Publication Date: Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Our Town: No need for speed
Our Town: No need for speed
(March 31, 2004) by Marc Burkhardt
A few weeks back, a family mourned the deaths of two beloved cats by posting a sign outside their Alma Street residence.
The words were plain yet eloquent messages to the hit-and-run drivers who killed the pets: "Please slow down. We lost 2 already."
Anyone who drives Alma knows how fast traffic moves. Drivers who stick to the 35 mph speed limit are considered annoyances by their fellow motorists. I've chalked the phenomenon up to life in the 21st century -- a nonstop rush to instant gratification, damn the consequences.
Yet, as a daily commuter on Alma, I'm constantly amazed by the risks people take to achieve such ends. From running down cats to playing chicken with oncoming trains, it seems we are willing to risk any and everything to reach our destination a few seconds earlier.
I've been guilty of such stunts myself, but have attempted to slow down following a few stern words from a not-so-friendly, neighborhood traffic officer. It's not difficult to drive the speed limit. Fending off those who don't, however, is another story.
I was forced off the road once when a motorist casually floated into my lane without signaling. He took a right turn moments later without noticing the near collision. To make matters worse, there were no other cars on the road. The driver could have safely changed lanes at any time, yet preferred the shorter -- and more dangerous -- route to save a few seconds.
One evening, I witnessed a driver attempt to get across the train tracks before the rail crossings descended. Are such risks really worth the rewards?
The danger extends to bicyclists and pedestrians. Co-workers who bike to the Weekly have reported several near-misses with careless drivers. A few have even been struck.
Pedestrians also take their lives in their hands, as anyone who crosses Alma from the Caltrain lot in downtown Palo Alto can attest.
Such hazards are common enough to raise the eyebrows of nearby residents, who are forced to contend daily with autos that cut through nearby neighborhoods to shave even more time off commutes, or bypass the modest backup entering the downtown area, when Alma narrows at the bridge over Embarcadero Road.
The Downtown North neighborhood, which stretches from Alma to Middlefield Road and Lytton Avenue to San Francisquito creek, is currently the most notable example of residents attempting to cope with cut-through traffic and speeding drivers.
The city has attempted to slow down traffic in the area by installing traffic barriers, a solution that has relieved some and angered others. The resulting civil war among neighbors highlights the difficulty of finding an effective solution.
Pace cars, a system that asks volunteers to set good examples by driving safely and obeying the speed limit, have apparently produced little results.
So how do you slow traffic down? Increased police presence is one answer, although it seems Alma is already well patrolled, with a motorcycle officer who parks between oleander bushes south of Oregon.
The solution may be more far-reaching than any local effort. Legislation banning the use of cell phones without earpieces when behind the wheel is a step in the right direction -- if special interests in Sacramento ever allow such proposals to become law.
Ultimately, though, the answer may be found in something as simple, and nebulous, as our own attitudes. Silicon Valley is known for a high-speed lifestyle that makes fiber-optic Internet connections look like dripping molasses. Our schedules are so packed that every second has to count, forcing us to find any shortcut possible to pack even more into already-crowded days.
As clichéd as it sounds, we have to consider the consequences of our actions. Or, to put it more plainly, are one or two seconds worth the rest of your life?
Over the weekend, I drove by the residence that protested the death of their pet cats. The homemade sign had dropped to the bottom of the light post, looking much worse for the wear.
Sadly, I felt my questions had been answered.
Marc Burkhardt is the managing editor of the Weekly. He can be e-mailed at mburkhardt@paweekly.com.
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