Recently a new electronic sign was approved by East Lyme Board of Selectmen and the Zoning Commission to be placed on town hall grounds. Petitions are now being circulated to ask these groups to rethink this decision and place the electronic sign elsewhere. Numerous accidents on the corner of Smith Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, as well as near misses of pedestrians and their dogs using the crosswalk, are reason enough not to add a distraction to drivers. Reading a message-board while driving is the same as reading a text message. The sign might better be installed at a corner where a stop sign or light is located.

As Old Saybrook and Essex have their electronic messaging signs on the outskirts of town, so should East Lyme. An electronic display does not maintain the character and ambiance of a residential neighborhood or a quaint village with a charming town green. To install an electronic sign on the Town Hall lawn or the Town Green will look tacky at best.

Max Ashburn, writing for "Scenic America," a national nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the visual character of America's communities, had this to say. "We've never seen digital signs improve the character of a community."

Georgia Lee and James Littlefield

East Lyme