To the editor:

The city manager is on the right track when he says that they’ll have to ensure enforcement at the new Arts Center crosswalk because drivers are just as apt to disregard a stoplight as a yield sign. It’s a pity that he (and the Traffic Safety and City commissions) failed to grasp earlier the benefits of broad enforcement: A pedestrian crossing sign, a yield sign, a stop sign, all offer the same enforcement potential as a stoplight (in the Arts Center case, at a savings of $35,000).

Enforcement of all traffic laws citywide would provide citywide benefits, not just on New Hampshire Street. Enforcement of the pedestrian-activated crosswalk at the Arts Center would have a ripple effect of making every such crossing safe.

Bill Mitchell,
Lawrence