Pet Peeves during my commute

I was inspired by Heather’s post to talk about traffic and my general commute.

I have a couple so here goes…

1. I live past the middle school so every day I have to negotiate traffic in that area. I have my ways. This does not increase traffic in the area, but I see that a lot of parents drop their kids off at the middle school at the entrance… so they wait in line and drop them about 40 feet in front of the door. Seriously? Call me heartless or lazy but I am going to do what the other half do and stopping in the bike lane and making him walk the extra 100 feet to get to school. I can understand rain or cold or your kid has to carry a big project into school, but this was last week when it was not hot or cold. I can understand elementary school but middle school?

2. Stop lights. I think we should go lights at least at Country Trails and Quinlan Park. The problem at this time IMO is the indecision of what to do. So we go one car at a time and people go out of turn and it messes everything up. I say just go lights make it easier for people who aren’t paying attention and things would go faster. Of course that would mean that the lights were intelligent and used technology created decades ago… again an assumption I can’t make with the City of Austin traffic people.

3. Right turn from 620 onto 2222. Again I am assuming I have the City of Austin traffic people along with the wonderful police to thank for enforcing the law of no one in the right shoulder. Of course everyone disregards this rule and people start lining up way before we are “allowed” to. I saw the police enforce this rule for a couple of weeks about a year ago or so but never again. I guess there are more donut shops opened up for them troll.

4. Driving with cell phones. A co-worker of mine was riding his motorcycle following all traffic laws. A lady who was talking on her cell phone pulling out without paying attention to him onto 2222 and he was T-boned. Spent 3 months in a hospital. The ER doctor said he never saw more broken bones in one person in his life. He is currently coming to work in a wheelchair everyday. Don’t use a cell phone while driving and if you do at least use a blue tooth device… but even better just talk to your family/friends when you get home.

5. Morning Radio: I am not a big fan of Austin morning radio. I can stand the Bobby Bones Show, they are unoriginal but they don’t act like they are better than they are. They realize they are pretty lucky to be on the radio, but JB and Sandy has to be the worst, contrived crap, out of touch radio show in Austin. Just horrible, horrible radio. They think they speak for Austin and I hope they don’t. I just listen now to Adam Carolla’s Podcast on the way to work.

That is about it… rant over.