Letters to the editor

Whatchamacallit

Nice idea, seniors sharing rides and cars, just like college kids. I hope it works. But inspired leadership is required, and I wonder if that is available.

They have named their little startup ITNCoastalCT, short for Independent Transportation Network. This earns their founders a flat D for their first assignment in Naming Organizations 1a. It just puts you to sleep! A name like that is born to fail.

Pondering the problem, and having passed Naming Organizations 1b with a B+, I came up with Outnabout. At first glance it looks like (American) Indian talk. But say it out loud, and if you don't get it, then say it to anyone over 60. As a moniker, it makes you smile. As marketing, it's catchy. Nobody is using it yet. It is also a dead-on accurate description.

Long ago, I e-mailed the name around to the powers that be, and they did not hit their "reply" buttons. If anyone out there thinks they are wrong with the cumbersome name they prefer, you'd better tell them fast, before the first codger climbs into the first car. After that it's written in stone, probably of the grave variety.

David Royce

Westport

Road rage: motorists, cyclists clash

For the third time in less than a week, I have witnessed several cyclists blow through stop signs and red lights as if they didn't exist.

Last Saturday I happened to mention to this "Lance Armstrong wannabe" that the red light which I stopped at also applies to him. He proceeded to flip me his middle finger as he peddled down Main Street in his bright yellow uniform, caring little about the rules of the road. Obviously, I must've been interrupting his ride and quest to make his "miles" for the day or his training to be in the next "michelob ultra light beer" commercial. Mr. Entitlement was on his way!

I have lived in Westport most of my life. Over the past few years I have never seen such blatant disregard for motorists and the rules of the road as I've seen by some of these elitist cyclists. Don't these egotistical, weekend pseudo-jocks realize that a car coming through the intersection with a green light will most likely win the collision between car and bike?

It's time for this nonsense to stop before someone gets seriously injured or killed due to stupidity on the part of one of these defiant cyclists. Rules of the road laws that are in place need to be updated and enforced on those cyclists who don't adhere to them.

I know I am not alone on this issue. A lot of residents have had similar bad experiences with cyclists. A good friend of mine almost hit one this past weekend, only to be spit on by the cyclist. The cyclist was lucky, my friend walked away.

Why the attitude by some of these cyclists? Where is this form of entitlement by some of these cyclists coming from? What gives them the right to feel they are above the law?

Not all cyclists, I'm sure, are like this. Unfortunately, the bad ones are standing out more and more. Cyclists should realize if they want to share the roads with motor vehicles they need to share our rules as well. They really aren't that hard. Stop at red lights and stop signs, ride in a single line, stay to the right in the right hand lane, proceeding to the left lane when making a left hand turn.

These are very simple rules of the road. An 8-year-old would have no problem understanding them and obeying them. I'm sure some of these "greater than thou" cyclists are parents as well. Would they tell their children to just go through a red light or stop sign like they do?

It's time for these cyclists to practice what they would preach to a child on a bike and not act like a child when they are reminded by either a pedestrian or motorist that they are breaking the rules of the road. Share our roads cyclists, but please, act like adults and leave your egos at home and we will all be safer in the end.

Jimmy Izzo

Westport

Downtown Westport

. . . I have a dream

A recent editorial in the Westport News, "A vision for downtown Westport," lauded a zoning presentation of Robert Orr to the Downtown Plan Subcommittee and urged support to convert Main Street to a pedestrian roadway and reduce parking close to the Saugatuck River.

The chairman of that subcommittee, Jonathan Steinberg, long has been working for a consensus for action for our downtown but, to date, has been slowed by an absence of vision, leadership and consensus from his fellow subcommittee members. The subcommittee is well aware of the many possibilities for downtown, but because of this lack of leadership, along with the usual hurdles of finances, diverse constituencies, differing political interests and citizen apathy, nothing has been accomplished to date. Let us hope that others join with the Westport News to urge action.

In additon to the Main Street and river enhancement proposals, my action list comprises:

1. Reconfigure parking by consolidating all private and public parking;

2.Relocate the police station and convert the existing building to retail shops;

3. Consider two tiered parking at the Baldwin lot, but only if it includes one or two small movie theaters;

4. Invite competitions for the use of the large parking areas on Imperial Avenue;

5. Make sure the positive results from the Levitt Pavilion, Library and Christ Church construction projects are supported and integrated to benefit downtown;

6. If the Y does not proceed at Mahackeno, have a site downtown, e.g. Imperial Avenue or Baron's South, ready and available, in exchange for Mahackeno parkland;

7. With the recent foreclosure purchase of the Inn at National Hall and related properties at an attractive price, support the revival of the Inn, restaurants and retail activities on that side of the river, e.g. Inn visitors usage of Town recreation facilities and tax incentives to the new owner;

8. Create two direction pedestrian crosswalks, i.e. all traffic stops, at Route 33 and the Post Road and other locations;

9. Provide limited tax incentives to promote certain desired businesses, e.g. senior housing, food stores, movie theaters and other places which operate in the evening;

10. Consider broad reductions in nonprofit tax exemptions to generate real estate tax revenues for improvements;

11: Consider a bond offering to provide seed money for downtown revitalization; and

12. Urge the Downtown Plan Subcommittee to join with Jonathan Steinberg to demonstrate vision, leadership and real action to do what most have long known needs to be done to return vitality to downtown Westport.

Don Bergmann

Westport

Egg recall reveals need

for FDA reform

With a recall underway of 380 million eggs that have been contaminated with salmonella, it is important that consumers know that our food safety system in this country is broken. While this episode is one of the most severe food recalls, especially ones that come too late for those who get sick, are all too common.

In part this is due to an impotent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) whose regulatory powers are 70 years out of date. Today, the FDA does not have the power to inspect food processing facilities, order a recall, or regulate imported food. Tragically, this results in 76 million Americans getting sick every year, of which a staggering 325,000 are hospitalized. Around 5,000 people even lose their lives.

While the issue of unsafe food on our grocery store shelves affects all Americans, it especially affects children, who have weaker immune systems. The food that kids eat in school cafeterias can be particularly dangerous. Schools often do not find out about contaminated food until it has already made kids sick and, currently, schools have no way of knowing what food processing companies have a bad history of food contamination.

Fortunately, there is a bill in the Senate right now called the FDA Modernization Act that can fix some of these problems by giving the FDA the teeth it needs to make sure our food is safe. It has already passed the House and enjoys bipartisan support, including that of our own two senators. Since the Senate calendar is so busy right now, however, it is crucial to let Senators Dodd and Lieberman know through calls and letters how urgent it is to pass this legislation now. As this most recent massive recall shows, it would be irresponsible to put this off.

Dan Smith

Fairfield