Save the Walkers

I can agree with most of “Pedal Pushers” (Back Page, April 23), especially about using $500,000 for a purpose other than a redundant study. For example, let’s use some to teach remedial driving. I’m 66 years old and try to walk about two and a half miles, five days a week; I intend to keep it up if I live! Hardly a walk goes by that I’m not nearly pancaked by a driver — looking me straight in the eye — who slides through a stop sign, cutting me off as I start to cross an intersection. I guess the drivers think that I am so stupid as to really believe that they were going to stop!

I live in Brandermill which has a wonderful system of paths; with the problems I have while having to use the streets for short distances, it’s hard to imagine what people must put up with while using public streets. Richmond-area drivers need to drive in California for only about two days, where the pedestrian is king. The majority would be in deep kim-chee immediately if they dared make a turn if there were a pedestrian in the cross-walk. (Likewise, peds don’t dare jaywalk!)

Re: Fat kids. I daresay the majority of kids these days are latch-key victims, whose parents won’t let them leave the house after school. So, many children are simply furnished a couch, a TV (usually a large screen so the child(ren) won’t be traumatized by a mere 19-inch screen), and Cokes and chips. If the parents would hide the remote, at least the kid would have to walk to the set to change channels and volume.

P.S. I recently got serious about my snackies and walking. In about 6 months I’ve lowered my cholesterol to 132 from 320 and my triglycerides to 74 from 400. I just hope the drivers will let me live to enjoy!

Dr. Dennis D. Flynn