Hilton Head needs more services, light

It's a new year and it's time for some changes. Here are my suggestions:

1. Hilton Head Island can no longer be a limited services town. Potholes, crumbling asphalt and rolling street surfaces demand more timely corrective action.

2. We need a police department. Aggressive driving, weaving, tailgating, speeding and running stop signs are getting increasingly worse. Bluffton, Hardeeville, Beaufort and Ridgeland all have police departments. We should, too.

3. Driving on U.S. 278 at night is dangerous, especially if you are trying to pay attention to traffic, find a restaurant and watch for pedestrians at the same time. We need light, not like Las Vegas but enough to ensure drivers and pedestrians are safe. Street lights are needed at intersections and other locations determined by traffic/safety experts. For those of you who will sing the old "We don't want to look like Myrtle Beach" refrain, go spend a week there, and it will be obvious we will never look like that.

4. Install a three-way traffic signal at the intersection of U.S. 278 and Shelter Cove Lane. The merge lane is dangerous and insufficient to handle the current traffic load.

We cannot be a first-class resort unless we adapt to the times and become a safer, well-lit destination. The new Shelter Cove Town Centre is a perfect example.

David Thompson

Hilton Head Island

This story was originally published January 30, 2015 at 4:56 PM with the headline "Hilton Head needs more services, light."