Saratoga News

Letters & Opinions

Speak Out

Reader offers a
traffic solution

If the weekday school traffic [on Herriman Avenue] is an issue ("Council solution for Herriman? It's a no-parking zone," Sept. 11), why not have the no-parking restrictions between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. or so?

Adwait Ullal

Saratoga

Commissioner
offers apology

It is my desire to respond to the negative statement I made at the last Traffic Safety Commission meeting regarding biking ("Commission checks on safety of bike lanes," by Shannon Burkey, Aug. 15). I need to apologize to the biking community, the city of Saratoga and the Saratoga News.

Until this afternoon I had believed that my statement was taken out of context and misquoted, that I could not have made such a ridiculous comment in the context it was presented and my recollection was supported by others who were present. However, in reviewing the audio tape of the meeting, my statement was made during a discussion about the biking accident in Saratoga and not during a discussion about Pierce Road as I believed.

My tenure as a public safety commissioner for the last nine years has seen me working diligently for "Safe Routes to Schools" through the Schools Transportation Task Force, which involved all the city's schools. This experience made me a biking spokesperson, as we added bike lanes, promoted sidewalks and planned trip-reduction programs. I have dear friends and family who bike hundreds of miles each year as a sport for exercise and recreation, or to raise funds for charity. I think biking is a wonderful alternative to cars and an incredibly wonderful sport.

How is it then that I would make such an apparently categorical statement about biking? Earlier in the evening we had a long discussion concerning Pierce Road related to bikers and bad visibility for some of the residents. Eleven years ago my dear friend, an avid biker, was killed on a similar road, leaving three small children and a loving husband. Two days prior to the meeting my best friend's son had been hit by a car, biking on a road with curves and bad visibility. He was in intensive care fighting for his life. Although these emotional influences don't excuse my poor choice of words, I hope it gives it context. I sincerely apologize for the language I used, a flippant comment, made late in the evening that was inappropriate, irresponsible and not becoming of the chairperson of Saratoga's Traffic Commission. As a result, I have offered my resignation as commissioner.

My hope is that the silver lining to my error will be a candid discussion in Saratoga about the need for awareness, courtesy and consideration from all drivers, regardless of the vehicle we drive. Accidents are on the rise, neighborhoods are under siege from chronic speeding and our traffic actions have on those around us every time we drive it will go a long way in improving the quality of life for all of us.

My wish is that I have applied that principle of "considering the impact" my words would have on others. Thank you for expressing your indignation and allowing me to apologize and explain my state of mind.

Brigitte Ballingall,
chairwoman

Saratoga Traffic Safety Commission