Another “bobblehead” response to concerns voiced at a recent Highlands neighborhood meeting at the Maintenance Center in Kirkland. When talking to one of the Kirkland Police Department officers at the meeting, several of those attending had concerns about dangerous driving in the Highlands area. We got a great deal of “nodding” and questions concerning where this was happening. But as has happened for the last two years, no police presence in the area that would address these concerns.

People continue to speed up and down 112th Ave. N.E. They also drive down the middle of the road to avoid the “speed bumps” and they all seem to be using their cell phones as they drive. There is a daycare center in the area, and this was mentioned at the meeting, and the owner has real concerns about the safety of the children who utilize the center because of the speeding cars and the reckless driving. She had put a sign up that said, “Slow Down Children Present” but I think someone stole the sign. I was told by a City of Kirkland worker that the KPD did not have enough people to monitor the area. But didn’t the Kirkland City Council just vote to annex the Finn Hill area, which would add more area for the KPD to cover. How are they going to cover the Finn Hill area if they can’t cover an area just a few blocks from the Kirkland Police headquarters. Maybe reckless driving is not something the KPD is concerned with. If the two traffic accidents caused by KPD officers in the last six months reflects that disinterest we are really worried. I hope not.

James Davidson, Kirkland