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 Traffic declarations and frustrations Minimize
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Posted by: James 12/6/2007 12:46 PM

As is appropriate for living in Atlanta, I’ve got some more traffic comments today.

 

I saw a great bumper sticker the other day.

 

New driver at the wheel.

Stay back…way back!!!

 

While that might be embarrassing for the kid, it’s a great idea but I think that car is actually one that I have the least worries about.  Chances are that teen is driving with a parent or another adult and are at least trying to follow the rules of the road.  It’s the 50% of nimrods on the road who have either a blatant disregard for the rules of the road or are simply clueless who should have bumper stickers attached to their car.

 

Some bumper sticker ideas for the truly bad drivers out there.

 

I’m the Reason auto insurance is so high!

 

Never took Driver’s Ed

 

Blinkers? We don’t need no stinkin’ blinkers.

 

**********

 

On I-285 by Spaghetti Junction, there has been a billboard ad for a Cadillac dealership that sums up a city that is utterly dependent on cars to get around town.  The billboard says “It’s not the traffic. It’s how you sit in it.”  I initially thought that a phrase like that would apply to a city like L.A., where the importance of what you drive can partially define your social status. 

 

The more I thought about it though, the more this phrase really applies to any city that has such horrendous traffic issues where the situation is beyond help.  On the surface it might seem that this motto might mean “Hey, you’re gonna sit in traffic, might as well look good while doing it” but I prefer to see it as an overall defeatist attitude towards traffic.  To me, this billboard represents the portion of the population that likes to bitch about traffic yet does nothing to help rectify the situation.  Let’s keep on voting down public transit expansion options and at the same time let’s get the shiniest car that makes us look good while we sit stationary and spew toxins into the air.

 

**********

 

In the Department of Losing Faith in Humanity, Megan got rear ended this morning on her way to work.  It was strong enough of a bump to push her car forward at the stoplight so, like any decent human being, she pulled over into a gas station lot to talk to the driver and assess the damage.  It was a woman in a minivan but instead of pulling over like she should, she sped off.  A fucking hit and run.  Thankfully there was minimal damage to her bumper (go Volvo!) but I’m still stewing at the thought of what an irresponsible jackass that lady was.  It was still dark at the time so she couldn’t read the license plate.  I can only hope that karma does what it’s supposed to do to people like that.

 

**********

 

I hate to make light of a morbid story but in today's AJC there is a report of a man who was shot during an attempted carjacking.  Why did this story stick out to me?  Because he was driving a Chrysler CROSSFIRE.

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Comments (9)   Add Comment
Re: Traffic declarations and frustrations    By Tim V. on 12/6/2007 12:49 PM
"Traffic comments"???......you're sooooo gay!!

Re: Traffic declarations and frustrations    By James on 12/6/2007 1:55 PM
Do a search on 'traffic' on my blog and you'll notice this isn't exactly the first day I've done this. ;)

Re: Traffic declarations and frustrations    By Meatball on 12/6/2007 2:15 PM
I'm thinking Tim V has something to hide... :)<br><br>But back to the ATL -- ATL is a big city for nice cars and image. Just like LA. Hell ... even I drove a Mercedes for a year ... before I gave it up and did something respectable by buying a low key and unobtrusive motorcycle.

Re: Traffic declarations and frustrations    By KB's on 12/6/2007 3:16 PM
Nimrods on the road are infuriating. Just the other day, I am on the interstate going 70 or so in the middle lane. I hear the screeching of braking cars behind me. I look in the rearview mirror and I see a car going into the ditch. Another car, one of those tricked out punk kid VW's, comes flying around me from where the car went into the ditch. Obviously this guy was involved with the car going in the ditch. I eventually get near enough to the guy to get his license plate written down. I call 911 and let them know what happened and they weren't interested in the cars license number and I never got a call from any police to tell them the make, model, color, or license. I would hope that if that ever happened to me, the police would try to find the person responsible. Hopefully those people were OK. The point it, idiots on the road should not be allowed to drive.

Re: Traffic declarations and frustrations    By Erich on 12/7/2007 9:53 AM
If someone ever hit and run me like that, I'd seriously get involved in a high speed chase and probably kill myself or other innocents in a blind rage in an attempt to get the person....

Re: Traffic declarations and frustrations    By Syl on 12/7/2007 12:01 PM
Stopped traffic does not belong on a freeway, but it lives and parks/rolls for hours on LA thoroughfares - and from your anecdotes Atlant as well. The external status is showing,the viewable equpment (surgically enhanced in some) but what you overlook is the size of the CAR LOANS and the constant DEBT peopletake on for this endeavor......<br><br><br><br><br><br>Hit and run - that is terrible. Makes me cynically wish for an excuse for the runner when there are (none) only ones like: her husband would've beat her worse if she'd stopped, taken away the keys, made her drop out of her GED prep classes.

Re: Traffic declarations and frustrations    By K on 12/12/2007 12:32 PM
Hit and run? Get the tag number, then call the cops. Make sure you are injured. Why? Leaving scene with injury is generally enough points for a suspension.

Re: frustrations    By Syl on 12/13/2007 11:53 PM
Speaking of tags. I saw this little jerk tagging a kiosk downtown today. So, what to do? He's about 5'6" wearing sagged oversize jeans and a coat with a pocket on the left sleeve and his tag was something like chevy55, either a white boy or a light skinned Latino. So what to do? Do you think the police are interested enough (?) - they probably already know who he is anyway, that's the nature of tagging. Anyway - I burned a look into the back of his head as I got his description in my head. He looked back and I stared right at him. And. That is all. Frustrating.

Re: Traffic declarations and frustrations    By James L Kirkpatrick on 12/31/2007 11:07 PM
Only time I was ever tempted to repaint someone else's house was after I watched a tagger do "his thing" on one wall. The defeatism is infectious though. He's just have come back after I left, and repainted his tag on a nice fresh coat of paint... *deep sigh*<br><br>Drop me a line, K?<br><br>jimmylee.k@sbcglobal.net


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