Commission Impossible

I used the traffic circles on West 8th, just to be open minded - the very first time, some jerk in a 4wd pickup came charging through at 40 mph and I had to mash my brakes. For me, these things are just stop signs. Right-of-way, schmight-of-way, I'm always going to stop my station wagon full of kids for the jerk doing 40mph. The jerks know that - this is just Darwinism at work.

My 15 year old asked a pertinent question after that little encounter - who is at fault in an accident? I predict rear-end collisions will rise to an all-time high.

Those things actually have little crosswalks - As If!

I guess, given the population rush we are currently experiencing, a little Darwinism could be a good thing.

Juanita,

You used a roundabout with kids in the car? I would never do that!

Just kidding. Too bad you had a bad experience. I drive them once or twice a day, and I've only had one problem that wouldn't be expected in other traffic apparati.

That was a car tailgaiting a large truck, and I couldn't see them in the roundabout, so I almost pulled into them. As to who is at fault? It's the guy with insurance.

I agree that a little Darwinism might be a good thing. But mostly I think people act stupid because we all allow them to. For a long time I've wanted to start a movement to strike unused laws from the books. It's probably that concept that caused the "no traffic rules" stories to strike a chord with me.

Have a good turkey day.

Lon

I just drove through the 8th Ave. roundabouts. There are between 7 and 11 traffic signs leading into each one. I never pay any attention to any of them, I wonder if anyone else does?

It seems traffic sign usage is getting close to the number of warning labels in new cars, ladders, or on infant play things.

In cars it started with "objects in mirror may be closer than they appear", but now its way out of hand.

In future new cars I expect to see labels like...
"Warning! Use of sunvisor may obstruct view of glowing plasma ball in sky."...or...

"Danger! Persperation may result from excessive use of heater." ...or...

"Warning! Driving this car may destroy the earth." ...or...

Warning! Not driving this car may destoy the earth." (for hybrids)

Lon

People are perverse. In every bus there is a sign which reads "Please Exit Through Rear Door" or something similar. Yet many people nevertheless exit through the front door. What you never see is a sign over the rear door saying "Please Hold Door For Passenger Following", yet nearly everyone does so as a common courtesy.

The Euros have a point to this, and I think it is probably a sound one; when people are constrained by lots of rules, they naturally conclude that anything that isn't expressly forbidden is acceptable. Thus does thoughtfulness erode and kindness decay.

Left to their own devices, most people are benevolent. Go to a ballgame, order a hot dog from a vendor, and pass your money down the row of seats to him. Your dog and your change return unmolested. Expect the best from people and most of the time you'll get it. The most successful managers understand this. They impose few constraints on staff, instead challenging them to achieve greater results, and rewarding them when they do. We need a similar dynamic in the civic dimension. Nothing provokes contrarian conduct quite so reliably as those three little words: "thou shalt not".

Lon raises another very good point regarding unenforced rules. When rules are posted, but never enforced, the assumption becomes that rules are basically to be ignored. In particular, I see signs on every street corner in downtown Chico prohibiting cycling or skating on the sidewalks. That's certainly been effective.

Alan says, "Expect the best from people and most of the time you'll get it."

My grandma was a teacher in Glenn Co, and that was her mantra, but she backed it up with a paddle.

Lon says, "But mostly I think people act stupid because we all allow them to."

Well, how do we stop them? Corporal punishment is no longer allowed, dammit.

In fact, last time I heard, it's only about $290 to run a red light. Your insurance company probably punishes you more severely than the courts, for an offense that kills people every year. Speeding tickets are generally under $500 - a pissant penalty if you ask me. Traffic violations need to be treated more seriously, I'm tired of being out there with people who think they are above the law, or that safety laws are stupid. The CHP says speed figures over drinking as the leading cause of accidents and fatalities.

Those two kids killed on West Sac were speeding, but no alcohol was reported. Right now, an underage kid caught with booze loses his license til he's 18. That ought to be the case for any traffic violation.

People actually flip me off for driving the speed limit, they really get mad, passing me in the oncoming traffic just to scream at me. The Chico cops don't take the traffic laws seriously, so the bad drivers actually think they are in the right.

And traffic circles are just a way of throwing out the rules - just an excuse for ya-hoos to run stop signs and an excuse for the cops to ignore accidents.

There's been a lot of discussion about public art in our round abouts. I think it's a great place for it. It would give drivers something else to look at when they get bored dialing on their cell phones or scrolling on their i-pods.

My proposal is to install hundreds of standard warning and directional signs in the center of the circle. Keep Right. No Left Turn. Speed Limit 15 MPH. Caution. Yield Right of Way. Drug Free Zone. Enhanced Penalties Appliied. No Skateboarding. Dogs on Leash. Etc. There would be four of each.

This would satisfy all of the requirements of great public art.

It wouldn't be pretty.

It would say something deep and meaningful about our society.

It 's guaranteed to be controversial and get lots of national press, which would generate free economic development and tourism publicity for Chico. Locals would hate it and call it in to "Tell it to the ER."

It would cost the City many times more than it's actually worth, but its political value would be priceless. A smaller public outrage sideshow always distracts unwanted attention away from the Center Ring where the real deals go down.

Meanwhile, it could all hide behind the political correctness of "support for the arts."

Risk managers and engineers would love it, and it would require no irrigation, lighting or maintenance, other than replacing a few bent poles.

Artistically enlightened motorists could take their time driving around and around in circles and ponder the meaning of it all, since they would always have the right of way.

:)