a start to slowing traffic...

it the DC Mayor Adrian Fenty wants to slow some traffic here is a good place to start....

Mayor Fenty can give instructions to his direct staff to drive within the limits of the law
to have the people who work for him and are driving DC Government Vehicles drive in a civil manner

then...
Mayor Fenty can then ask all the DC residents who have the honor to have a low number tag to drive in a legal and safe manner
there are 1000 tags ranking 1-1,000
these people are friends of the Mayor... they should drive as ambassadors to the mayor
or they should lose the plate
as they are easily identified

from there...
the DC Mayor can instruct the DC police to drive within the limits of the law
as the law applies to them as well as anyone else
if the DC Police were driving at a rational speed it would not only make the streets more safe
but... it would give the Police a more clear perspective of the crimes and potential crimes around them

then take it further...
the Mayor could mandate that professional drivers drive like professionals or they lose their license to drive professionally in the district
start with Metro Buses and Taxi Cabs
PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE and PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER.... well, you get the idea
no need to play show and tell about my experiences within the last 24 hours with these menaces to the road
we all know that they drive like a drunk teenager headed back from the prom
the fatalities caused by Metrobus drivers could have been avoided had the drivers been more alert to their own actions

that is a start...
words...
guidance...
instruction...

not penalties

issue the penalties after you have made the request

there should be some Public Service Announcements
make a friendly threat then come down hard

to rush out and start this program of issueing tickets
that is energy and overtime pay
let that same energy and same pay be used more effectively
let life be a chess match... lets try to think a few moves ahead

cell phones....
blackberrys...
speeding...
rolling through stop signs and red lights...
failure to yeild to pedestrians...
passing cyclists fast and close...
these are all issues that could be approached with these mentioned groups
the actions of these drivers could ripple futher
if nothing else
if each member of each group went at a rational speed... they would act as a pace vehicles to the vehicles around them