Politics & Government

LETTER: Concern For My Neighborhood (Opinion)

Murrieta resident Richard G. Brown, concerned about traffic on Branwin Street, submitted this letter to the editor, which was also sent to members of Murrieta City Council.

City of Murrieta Council,

I am a long time resident of Murrieta who has become more and more concerned about the safety of my neighborhood the longer I live here. 

I am a resident of Branwin Street. I know from experience of meeting with you, Mr Mayor, that there are those of you on the city council that immediately have a distaste for the citizens of this neighborhood. Ours is a neighborhood that has spoken out about the rising traffic concerns in front of our houses, the excessive number of cars that use our housing tract as a main thoroughfare to avoid the intersection at Murrieta Hot Springs and Winchester, the speed at which these drivers carelessly blaze through our streets, and the lack of concern of you who have sworn to protect the safety of our city.

My neighbors attend city council meetings to address these concerns with little more than annoyed eye rolling as a response. I personally tried to become a part of the traffic council where I was interviewed by the sitting Mayor. As soon as my address was recognized, it was apparent that I was looked upon as nothing more than a nuisance.

It is now more than ever apparent that this city council does not care about the residents of this neighborhood. There has been no significant changes by the city to prevent the traffic that prevents my eight year old son from playing in the front yard or to learn to ride his bike in the neighborhood street. Just yesterday, a father from across the street and I were talking in my driveway. We noticed a speeding car in excess of 40 mph driving past. We took note of the car and the driver came to a stop next to my house. He asked what the problem was. When we discussed his speed and the presence of children in the neighborhood, he stuck out his middle finger and told us to "F*** off!" So your lack of care for the children and citizens of this street is turning our neighborhood into a place where safety is not a concern by anybody but those of us immediately affected.

So where does the accountability lie? It lies with the city council that for some unknown reason is preventing the highly taxed residents of this neighborhood to be safe in their streets without retort from others who break the law day in and day out without concern for safety or the law. YOU are the reason that my child cannot cross the street even at the all-way stop corners because YOU refuse to take true action to protect those that you swore to keep safe.

And now...you bring into the equation another disturbing factor. YOU have agreed to allow a large apartment complex to be built in our already traffic-stressed streets, the Golden Eagle Property Development project on Murrieta Hot Springs. This new development concerns me most in the fact that you have no consideration for the people that have been supporting you with taxes and votes. Your actions are unethical. You have not even performed an adequate environmental study to determine the effects of this development.

Though many have discussed the loss of property value due to this development, I think you should first address the probable loss of life of a child due to this development. YOU have not taken any action to protect the children that reside here. So I find it difficult to believe that you will ever do so. Still I will request, plead, and beg of you to take actions that will truly keep our kids safe. If not, I can only believe that your pocket books are being taken care of and that is more important to you than the lives you claim to care about.

Until you can resolve and show true concern for the residents of this neighborhood, I demand as a tax paying, long time resident of the city of Murrieta, that you suspend the development in the neighborhood that will only bring further degradation to the quality of life what should be a better city.

Sincerely,

Richard G. Brown


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