As I am sure many others did, I regularly was cheered by the delightful, seasonal decorations on Rudolph, the tree stub near the bend on Fremont Avenue in Los Altos Hills. I hope that all those who recently damaged Rudolph come to take the appropriate amount of pride in the fact that by their actions they made life just that much less pleasant for others in the area
Stephen V. F. WaiteLos Altos
Fighting traffic 'is very welcome'
The cover story (June 24) on "fighting traffic" is very welcome. We have a special community and should have the right to keep the flavor and safety of Los Altos as we want it. Speeders are not in line with the semi-rural character we seem to like.
I think the most effective way to curtail speed on our streets is by getting the word out that Los Altos is a zero-tolerance town. Enforcement and proper (stiff?) penalties are the key to that.
Is there any way we might run our own traffic court to control the fines more directly? A good "hanging" judge could work wonders. Local resident offenders might object at first but would get over it, and the word would spread that this is not the place to drive crazily.
Otherwise, one of the best deterrents is the visual speed-timer device I spot around town. It always reminds me to check my speed. This kind of enforcement doesn't have the burdened cost of personnel, either. Why don't we buy or rent a bunch of 'em?
The city should not consider speed bumps. Theoretically every neighborhood would deserve them, including my street, Almond Avenue, which is a straight-through route for many drivers, both local and from other cities. Or how about San Antonio Road? Would you barrier either of them to stop speed? Where would you draw the line?
Take care of speeders for our safety and to better the Los Altos quality of life, as we deserve.
Marv Emerling
Los Altos