Traffic circles in my head...

The city has installed some traffic circles on the quiet residential streets in my neighborhood. In theory, that's a good thing. They keep traffic moving and they give the old ladies in the neighborhood a place to plant some flowers. Okay, I don't know if the old ladies actually plant them in the traffic circle thingy, but I've seen them watering the flowers on more than one occasion. So yeah, on the surface it seems like a nice, harmonious, traffic circle world.

There's just one problem. People don't know how to use them. And an improperly used traffic circle is, well, a traffic circle that isn't being used properly. And that's a problem. I walk past three of them on my way to the gym and the things I see... people get into them and then decide to stop for cars that haven't actually come into the traffic circle yet. Other people drive right on in even when someone is already inside and heading for them. Basically nobody knows who has the right of way. And then there's my favorite... people who make a left turn and either don't know or don't care that they have to keep to the right... they just take a short cut by driving the wrong way into the circle.

I don't get why the city would install traffic circles without trying to somehow explain to people how to use them. Maybe it's not a big deal, although it's probably a little dangerous that so many people don't know what they're doing. But... around here... that seems to be a common theme with people in cars. In the time since I sold my truck I've been experiencing life as a pedestrian and cyclist... and let me tell ya... it's a scary world out there. But hey, it keeps things exciting...

And speaking of exciting, my friend Matt landed the role of Augustus Gloop in the Kennedy Center's production of Willy Wonka. They've been travelling around the mid west since the beginning of September and Matt is keeping it real by blogging his trip, which you can read about here. Way to go Matt!!!