a shot from Park Road in Mount Pleasant Washington DC
for as long as I can remember Mount Pleasant had a strong bicycle population
the bicycle numbers have been strong
the bicycle population has been diverse
well representing more than just the utilitarian cyclist
beyond the commuters there have been a large number of messengers, weekend warriors, recreational cyclists, and racers both road and mountain
the child cyclist is a population that is rapidly growing
which is rough because the neighborhood car traffic is a bit aggressive... not fit for man or beast on the bike... which leaves the child at risk (with and without the parent)
hopefully that will change
okay.... we need to make that change happen
two simple thoughts
if everyone just worked to make the world better just within a block radius of where they live
which means to drive slowly and be careful when pulling in and out of a parking space
well... that would make a better world
logic would have me thinking that a strong majority of the traffic around any given house is traffic made up of people who live within a block of that area
of course cross town commuter traffic will create a greater percentage
but...
there is the notion of the NEIGHBORHOOD PACE CAR
but honestly
if people were to alter their car behavior within one block of the house... well... the ripple effect would be exponential
and to parents
parents should improve their car behavior when their kids are in their car
a friend of mine always loved the notion that we do not teach our children drive a car at 15 years and 8 months... we start teaching them how to drive the day we take them home from the hospital
so...
if parents altered their car behavior when their kids are in the car
well.... oh my goodness
the world would be a better place
not only would the roads be safer with speed concious soccer moms
we would be building the base for the next generation of responsible drivers
currently people drive like total assholes
people drive like assholes with their kids in the car
excessive speeding... rolling through stop signs... and driving distracted while chatting on the cell phone
well... it is common knowledge that our children expand the parameters of what our limits are
they push our limits and extend our limits
reel it in
create better driving habits today
have better driving habits tomorrow
we need to start now
we need to at least try
we always perform better when we take it out of autopilot and forsake our nature