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Letters to the Editor

Staff Report

Slow down!

I remember when I used to live in a big city and traffic in the rush hour was the reason of my stress and commuting to work and school would take precious hours of my time, which I would rather use skiing or being at the gym.

That was the reason I moved to a small town like Vail, close to trails, the nature of the mountains and far away from traffic in the rush hour.



Then comes the ski season and dreams of a peaceful driving are gone as the leaves from the autumn. Driving in a snowstorm does not bother me anymore, it is the traffic, the increase in numbers of rented SUV’s with drivers that definitely can’t drive when the slightest snow starts to fall, and probably have never seen or heard of such a thing called a roundabout.

Another day, I saw a car taking a clockwise turn in the roundabout trying to exit to I-70, and I saw one truck coming towards me in the exit ramp from I-70. I stopped, he or she tried to go around me and I didn’t let them. I think the coin dropped when a line of cars started to form behind me. Oh well, the truck came out of the roundabout.

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Enough of examples how our local driving routine changes during the ski season due to the influx of tourists in town. I don’t think we should ever complain. It is the price to pay for living in one of the world’s ski destinations, and they bring the money for the economy’s sake.

I actually want to complain of the local driver that commutes on I-70 at the downvalley area. The local driver is overconfident of his or her winter driving skills, apparently knows well where the Colorado State Patrol speed trap will be, and is very aggressive. I suspect the aggressiveness comes from the rage contained during the peaks of ski season, because it appears to me that after all the tourists are gone, the number of drivers doing 80 mph at the least are abundant. I think it is a sensation of freedom with a necessity to be expressed in the form of racing away all that time lost behind a line of drivers that are unfamiliar with our snowy roads trying to spend some quality time safely in a small vacation at the last holy day.

I am sick of being cut off right before my exit by a vehicle with local plates that does not even bother to use their turn signal, and those seconds gained passing in a reckless manner will be lost when I catch up right on that red light off the exit ramp.

I am asking the local drivers to slow down after the storm. In the small stretch of I-70 from Vail to Edwards for example, 15 mph over the speed limit

gains 1.4 minutes. If you stop at the light for about 40 seconds, only about 60 seconds would be the not so precious time saved, beating the odds of getting a speeding ticket or even injuring one’s self or someone else. Statistically, most traffic accidents occur within the five mile radius from the driver’s residence. Why? Because one has let the care for safety go down when the same thinks he or she is the local, the expert. Believe me, it’s not worth it. Be patient when the tourists are around, and be safe, all the time.

Eli M. DeSouza

Vail only

Kaye Ferry is right on. Why should Vail hotels collect tax for the marketing group at the expense of our guests, to subsidize Beaver Creek’s Vilar Center, or any other town or venue, other than the Vail community? Beaver Creek, the Town of Avon, as well as Edwards, were all asked if they wanted to join our marketing efforts. They all declined.

I am sure we have lost some lodging revenue to downvalley hotels because of the sales tax, but to send them money (OUR money) to entertain THEIR guests is not how this marketing tax is to be spent. VAIL ONLY – GET IT?!

Packy Walker


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