Yes, I Have Roadrage and You Should Too
Perhaps as a Jewish person I must find a liturgical workaround prior to doing a confessional, but I am, an unequivocal roadrager… roadragite… roadragist, the lexicon might not be advanced enough yet. Nonetheless an episode of vitriolic condemnation of the auto-driven hullabaloo that encapsulates our state’s streets is imminent from my lips.
Every day I cross the same crosswalk with a newly installed pedestrian light system that I press the button for. Each day I count the number of cars the blow past with disregard. Mind you, this light is directly connected to a city park, another appalling fact. Sometimes I decide to express my exasperation by putting my arms up in the air; I hope they see the deranged looking pedestrian in their rearview mirror.
Focusing on pedestrian safety in our cities is incredibly important but beyond the design of our roads, educating drivers on the harmful results of their actions is the only way to create a safer and more orderly society. People often rattle off how dangerous speeding is, and the accident rates of driving while intoxicated, but much of the harm that drivers cause is not to themselves inside their sometimes 3-ton hunks of impenetrable steel but is to the people standing on the street.
Every hour an American pedestrian dies due to an automobile related incident. In the last 50 years it is likely that a quarter million Americans have been killed by drivers, a disproportionate number of them young children and people of lower socioeconomic status. Imagine the entire population of Bermuda was struck down by reckless drivers.
Stamford’s initiative of Vision Zero put forward by the Simmons administration is to be one of admiration. The mayor has not just said it in words, but she has actively acted towards her goals, our state must take the initiative to help other cities and towns do the same. Mandatory driver education, state funds dedicated to street redesigns, and a roadmap to public safety should be a key part of any executive’s goals.
No matter which candidate the state elects in this upcoming cycle, they must be dedicated to making our streets safer, for not just the people inside their incomprehensibly dangerous vehicles, but the mothers with kids and strollers, joyful young children, loving elderly grandparents, and people like me, waiting at our crosswalks.
While the term “war on cars” may upset some, the necessity of such an idea is imperative to our safety. My experience at my crosswalk is not unique, I imagine many deal with this upsetting reality daily in Connecticut. Creating a separate streets fund in the budget or increasing the number of speed cameras to catch dangerous drivers is only one way to create a safer state. Raising intersections to slow down drivers and create dedicated bike lanes and larger sidewalks has been shown to increase pedestrian safety.
The City of Stamford knows this, that is why they have been redesigning many of our streets with high pedestrian accident rates, but the State of Connecticut should learn the same. A spearheaded data driven approach is the key to making our state -- to embrace my inner President George “Dubya” Bush -- a place where man and car can coexist peacefully.
