Running of the bulls nothing compared to I-49

Once again, the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona has brought daredevils from around the world to challenge fate and enraged bulls in a quest to face death head-on. Besides the notoriety bestowed upon Pamplona, there are all those tourist dollars to be counted.

Here in Northwest Arkansas, our own elected officials and advertising commissions continue to overlook our own chance for an even more dangerous and exciting challenge: The Running of the Fools, or as the locals call it, driving on I-49.

Pamplona has had only 10 fatalities in over 100 years of bull runs, and only 4-10 runners are gored per year. We offer life-threatening injuries every single day out there! And just to make sure that nobody is safe, the construction companies line the lanes with concrete barriers that feature sudden shifts to the left and right with absolutely no shoulder to veer off onto.

That isn’t to say that we don’t have any shoulder on I- 49. Between Bentonville and south Rogers we’ve had a shoulder completed for several years that’s actually wider than the two traffic lanes it services. This will come in handy during our own run as there is plenty of room to set up food trucks and carnival rides in this space for people to enjoy while traffic is backed up for seven miles while the latest wreck is being cleaned up.

The Running of the Bulls is for sissies who can’t handle the real danger of I-49. Let’s get our marketing people on it and bring their tourism dollars over here. TROY JUZELER Bentonville