Dear Source:
Here on the island of St. Thomas, the most (in)visible distractions require one's total concentration often to the exclusion of seriously important stuff like a person walking into the road. The distractions to which I refer are the numerous potholes of varying widths and depths which threaten to break my axle, blow a tire or similar. For heaven's sake, one's eyes are glued to the pavement to avoid this when, whoops, there is a person walking in the road! Now, there can be any number of reasons for this commonly seen behavior.
1) The person is, sadly, one of many evidently homeless people forced to wander the streets due to no place for them to go and be taken care of.
2) The person is simply feeling that the road is part of the 'hood and feels compelled to just walk in it. This practice is most dangerous at twilight or just after dark.
3) The most important reason: Somehow whatever funds were supposed to be spent on keeping our roads safe and passable, well, where are they?
In Red Hook, with all the cars parked on the side of the road; in Bovoni, where countless people gather in a social setting, areas which they have thrown together to enjoy each other's company–at the peril of many after dark due to pothole-spotting drivers, and countless other places on-island where, now I get really high-tech, sidewalks could alleviate so many problems.
If this is a revolutionary concept, let me be the first to bask in the glory of original thought. With great hope.
Margo Rose
St. Thomas
Editor's note: We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
