Editor, Ceres Courier,

According to the Merriam Webster online dictionary, the word, "lawlessness," is defined as "a state in which there is widespread wrongdoing and disregard for rules and authority <the western frontier was notorious for its lawlessness>"!

We are seeing a form of this lawlessness in Ceres as people disregard the 25 mph speed limit on Fowler Road, with a majority of motorists running the unwarranted three-way stop at Lunar Drive every single day! It is there in plain sight, and the City Council: Mayor Vierra (an engineer), Councilmember Ryno (wife of a former police officer), Councilmember Durossette (a teacher, and relative of the Cowell family, who advocated for the stop), and Councilmember Kline (a meat peddler), in mid-July stood by the unconscionable decision to condone the wholesale running of stop signs by motorists because this behavior supposedly slows traffic.

Not stopping at a stop sign is not only dangerous for other drivers and the neighborhood, it is a serious offense. If cited, you pay a fine, and points go against your driving record. Your car insurance premium may increase, as well.

If the City Council is in denial over these two serious traffic violations that have been occurring simultaneously for the past 16 months, and if the area continues to be not patrolled by police officers, they cannot say we, the people, didn't try to make sure those violations weren't done on their watch.

One might suggest the lawless mob - those motorists who run the three-way stop - are there to provoke those in the community who abide by the law. Otherwise, why didn't the City Council show leadership and take the opportunity to make things right for residents and travelers of Fowler Road, between Mitchell and Boothe Road?

I guess the underlying message from the council is, "The neighborhood - the city for that matter - is not worth the cost of a real traffic calming measure like the speed table suggested by the hired engineers. Instead, let's have speeders and those running the stop signs settle the matter between themselves and the law-abiding citizens. Who cares if it incites road rage, just as long as we went through the motions of installing unwarranted stops and plan to keep them. It is easier not to replace them.
"No one will notice we behaved like irresponsible fools."

I encourage families in the area to speak up. Otherwise, the council's willful irresponsibility will be on both the council's and the citizens' consciences if someone's child is hit by a speeding driver or a driver not making a legal stop.

Rick Rushton,
Ceres

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