HOV lanes misplaced

Having had a career in civil engineering, driven nearly 1 million miles throughout the United States, and driven hundreds of times on Colorado Highway 82 between Glenwood Springs and Aspen, I recognize the HOV lanes there in the right lanes as being a radical departure from the standard practice of placing them on the left.

Except in the highly congested segment of highway between the Aspen Airport and downtown Aspen, where HOV lanes for buses are appropriate, there is no need for HOV lanes whatsoever.

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Placing the HOV lanes on the right creates a hazard for people like me who, when driving alone, want to essentially obey the law and drive “only” a couple of miles per hour over the posted speed limit. If we obey the law as misapplied on Highway 82 and do so in the non-HOV lanes on the left, we are constantly tailgated and often passed at high speed on the right by drivers who tend to act particularly aggressively during rush hours, brainlessly mimicking the behavior of a school of sharks in a feeding frenzy.

My observation of traffic enforcement on Highway 82 is that police are quick to respond to crashes — apparently to file the required reports — but ineffective at preventing the type of stupid, aggressive driving that causes crashes. The solution is definitely more enforcement, but not directed against people like me who follow the normal safe driving habit of leaving the left lane open for drivers who consider it their right to grossly exceed posted speed limits.

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Carl Ted Stude, retired engineer

Carbondale

Join the community garden

Are you interested in growing your own healthy food and/or flowers? The Glenwood Springs garden community is dedicated to enriching our community through sustainable gardening practices.

Our garden strives to reach out to gardeners both experienced and first timers through education and community outreach. Not only do our gardeners grow for themselves, we also encourage sharing our bounty with the community.

The Glenwood Community Organic Garden located at 100 Wulfshohn next to the Glenwood Rec Center has plots available. Tools and water are provided at the garden.

Our garden is always growing. Join us! If you have any questions, please email us at scarecrow@glenwoodcommunitygarden.com and visit glenwoodcommunitygarden.wordpress.com.

Mary Wiener

Glenwood Springs

480 Donegan vote thanks

I thank the hundreds of people who joined the winning campaign and voted to repeal the annexation of 480 Donegan. The whole process opened up respect for resident input.

There is a current opportunity for everyone to realize the greatness of passionate citizenship.

Going forward the people can expect to have further solid input into what is sensible and safe for Glenwood Springs.

Also, thanks to City Clerk Ryan Muse for another well-run election, the backbone of democracy. You are appreciated.

Jennifer Vanian

Glenwood Springs

Another for Coram

As an independent, I plan to vote for Don Coram for the District 3 representative. It has been a long time since I have felt represented in Washington, and Don has done the work here in the Colorado Legislature.

He’s shown that he is capable of addressing the issues that rise without being fogged by the disingenuous information meant to confuse the gullible.

He gets the work done and finds the consensus to get bills passed and signed. He has been a part of what makes Colorado work for its citizens, and I’m ready to give him a chance to do the same in Washington.

John Hoffmann

Carbondale

Dem affiliation switch a mistake

Some Democrats in the 3rd Congressional District have changed to unaffiliated as a method to vote against Lauren Boebert in the primary. I am a registered Democrat, and I am absolutely opposed to Boebert; but Dems should not vote in the Republican primary. Democrats must focus fully on electing someone who can beat Boebert.

Boebert’s opponent in the primary is Don Coram, a reasonable bipartisan state legislator. But he won’t beat Boebert. She has

$4 million in the bank and national support. Coram has less than $100,000 and is unknown.

Boebert beat Scott Tipton by 10,000 votes in the 2020 Republican primary, and it’s likely she’ll get more votes this time from her base. So that means at least 15,000 unaffiliated would need to vote for Coram. That’s a massive amount of votes in a primary.

By voting for Coram, Democrats also send a terrible message to actual independent/unaffiliated voters. This election will hinge on independents — the largest block of voters in the 3rd CD. They need to know that Dems are firmly behind the Democratic nominee. A lot of independents don’t like Boebert.

Boebert can be defeated. She beat Diane Mitsch-Bush by 51% to 45%. But Mitsch-Bush chose not to campaign because of COVID-19 and still gathered nearly 200,000 votes.

Dems must put all our effort — and money — into winning the 3rd CD. That work starts with Democrats voting for Democrats in the primary. We can beat Boebert/Trump!

Joe Lewandowski

Durango