Traffic cameras will help school crossings

Regarding the issue of the camera-controlled intersections in Cedar Rapids: I am totally in favor of using any means to slow people down to at least the speed limit.

I am a school crossing guard posted at First Avenue West and 18th Street West. I am a Marine veteran with four years service - nothing I did in the Marines is as scary as standing in this intersection with traffic bearing down.

During the past school year, on three separate occasions, cars came within inches of me and the kids crossing the street.

On one occasion, when I tried to tell a woman she was blocking the crosswalk with her car, she calmly told me not to interrupt her while she was talking on the phone.

I could almost guarantee the city could double its monthly income just by putting cameras at this intersection.

Excessive speed, cell phones and inattention to driving are the biggest threat to the children trying to get to school.

Fred Thompson

Cedar Rapids