaks for itself. And then they spend taxpayer money to print up brochures with instructions on how to use the roundabouts and mail them to us in the water bills. Like those whose driving habits are less than splendid are going to read something that comes in a bill!

I am sorry, I fail to see the usefulness of obstructing traffic, failing to maintain major streets and then claiming poverty in the city budget. At $200,000 a copy, I think that this subterfuge that has been foisted on the citizens is a total waste of taxpayer money and should be halted immediately. Traffic-calming should be enforced by the police and the revenue from that should be used to maintain the streets and improve traffic flow, not traffic jamming.

Fred Whitehead,

Lawrence