Wednesday, July 23, 2003

Dear sheriff, chiefs: Enforce left-lane law

By CAL BEVERLY
editor@thecitizennews.com

First, a letter to local law enforcement leaders.

"Dear Sheriff Johnson, Chief Murray, Chief Roberts and Chief Hay: Please start enforcing the state law which requires drivers in the left lanes to move right when not passing.

"How many officers do you have assigned each day to radar-speeding duty? Take just one officer in each jurisdiction off that radar detail and put him on left-lane clearance detail.

"Make history: For the first time ever, write tickets on drivers who impede traffic by clogging the left lanes.

"Stop selectively enforcing just the speeding laws. Enforce also the 'Keep right except when passing' law.

"Thank you on behalf of thousands of Fayette drivers who just want to move on down the road.

"Your obedient editor."

The left lanes may be clogged, but your opinions are flowing freely. Since last week's column, I received a flood of e-mails and letters about the louts lousing up traffic flow by refusing to move right for that long line of folks waiting to pass.

And many of you have some strong opinions about badly-timed traffic lights and speed limits posted way lower than common sense and safe driving call for.

Concurrent with our traffic views, many of you have sent in pithy thoughts about a range of issues, but wanted to remain anonymous. To accommodate our homegrown venters, The Citizen is starting a "Free Speech" column on our Wednesday editorial pages. We encourage all who have something to get off their chests to make use of our new anonymous feature.

But please: E-mails only; no phone calls, letters or faxes. E-mail all your short (if not sweet) Free Speech comments to editor@TheCitizenNews.com. Be sure to put "Free Speech" in the header section of your e-mail. We won't publish libel, obscenities, or personal attacks on persons not in public life, but will consider most anything else, so long as it is short; two or three succinct sentences is the best length.

Now to the mail: "I hate the lights at Ga. Highway 85 and Lanier Street. When you get stopped at that light, you have to wait for the people on Lanier that are turning left onto Hwy. 85 to get out of your way and I have the turning light. The city should put up a sign like other cities saying, 'Illegal to block intersection.' Also, I hate all the gaggle of bicycles that clog Robinson Road on weekends and weeknights. They are so rude, don't get out of the way, don't stop at stop signs or stop lights. When are the PTC police going to enforce the laws to those 2-legged pests?"

And this one: "I know it irritates both my wife and I to see these uncaring inconsiderate people that hog the center or passing lane. They seem to feel they are the only ones on the road. I am a transplanted Californian and there is something to be said for their laws regarding this. Specifically, the center lane is for passing only and you must pass at least 5 mph faster than the car in the right lane. In addition, if you are in the passing lane (left lane) and you are holding up more than three cars, you can be ticketed.

"What it all breaks down to is common road courtesy. If the law enforcement agencies would start ticketing drivers who flagrantly defy others on the road like this, I believe it would curb a lot of road rage. The key is you must be taught this when you learn to drive and then you might develop good driving habits."

And this: "Thank you, thank you, thank you for your wonderful, honest, and necessary opinion about helping to stop road rage by moving to the right. I read the article at least three times and laughed out loud (while quietly seething) imagining how many times a day I encounter the dreaded "laggard." I have lived around Atlanta for almost three years now, and it still never ceases to amaze me how completely inconsiderate or totally oblivious these laggards really are!

"Just today, some fool swung out in front of me into the left lane (note that he/she crossed two lanes to do this), stayed there for miles, then decided he/she needed to turn right. Dare I ask, Why on Earth did you even get into the left lane? And when we ride somewhat closely behind them to quietly say move over and let me pass, they just look at us in the mirror and keep puttin' along, which makes us even more angry. It is no wonder there are road ragers out there.

"I have never once seen a police officer here pull someone over for dragging along in the left lane causing horrendous traffic. The state from which I moved had signs posted all over the highways stating keep right except to pass and the police enforced it, as it should be. If the police won't do anything about enforcing the state laws, the problem will never go away."

But then, there's this: "Johnny Carson once quipped that the slowest driver he saw in California was going 65. However, the driver going 65 was picking up a hitchhiker.

"The problem that I see with slow left lane drivers in this area is that although they are slow, they too are exceeding the speed limit. The speed limits in Georgia mean nothing. In order to turn left on either Ga. highways 74 or 54, you have to start moving over a half mile before you turn. When you slow for your turn, if anyone behind you has to slow down to below 70, you get the finger, horn, or flashing headlights. If the person is from the frozen North, you might get all three.

"The last car on Hwy. 74 who was going less than 70 may have been picking up a hitchhiker. Anyway, Mr. Beverly, don't sweat the small stuff."

Don't worry; it's small sweat.