Traffic on Summer Street is just like that on Main Street without most of the trucks. From my perch on Summer Street, I see cars burning rubber, running stop signs, hitting and dragging traffic barrels, gunning their car/truck/sport-utility vehicle or motorcycles from one end of the block to the other in just a few seconds.

Many drive responsibly, but a few are on fire to get somewhere. While some don’t watch the way they drive, others don’t watch the conditions ahead. Children could easily bolt to catch a stray ball. A 15 miles-per-hour speed limit would be a more sensible, but costly, remedy.

I see kids playing in the yards and sidewalks. A few are on bicycles in the road, unaware of rules they will need to follow when they eventually drive cars. Some, who presumably have become licensed drivers, move about as if demonstrating their freedom to soar above the rules of traffic and safety.

The 25 miles-per-hour speed limit came from a time when children addressed people as “Ma’am” or “Sir” and most showed respect for authority and common etiquette. We have evolved somewhat since then and tend to express our freedom in various ways.

One way is the independence on the road whether on Summer Street, Lisbon Street or where the speed limit is actually 50 miles per hour or faster. Perhaps videos of these speeders can put them in the spotlight they deserve.

Larry W. Mayes, Lewiston