To the editor:

I hope what I saw Dec. 28 was just an isolated display of ignorance and was not representative of our fellow Lawrence citizens.

I was stopped for a red light facing east at the intersection of Wakarusa and Sixth Street. A fire engine heading west in the Sixth Street left turn lane, lights flashing and sirens blaring, was preparing to turn south onto Wakarusa.

But instead of halting to give the fire engine a clear path to get to the emergency, a half-dozen or more vehicles sped north through the intersection, directly in front of the oncoming fire engine. The last few cars to go through were so close to the fire engine that it nearly stopped. Collision was barely averted. The vehicle drivers’ irresponsible actions put themselves, the firefighters and others around them at risk. Had there been an accident, the emergency response would have been delayed, with perhaps fatal results for those awaiting help.

If such lapses of common sense, basic traffic safety and human decency are now the norm here in Lawrence, we’ve got a problem.

Gary Henry,

Lawrence