Seen This Morning (and Far Too Often) On One Way South Fifth!

 

This morning at 8:27, preparing to turn onto South Fifth from Warren while riding MY BICYCLE, I saw a car turn left off of Union onto 5th and head my way.  The wrong way.  By the time the driver and her car reached me (it didn't take long!) as I was straddling my bike at the outer edge of a parking space on 5th near Warren, she was visibly angry that I was in her way telling her to turn around.  So, she drove around me, with just enough room to do so.  A second or two later, though, she had to stop her car to allow a family of four to make it safely across the crosswalk at Warren.  (The family had the right of way, I guess.)  The driver was probably angry about that delay, too. 

Just prior to the driver coming to a complete stop a few feet before the wrong side of the crosswalk, the father, with one child in hand, stopped directly in front of the car, probably thinking his entire family might get run over.  As his wife and other child continued to the corner, he pointed one finger at the driver then into the air and yelled, "ONE WAY," just as I had done three or four times moments earlier.  The driver didn't care, apparently having made that turn and driven the wrong way for the entire block knowing full well what she was doing.  Moments later, with the crosswalk finally clear of humans and the family reunited on the sidewalk, the driver -- from NEW F'N JERSEY, apparently -- turned right onto Warren without incident or running over any children. Or bicyclists.

The issue of wrong way drivers has been discussed for a second or two at a meeting or two of the SAFETY Committee and the Infrastructure Committee, but nothing has actually been accomplished (and may never be). As far as I can tell, neither committee has accomplished one thing to make the city safer, particularly for pedestrians. Next month will be each committee's fifth monthly meeting. Tune in for more confusing talk and what sounds and feels to me like dysfunction, atrophy (not a trophy!), pulling teeth and hot air. Lots of hot air!

Notice in the lead picture that there are no arrows pointing south painted on the street to let drivers know they might be driving in the wrong direction.   This needs to happen soon.  One ONE WAY sign at each corner ain't doin' it!  If we can afford carrots, we can afford arrows.