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Driving
in Nevada County, a Death-defying Proposition Buckle up. Driving is now a blood sport in Nevada County. If someone’s road rage doesn’t get you, the crashes will. Look at recent headlines from The Union: "Second road-rage incident of holiday" (9/9), "Motorcyclist crashes, dies after crossing double line" (9/9), "PV man dies in motorcycle accident" (9/6), "One woman injured in three-vehicle accident" (9/8), and "LOP crash, heart attack victim ID’d" (9/8). Wow! Recently, a vehicle and a bear met up on Highway 20, there was a truck accident on Dog Bar Road, and we had the very sad incident of two elderly people struck by a car on South Auburn Street. Highway 49, Highway 20 and McCourtney Road, our well-known avenues of death, have been quiet lately -- but they’ll be back in the news. So what’s going on? Is there something wrong with people? Yes. Is there something wrong with the roads? Yes. As people, we’re turning into a bunch of uptight maniacs. This condition produces factors that contribute to bizarre driving (which further aggravates our craziness). Factor 1. We’re stressed. The pressure’s on. Jobs are precious, so we’d better get there on time. Our kids have needs. It’s essential to make a payment, see a person, or rush to our relaxation class. We all "must" get somewhere or do something now, fast. Factor 2. We’re angry. We had an argument with the spouse, fought with the kids, didn’t get good service at the store. We carry that to the car, where we can feel more in control and experience a little freedom and power. Factor 3. We’re sleeping. There’s enough pressure on us in other situations that our moving car becomes a comfortable place to enter a semi-hypnotic state. What better place to meditate than while driving? Why not drive 35 MPH on Highway 49? Factor 4. We’re the only ones who matter. It’s the Age of Greed. We think, "I’m the only one who counts. I can throw litter out of this car. I don’t have to signal. I can drive as fast or slow as I want. Other people? Screw ‘em!" Now, the problem’s not just individual drivers. When you get a bunch of drivers together, you have traffic. And to ameliorate traffic problems (excessive speed, traffic jams, exposure to danger), you need well-planned roads. Oops. No one in this county was ever accused of good planning, and our fascinating system of roads is testimony to that. Nevada City can say, "our streets were built on the trails that miners made, walking up from Deer Creek." Fair enough, but NC government can’t argue that the intersection of Highway 49 and North Bloomfield Road is part of Nevada City’s cute downtown streets. People die there The "old miner" argument doesn’t hold up for the Brunswick basin or the K-Mart and Pine Creek centers, either. They are recent creations. One smart thing the "old miners" did was live close to each other. They discovered that residential infill and proximity to work were important. They didn’t build bedroom communities, requiring long commutes to work or shopping. Our planning departments could learn something from this, because their current job seems to be blocking residential infill. On a positive note (there had to be one somewhere), I think the new roundabout on Sierra College Drive is a hoot! Cheaper than a stoplight, faster than a stop sign, no delays, and it’s fun! Also, I don’t think anyone ever got a traffic ticket for running a roundabout. So what can we do? In reference to people, the social pendulum will eventually swing back, or maybe American life will disintegrate. That will slow things down. Until then, ask your friends to play a game called "All My Children" when they drive. Ask them to pretend all the other drivers are their own children, and to behave accordingly. In reference to the roads, let’s fix the current problems. North Bloomfield could probably use a traffic light, and the Zion/Ridge intersection could use a roundabout. For the future, I guess we’ll continue to debate traffic issues: offramps, bypasses, Highway 49 alternates, North Star access, and even what route the trucks should take to fix a flume. We produce much talk and little action. Anyway, I’d like you all to be careful, or there won’t be anyone left to read this column. Barry Schoenborn is a technical writer, and an eleven-year resident of Nevada County. You can write to him at barry@wvswrite.com. The opinions of columnists are not necessarily those of The Union. |