To the editor:

It is pathetic that our community has had another car-hitting-student-pedestrian-accident. Marshall needs to focus on creating safer ways for non-vehicled citizens to get around. Twenty (mph) is plenty and it’s long overdue for the city of Marshall to enact and enforce a 20 mph speed limit on all city streets.

Lower travel speeds should be the norm rather than the exception. Lower travel speeds are safer and allow for better observation and reaction time for drivers. We’re doing something wrong when streets posted 30 (mph) have most cars traveling far faster.

Other efforts to improve safety for kids and other pedestrians should include enforcement of ordinances that restrict parking on sidewalks, restrict unleashed pets and unshoveled sidewalks that cause pedestrians to use roads; we should lower speed and stripe crosswalks such as at (Hwy.) 59 and Channel Way; and install more stop signs on speedway streets.

It would be wise to include motorized scooters, and bikes in a 20 mph speed limit and further create ordinances so that cyclists, scooters, wheelchairs, baby strollers and baby bike trailers on the street use high visibility colors and or lights.

Yes, we need to educate all citizens on how to use our streets and sidewalks but it’s cars and trucks that are the deadliest hazards. Ninety percent of pedestrians victims are likely to survive a crash at 20 mph but the odds go down to 50% at 30 mph or faster and this stat gets worse as our vehicles get bigger.

If you walk the city from one edge across town you will find 20 mph is really fast in comparison. Plan to leave for travel a few minutes earlier, reduce enraging beverages if applicable, get off phones, slow down on city streets, notice the tulips and pedestrians, and contribute to a saner, safer Marshall.

Perhaps we could also create a $100 baseline fine for over 20 mph speeders, add $10 increments per mile in excess and make it part of our public school funding.

Twenty (mph) is plenty.

Patricia McLoone

Marshall