Hello Helen and the Highland Park Community,

Sorry about your experience.  Unfortunately too many people in our society have a reckless disregard for safety and the lives they put at risk with their behavior.  I know that most of the solutions are temporary, however let’s see what we can do to slow some of the folks down.

Officers Tripoli and Schmidt,

Please concentrate your efforts around Dilworth, particularly when school resumes.  Please monitor and cite, as manpower permits and report back to me by January 20, 2008. I hope that helps…mama bear actions permitted!

Cmdr

PS: Dan, can you add Kristen to the list serve? Email included on the “cc” line. Thanks!

RaShall M. Brackney, Commander

Zone Five Station

Penn Circle West and Ansley

Pittsburgh, Pa. 15206

(412) 665-3605

-----Original Message-----
From: neighborhood-bounces@highlandparkpa.com [mailto:neighborhood-bounces@highlandparkpa.com] On Behalf Of Helen Blier
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 9:40 PM
To: Highland Park
Subject: [Highland Park] Traffic, pedestrians, and the same old story

Hi all - and especially Cmdr Brackney -
I was at the Dilworth holiday concert last night with my kids.   Great show.  I took their hands and we had just started to cross Collins on the Dilworth side of Stanton - when a fairly ratty old sedan sped up, blew through the crosswalk and stop sign, and stopped halfway into Stanton - missing my kids and I by about a foot (and clearly going faster than the speed limit).  Being a mama bear, I blurted out a "Hey!  Watch it!"  without really thinking about whether it was a good idea.  The driver, an early  20s male, leaned over his  passenger  and screamed at me to F off, called me a f-in you know what, my fault for walking in front of his god**** car, then leaned out pointed at my kids and said "F*** you, and F***  you, and F*** yo mama!"  I probably don't need to go into the effect this had on my kids.

OK.  Learned my lesson.  Bite tongue when dealing with nearly being killed by speeding driver who blows through stop sign.  No need to castigate me offlist for bad judgment.  But frankly, the traffic around Dilworth is a dangerous thing on any given day, and this is just the latest near miss.  Furthermore, there were hundreds of folks - with lots of young children - pouring out of the building.  It could have happened to anyone.

This traffic area has been a frequent topic of discussion on this list and at our PTA meetings - as have drivers like this guy.  What - if anything - can be done?

Helen