OPINION Central Kitsap
Page A4
Question of the week
This week’s question: Would you support increased fees for Kitsap Transit bus services? Vote and see results online at www.bremertonpatriot.com or www.centralkitsapreporter.com
WWW.CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.COM
Friday, January 31, 2014 | Central Kitsap Reporter
Does red mean go? It happens nearly every single time I drive home from work at the intersection of Randall Way and Bucklin Hill Road and again just a few yards away at the intersection of Bucklin Hill Road and Silverdale Way. Sometimes the infractions are just so blatant I would love nothing more than to confront the driver. What’s getting me all wound up? The dangerous drivers that run red lights. I’m not talking about those that enter the intersection on a yellow light, either; no, I’m talking about drivers that aren’t even close to the intersection speeding up and blazing through a light so obviously red it makes my face red in disbelief. According to the 2008 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Traffic Safety Facts report, there were more than 2.3 million reported intersection-related crashes, resulting in more than 7,770 fatalities and approximately 733,000 injury crashes. That’s back in 2008, folks, and I’m pretty confident the numbers haven’t gone down. Last week I asked Kitsap County Sheriff ’s Office Deputy Scott Wilson for some numbers specific to Silverdale in 2013. Below is a numerical list of traffic collision investigations for 2013: • Silverdale Way NW & NW Bucklin Hill Road: Jessica Ginet 13 • Kitsap Mall Blvd. NW & NW Randall Way: 12 • Silverdale Way NW & NW Ridgetop Blvd. / Kitsap Mall Blvd. NW: 11 • Silverdale Way NW & NW Randall Way: 8 • Silverdale Way NW & NW Myhre Road: 7 • NW Bucklin Hill Road & Tracyton Blvd. NW / NW Myhre Road: 6 • NW Myhre Road & NW Ridgetop Blvd.: 5 • NW Ridgetop Blvd. & Mickelberry Road NW: 4 • Silverdale Way NW & State Route 303 NW: 3 National Stop on Red Week takes place the first week of August each year. Perhaps Silverdale needs to participate in such an event? I’m confident that bringing increased awareness to this huge lapse in judgement is needed. If our community members are interested in immediately creating a safer environment for ourselves, our fellow drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, etc., I encourage you to do one thing: Obey traffic control devices. In the meantime I’ll continue to slow on yellow lights and pause and look both ways when my light turns green; inevitably there’s at least one car charging through against the light. You can reach Jessica Ginet at jginet@soundpublishing.com
Reporter Central Kitsap
3888 NW Randall Way, Suite 100, Silverdale, WA 98383
“Scan this code and start receiving local news on your mobile device today!”
Administration
(360) 308-9161
Classified Ads
(360) 394-8700
Display Advertising
(360) 308-9161
Fax
(360) 308-9363
Newsroom
(360) 308-9161
Online edition
centralkitsapreporter.com
MEMBER NEWSPAPER
ADMINISTRATION PUBLISHER SEAN McDONALD publisher@centralkitsapreporter.com ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR JESSICA GINET
NEWSROOM EDITOR LESLIE KELLY lkelly@soundpublishing.com SENIOR REPORTER KEVAN MOORE kmoore@soundpublishing.com REPORTER SERAINE PAGE spage@soundpublishing.com
ADVERTISING MARKETING REPRESENTATIVES RITA NICHOLSON rnicholson@soundpublishing.com JENNIFER ZUVER jzuver@soundpublishing.com DIANE HUMBLE dhumble@soundpublishing.com MARKETING ARTIST BRYON KEMPF creative@centralkitsapreporter.com
CIRCULATION CIRCULATION MANAGER HELEN MURALT hmuralt@soundpublishing.com
The Central Kitsap Reporter (ISSN No. 438-860) is published weekly, every Friday by Sound Publishing Inc.; Corporate Headquarters: 19351 8th Avenue, Suite 106, Poulsbo, WA 98370. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $25/year carrier or motor route delivery; $50/ year mail delivery in state, $70/year mail delivery out of state. Copyright 2012 Sound Publishing Inc
Bremerton: It’s for everyone The Bremerton I see before me today is far removed from the Bremerton of 1998. The Bremerton of 1998 consisted of more areas to stay away from, as far away from as possible, instead of areas to enjoy and embrace. As a young couple looking to purchase our first home, we were drawn to the affordability and availability of houses within the price range we were looking for. The appeal of being able to own our own home without having to live in a cookie cutter development where every third house looked just like ours or have to belong to anything even resembling a homeowners association was enticing and exciting. As the years have passed collective neighborhood pride has grown as well. Common area improvements, projects and communications have brought residents together. Social media has played an important role as the tools in which to communicate within any given neighborhood has become easier and faster to access. A slow but steady growth downtown has brought about many changes that have been requested for quite some time. Restaurants, entertainment and
Everything Bremerton
Colleen Smidt shopping options have cropped up where there were little to none before. Coordinated activities such as the First Friday Art Walks and various holiday festivals have made going downtown for some food and fun seem second nature. With a certain amount of collective success comes the temptation to close the door and protect what has been accomplished. The inability to listen or learn from anything that might be critical or construed as negative by those labeled as “outsiders” quickly follows. I am always disheartened by the posts I read on various blogs that come from Bremerton
residents dismissing comments or concerns from surrounding community members simply because the individuals making the comments “do not live here.” Bremerton continues to improve so that it can service the population that resides within its borders as well as drawing new people in from surrounding communities to shop and enjoy what it has to offer. Without that welcome, influx of people from the outside coming in with new ideas and suggestions, a community such as Bremerton would begin to stagnate. While remaining realistic in regards to what goods and service I can and will purchase here and those I will be looking to travel outside of Bremerton for, I both agree and support a certain amount of “buying local” and supporting Bremerton business. Just the same, those on the outside are looking to travel into Bremerton for the goods and services they can’t or don’t want to get within their own community. Welcome to Bremerton. Our door is open. Please bring your ideas and suggestions and feel free to take back the positive experiences you have had with us. You can reach Colleen Smidt at colleensmidt@gmail.com.
Your opinion counts... We encourage letters from the community. Please do not exceed 300 words and we ask that you include your full name and phone number for verification. Letters may be edited for publication. Fax: (360) 3089363; email: gskinner@soundpublishing.com or mail to Editor, Central Kitsap Reporter, 3888 NW Randall Way, Suite 100, Silverdale WA, 98383.