Every year I like to have a motto, a slogan, a mantra if you will that will help guide me. Last year it was, “Manage what you got.” That means we could help solve or ease many of our traffic problems simply by managing the system, not trying to spend our way out of it. Which has proven to be futile. And expensive. This year I’ve decided my slogan or mantra is, “This ain’t Mayberry anymore!” Atlanta, Georgia is a player. So, don’t hate the player, hate the game. The days of Barney and Andy headin’ over to give Floyd’s car a jump after pie at Thelma Lou’s are over.
We are a metropolitan area of nearly 5 million people now. Our influence stretches from near Dalton to the North, to just shy of Macon and Columbus to the south; from the Alabama state line to the west, to Athens in the east. That means all the counties, towns and other municpalities within Atlanta’s scope have to be more efficient when it comes to dealing with traffic. Police departments can no longer train their people to simply be revenue agents. They need to put down the speed gun and pick up a manual for incident management and clearance. They need to ascribe to the National Unified Goal, an average of no more than 90 minutes to clear any incident. The days of shutting down interstate highways for 8, 9 or 10 hours are over. They need to form TIM Teams. You can contact me and I can put you in touch with the people that can get that done. Traffic Incident Mangement Teams are the wave of the future. Federal dollars are going to be tied to these kinds of efforts down the road. And that road needs to stay open. And, open roads mean, “This ain’t Mayberry anymore!”
Archive for February, 2008
Been catchin’ my breath, after this week’s big blow ripped through town. What a mess! And some of it we brought on ourselves! We’ve got to do a better job of driving during inclement weather. Take my word for it; there is no disabling gas released when water mixes with asphalt or cement! Normally I’d be the last one to tell ya’ to slow down. But when the weather breaks bad it’s time to get on the brakes! You’ve got to slow down. And if the vehicle behind you doesn’t want to…get out of its way! Let it by! In my recent motorcycle safety course at Harley of Atlanta we were talking about right-of-way. We came to the conclusion that even if you do have the right-of-way what good is it gonna’ do ya’ if you’re lying in a hospital looking like Robocop up on a grease rack with your legs in the 3 and 9 o’clock position? Oh yeah! You were right. But who wants to be “dead right”?
I just went through an very interesting and fullfilling experience. I attended a motorcycle riders safety school, The Rider’s Edge, from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and Harley-Davidson of Atlanta on Thornton Road. We spent two nights and two days in classroom and on motorcycles learning the “rules of the road.” It has given me a fresh perspective not only on what motorcycle riders have to deal with but what we also deal with as automotive riders and drivers. So much of what I learned came down to one thing: simple common sense. Maybe that’s not so simple considering the catastrophic-level of accidents we deal with every day in Atlanta. I found that most motorcycle accidents occur at intersections. People just aren’t paying attention. Many accidents also occur when another vehicle interferes with your direction of travel. In other words, an illegal or improper lane change. Speed doesn’t kill. Contrary to what many believe. On a motorcycle speed is your best friend. What kills and injures is poor decision making. No sense of awareness. Now that I’m aware of that it gives me a sense of the enormity of the problem. That’s why I do what I do.
I remember when I used to fly in the helicopter looking down, especially pre-dawn or dusk and seeing all the blinking or flashing lights. Lots of em’. They seemed like they were on everything. Thing is they’re on some vehicles for a reason. They’re emergency vehicles. HERO trucks are emergency vehicles. Recognised by the state of Georgia and authorized to use red flashing lights. So, when one comes up behind you, GET OUT OF THE WAY! I saw it today on the Buford Highway Connector, drivers taking their time to let the HERO by even though it had its emergency lights and siren on! HERO units are some of the most valuable tools for traffic control in Atlanta. You hold them up. You hold yourself up. And that really is “highway robbery.”
Every once awhile, actually more frequently than I care to think about, I spot trends. One I’ve been seeing lately is accidents in that long-term construction in Cobb County up near Acworth. Once again Wednesday morning a vehicle went skiddin’ off the road into the median on I-75SB near Wade Green. That’s the third time in 3 days we’ve had trouble in that area. The word I got from traffic trackers “up yonder”: uneven pavement. I honestly would love to hear an excuse because as far as I’m concerned it’s inexcusable. If you drive into construction, of any kind, at any time of the day or night, slow the heck down! Watch out! My attitude has always been and will continue to be if you can’t handle it pull over to the side and call your mom to come get ya’. Otherwise quit drivin’ like ya’ rented it!
