Today’s topic: lousy drivers in St. John’s. (Why is that apostrophe there anyway? I’m going to start a movement today to eliminate the apostrophe in St. Johns! Join me in the “freedom from needless punctuation” REVOLUTION!!!)I saw what could have been a nasty accident yesterday if it hadn’t been for the quick action of a Bugden’s taxi driver. He was heading into an intersection in the new subdivision at the top of New Pennywell, with the right of way, when a big truck with a Boland’s sign on the side and a crane apparatus on the back came barrelling through the stop sign without stopping. The taxi driver hit the brakes and blew the horn, but it didn’t seem to matter to the truck driver – the vehicle kept going. Quite honestly, although buddy apparently drives for a living, he should have lost his license on the spot. At the speed he was going, if he had hit that taxi on the driver’s side, the driver would have suffered injury – perhaps life threatening.
St. Johns drivers simply do not obey traffic rules. They travel at considerably above posted speed limits, go through stop signs without stopping, assume that a yellow light about to turn red means go faster and the list goes on and on. It is absolutely no wonder when we have a heavy rain that so many idiots end up in the ditch. The idea of reducing their speed to match the conditions of the road seems to be a lesson mommy and daddy forgot to teach them and they obviously haven’t learned anything since.
I have been cut off so many times that it now seems almost normal.
My question in all of this is where are the RNC traffic patrols? I drive enough in this city that I would notice an unmarked car if it’s around but I never see them, let alone a marked car sitting by the side of the road. It’s almost as if there are no traffic patrols in the city, unless they all spend their time in the downtown core.
A lot of energy is spent on talking about “traffic calming” – the new phrase for what used to be discouraging idiots from speeding through residential areas where there are children. To me the best traffic calming device in the world is a police car parked on the side of the road with a radar gun visible. Bust a bunch of the idiots, give them hefty fines, take away their license for a few days and the word will get around. Simple: go fast and you will pay.
2 comments:
VP:
Have you seen any kind of comparitive chart among the provinces as to fatal/serious traffic accidents?
it seems like there's far more here than Ontario. A couple yesterday on Topsail (one a teenager on a crosswalk - a CROSSWALK!).
I am continually astonished at the speeding, particularly at night on country roads with moose everywhere, one passed me at 120 approx recently (posted speedlimit 80) and just managed to avoid a moose. Car went out of control and he managed to right it barely in time. It was frightening to see. His rubber is still on the pavement days later.
I never see cop cars except for one beautiful moment on Pitts when a sonic truck passed me in a blur and was picked up about a km down the road.
Hard not to grin and gloat.
XO
WWW
The most recent stats I could find from a quick internet check were from 2007 and they only showed fatals. Nfld was about the middle of the pack - PEI and the Yukon were far worse.
That must be the second or third kid being hit in a crosswalk. There was one a few weeks ago on Bonaventure Avenue near the school, a hit & run.
Charlie at Charlie's Hash and I have talked about it in terms of the autobahn mentality. I don't know if the speeders are making up for frustrated sexual feelings or whatever, but they're clearly compensating for something significant missing in their lives.
I just wish they would find whatever it they're looking for before someone else is killed like the three on Crosbie Road months ago.
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