TRAFFIC CALMING

BY DAN MILLER
(originally posted January 24, 2006)

If you want to slow down traffic.... I know a way.

All those speed bumps and humps are a nuisance.
They make daily driving miserable -- even menacing -- for the people who live along the streets.
The bumps can damage cars, and pose real hazards for emergency vehicles rushing to a destination.
And have you ever hit one of those speed bumps on a bike or motorcycle?
I hope not.

As an alternative, some Nashville streets have painted zig-zag lanes, forcing cars to proceed slowly.
If you don't follow the zig zag, you'll drive over little speed bumps placed just outside the lanes.
Not a bad idea.... but here again, it could pose a problem for emergency vehicles.... and all the zigzagging could be treacherous during wet or icy conditions.
They're also a challenge for bikers.
And, I should add, the zig-zag lanes are extremely ugly.

Last week, Gallatin announced that the city will be placing cameras at certain intersections to snap photos of cars running red lights.
Again, not a bad idea, but while those cameras might stop some drivers from ignoring red lights.... they've been shown to dramatically increase the number of rear end collisions, as drivers slam on brakes when a light turns yellow.
Some cities have actually decided to dismantle the cameras in an effort to prevent so many rear end crashes.

To me.... the solution to all this seems simple.
And I know many communities (including Gallatin) have used this method in the past.

When police cruisers are not in service, simply park them along streets where there's a problem with speeders.
Or park them around busy intersections.

It doesn't matter whether they're manned or not, as long as they are "occasionally" manned.

If you're like me, when you see a police car.... you'll slow down. It's a reflex.

Already, lots of police agencies park decoy patrol cars along interstates and other highways.
So why not park them on those little neighborhood streets having issues with speeders?

As a bonus, it might even cut down on other criminal activity as well.

It's the same principle as the scarecrow.

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