The Perils of the Daily Pedestrian

Earlier this summer, the local cops installed one of those portable radar units that flashes your oncoming speed as you drive up on it. An email went out to all the residents in our neighborhood that the purpose was to encourage the motorists on the street to slow down. Residents on the street had complained about the speeders.

The street, you see, is a cut-through motorists use to avoid having to wait at the traffic light down at the nearby intersection. The street sort of shaves off the corner, so it is a timesaver for morning commuters trying to get to work on time. The residents have children. I know because I see them every day when I go that way on my walk.

I don't know if the radar unit was a success or not. It's gone down now. I guess it appeased the residents for the time being. The cars passing me on the street seem to go the same speed as before the radar unit went up. I would've put it up after the vacation season ends following Labor Day when more commuters are using the street. I don't think the commuters are speeding so much as they're inattentive while on their smart phones texting, or whatever. Maybe the cops wanted commuters to slow down before school opens.

"Hey, let's be careful out there," as Sergeant Phil Esterhaus used to say on Hill Street Blues.