LETTER: Folks, have a little common courtesy

July 22, 2022  |  By Kendel Stafford

To the community:

This is about the concern that I have for the ways that people conduct themselves while out and about in Waterbury. It seems that folks are ignorant of or just choose to ignore the legal rules of conduct when out in public. 

For example, many people do not use/obey the walk/don’t walk signal system at the two intersections that have them.

Bicyclists, I see many bikes going right through red lights and stop signs.

Parking, vehicles parked along the streets with their left sides towards the curb side. For Vermont drivers: this was covered in your drivers manual. Parking in front of a fire hydrant. Vermont statutes say that a vehicle cannot be parked within six feet of a fire hydrant, this is just common sense. Local officials (but not the fire chief) don’t seem to think this is important.

Last week I saw two dogs running loose at the Dac Rowe playing field. Waterbury’s animal ordinance bans animals from all of the sports fields.

A couple of other things. I walk quite a bit, if I meet others on the sidewalk, oftentimes there are two or more people walking side-by-side. Seldom do these folks pay attention to anyone they meet and move to the right. Same thing with the people staring at their phones as they walk along. I was taught in the first grade to walk in single file on the right.

Next is the advertising “sandwich” boards on the sidewalks. I see one young man regularly using a white cane and several folks that use walkers. There is no need for those signs to present a hazard to pedestrians.

My last thing, I see drivers at a couple of the convenience stores and the post office using the handicapped parking spots, no HC plates or signs and no one says anything. Folks, please obey the rules, and have a little common courtesy.

Kendel Stafford

Waterbury