LETTER: Straw makes safe sledding

Dear Editor, The maintenance staff at Utah State University has decided to not put up the traditional safety wall of straw bales at the bottom of Old Main Hill for winter thrill seekers. I would like to pose a question; which does more damage straw or cold metal and asphalt? I remember, last January, when I saw the straw wall for the first time. The wall stood like a tall strong, protective barrier for the cars from the onslaught of children sliding into the middle of the road that runs along the bottom of Old Main Hill. I remember thinking to myself, what a great idea, why don’t more public areas protect their users that way? Now the maintenance staff at USU has decided to become a lemming and follow the crowd and remove the barrier to test if the sledders will be safe. I understand that injuries do occur when children smack into the straw wall. However, if you have ever driven the road at the bottom of the Old Main Hill, you know thousands of students pass by there daily in their cars late for class or work and accidentally could run over a child trying to enjoy his or her winter vacation. Perhaps I am blowing the new decision out of proportion. I am sure most sledders will not make it to the middle of the street. We can safely assume most children will be jerked from their sleds when they run into the front bumper of a student’s car that is parked on the side of the road. In the aftermath of this uneducated or perhaps undeveloped decision, I would ask what can we do to put the straw wall back before one of our little children becomes Logan’s first winter fatality on a plastic sled? As for me, I will probably be investing in a helmet and protective padding so I can enjoy a simple ride down the Old Main Hill.

Harvey Gailey