San
Francisco Chronicle
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Monday, July 9, 2001
HEAD-ON DANGER
Editor:
Last week's fatal head-on crash on the Golden Gate
Bridge was a shameful result of the non-accountability of the bridge
district's leadership - - their preference for stalling on the expense of
a barrier that could save lives and injuries. The total cost of the
barrier would likely be around one-month's revenue for the bridge.
In 1998, I survived a head-on collision on the
bridge literally minutes before the district's building and operating
committee unanimously approved the "conceptual design" of a
movable median barrier "to prevent head-on collisions and other
crossover accidents." I and the driver of the car that lost control
and hit me were lucky to survive. The pathetic excuses of a bridge
spokesperson last Tuesday, citing a lower overall accident rate since
speed limits were lowered, and bridge district manager Kary Witt claiming
more study is needed ("Gate span collision claims life," July
4), should enrage the commuting public.
Such evasion of the real issue -- refusal to
consider reducing a lane to safely accommodate the movable barrier --
underscores the key problem with the district: It is not accountable to
any true public oversight. How many more lives on top of the 15 head-on
deaths since 1970 need to be lost before the district is reminded that a
small loss of revenue is a small price to pay for making their customers'
journeys much safer?
STEVEN SCHOENFELD
San Francisco
|