Opinion: Common sense — lost concept with today’s drivers

I am not a prudish driver. I tend to think of city speed limits as "speed limit, plus five, equals actual speed limit."  On the highway I tend to set my cruise control at 79 mph (except that I obey the construction zone speeds).  I consider myself a careful, considerate, courteous and safe driver.  Alas, I don't see that in a lot of drivers. A couple of examples.

On Longway Boulevard, I drive Vernon to Chavez daily at least. The speed limit is 35 and I tend to drive about 40 mph. I am fascinated by the number of drivers who cross lanes multiple times, pass me (and others) at speeds of 50 mph plus — only to have me pull up beside them at the next red light. This is a road with several streets entering it and frequent pedestrians as well as the occasional left turner.  Speeds of 35 are reasonable,  50 mph plus is dangerous and generally gains nothing.

Along the same stretch of road, picture yourself going eastbound and stopping for the red light at the entrance to the Applewood parking lot — the intersection of Kearsley Park Boulevard and East Kearsley Street — an unusual five-point intersection. There is a clearly marked wide white bar indicating where traffic should stop. Often I find eastbound traffic stopping well past that bar and totally or partially blocking the entrance to East Kearsley Street. Anyone coming off Kearsley Park Boulevard and hoping to travel down to the Flint Public Library or the Flint Institute of Arts is blocked from passage. The white bar that means "stop here," is a concept that appears not to be generally observed.

Across the intersection, for westbound traffic, there is a comparable white line — but it is followed by a clearly painted trail and pedestrian crossing. It is very common to see cars a full car length over the line, totally blocking the crosswalk. I've never come close to "road rage" while driving, but trying to cross there on my bike — I'm not always proud of my behavior.

I recall years ago reading of a pedestrian faced with a complete blocking of the cross walk who took matters into his own hands. He opened the rear door of the car, slid across the seat, exited on the other side (all above the clearly marked cross walk) leaving both rear doors wide open.  (That was long ago and before we had automatic door locks whenever the car is in gear.)

These are simple examples right here in our neighborhood.  Tail-gating, weaving while chatting on the phone, no turn signal.  I could go on and on — just from my experience in those few short blocks.  After commuting to Lansing for eight years, I could easily write a book.

And I could go on and on here for just the neighborhood.

Those "next three cars through after the light turns red."

That is a whole other story.

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Jack Minore is a retired teacher, former long-serving city councilperson, former legislator and active in a number of political and environmental groups — notably the Flint River Watershed Coalition and Friends of the Flint River Trail. Jack was in the original group that formed East Village Magazine.