Is the Hurry REALLY Worth it?
I came across the following early this morning:
SMB Consulting, Inc.: Is the Hurry REALLY Worth it?
It's a post decrying the unnecessary haste too many motorists engage in when getting from point A to point B. Seriously, as I wrote in the last Musette about seeing 'stoopid people', there are some who endanger everyone around them in order to 'save' a few seconds. I don't know anyone whose time is so valuable that saving a couple of seconds on a commute will make an appreciable difference.
On Friday, as I rode home, a gravel truck passed dangerously fast. He was over the speed limit, and while that normally wouldn't bother me much, he had to cross the centerline while there was on-coming traffic. A southbound driver nearly went off the road avoiding the truck. Would that 5 or 10 seconds he saved by endangering two other people allow him to get in another run for the day? Of course not.
All of us are stressed by having too much to do and too little time to do it. I hate having to schedule my time hour by hour, even on weekends. Being a dunce in traffic isn't going to give me or anyone else more time with family and friends. Being an aggressive driver - or an aggressive cyclist, for that matter - isn't going to make my life LESS stressful.
Even on those rare occasions when I drive to work (TWICE so far this month! I'm getting soft!) I follow the same route that I use for bicycle commuting. Sure, there's an expressway that runs parallel, and it's undoubtedly faster. But there's heavy traffic and the two-lane is so much more pleasant. The difference in commuting time may be several minutes, but to my way of thinking, those few minutes add to the quality of life. Statistically, limited access roads are safer than two lanes, but while I may have to watch for deer and skunks on the two lane road, I generally don't have to be concerned about people tailgating at high speed or switching from lane to lane in an effort to move ahead a couple of car lengths.
SMB Consulting, Inc.: Is the Hurry REALLY Worth it?
It's a post decrying the unnecessary haste too many motorists engage in when getting from point A to point B. Seriously, as I wrote in the last Musette about seeing 'stoopid people', there are some who endanger everyone around them in order to 'save' a few seconds. I don't know anyone whose time is so valuable that saving a couple of seconds on a commute will make an appreciable difference.
On Friday, as I rode home, a gravel truck passed dangerously fast. He was over the speed limit, and while that normally wouldn't bother me much, he had to cross the centerline while there was on-coming traffic. A southbound driver nearly went off the road avoiding the truck. Would that 5 or 10 seconds he saved by endangering two other people allow him to get in another run for the day? Of course not.
All of us are stressed by having too much to do and too little time to do it. I hate having to schedule my time hour by hour, even on weekends. Being a dunce in traffic isn't going to give me or anyone else more time with family and friends. Being an aggressive driver - or an aggressive cyclist, for that matter - isn't going to make my life LESS stressful.
Even on those rare occasions when I drive to work (TWICE so far this month! I'm getting soft!) I follow the same route that I use for bicycle commuting. Sure, there's an expressway that runs parallel, and it's undoubtedly faster. But there's heavy traffic and the two-lane is so much more pleasant. The difference in commuting time may be several minutes, but to my way of thinking, those few minutes add to the quality of life. Statistically, limited access roads are safer than two lanes, but while I may have to watch for deer and skunks on the two lane road, I generally don't have to be concerned about people tailgating at high speed or switching from lane to lane in an effort to move ahead a couple of car lengths.
posted by Ed W at 8:26 AM
2 Comments:
A very good point. I have a 25 mile one way commute that I unfortunatley drive. On the way home a pickup passed me at a very unsafe speed with a double yellow line. When I got to the first stop light in town guess who was infront of me? He could have killed someone and gained no time.
Thanks for sharing my post and expanding upon it. I obviously agree with you and find it amazing that people seem to believe those precious 5 seconds they may save passing a cyclist (or a group of cyclists) is SO mission critical. The part that really gets me is many of the drivers are minivan owners with kids in the back so if anyone should be cautious, you'd think those people would be. Not the case it seems.
In the past two months, my teammates or I have been swiped at by DHL trucks (KY License plate 7938-KE if memory serves correctly--I will now never use DHL because of this), large dump trucks, school buses!, and numerous minivans with kids in the back. Wonder what message that's sending to the little ones?
Anyway, Happy Holidays to you, and stay safe on the roads.
Roger
Post a Comment
<< Home