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Seems to be anarchy in our city government

The controversy over speed limits on Claremont and Ashby shows that we have a streak of anarchy in our government. 

I was surprised to find out that posted speed limits may be ignored if 85 percent or more of the drivers drive faster. It’s a matter of driver judgment; those speed limit signs are just “advisory.” This may explain being tailgated while driving at the posted limit. Silly me. I thought I was obeying the law. 

My experience is that a large percentage of car drivers are anxious get where they’re going as fast as possible. This attitude has to affect their judgment about what’s a safe speed. The speeders tend to drag the rest along. 

There are some limits to trusting driver judgment. The California Driver’s Manual says that police can give a speeding ticket for driving “too fast for conditions,” regardless of the posted limit. Actually, this happens only if a police officer happens to be monitoring that particular road at that particular time. And I think that, in practice, the “conditions” rule is invoked only for weather-slick roads, or perhaps fog. In fine weather, it’s pedal to the metal, if you’ve got an 85 percent majority. 

The bottom line is that the city can’t do anything to reduce the danger from cars going too fast, especially on the streets which are also state roads. It sure looks like anarchy, and right here in Berkeley. 

Steve Geller 

Berkeley 

Let businesses create their own promotions

Council representative Linda Maio wants to use my tax dollars to promote shopping (Daily Planet, June 24-25)? How much more lunacy are taxpayers supposed to tolerate? As things stand now we have competing area business lobbies that get public funds to promote themselves; now we’ll have a city-wide program that does the same thing? 

I hope someday we’ll have a few people on the City Council who recognize that the merchants in this town are capable of underwriting their own promotion. This is not and should not be the government’s job. 

Carol Denney 

Berkeley