Dear Editor,

Does a town die because it becomes a speed trap town or, because it is dying, it becomes a speed trap town?

Over 50 years ago, a driver volunteered the information that Edgar Springs, MO was a speed trap town. I didn’t have a driver’s license or even know where the town was, but every time I drive by that community I remember what was said. 

My theory is that for every dollar made on speeding tickets given to travelers by local law enforcement officers, ten dollars is lost to local business. People don’t stop and shop speed trap towns. Why push your luck? A highway patrolman issues for safety reasons. A town does it for revenue. 

If Willow Springs needs revenue bad enough to become a speed trap town, then at least do it safely. On September 7th at about 12:30 p.m., I witnessed a young man from Tennessee almost lose his life. An officer was so efficient that he stopped two cars at once. One stopped on the left shoulder and one on the right shoulder. The police car was stopped in the middle of the bypass, straddling the center line trying to decide which one to issue a ticket to, totally oblivious to the four vehicles behind him. But, the city made some revenue.

The young man from Tennessee must have been from Bristol, and had some NASCAR blood because he saved his life and others. I take back all the things I might have said about Tennessee drivers, even if they might be true.

 

Marvin Burgess,

Willow Springs