The Advocate - I-12 work to begin
...And so it begins. The end is near for the daily gridlock at LA 3245 (O'Neal Lane) and Interstate 12. Work will begin to widen I-12 to three lanes from O'Neal Lane to just east of Pete's Highway eastbound, and from 4-H Club Road to O'Neal westbound. The hardest bit will most likely be widening the bridges crossing the Amite River - as they stand right now, they are only two lanes wide with absolutely no shoulders to speak of. I'm hoping they add some shoulders with those new travel lanes.
The project is slated to be complete by Thanksgiving 2011, meaning traffic will exceed the work done by the day after Thanksgiving 2011. Going only that far will do nothing but move the daily gridlock from O'Neal over to Denham Springs. The rest of I-12 to the east will continue to be perpetually overloaded with truckers who think they're driving Ferraris, career women weaving from the acceleration lane to the #1 lane at 90mph while fixing their makeup and sipping coffee, and unsafe vehicles carrying their nonsecure loads at ten miles under the speed limit.
In other words, this is where I again advocate for the entirety of I-12 to be widened to no less than three travel lanes in either direction. Don't get me wrong, this is a good start. I'm just saying that while this work is going on, we as a state should be putting together what's needed to widen another segment afterward.
Showing posts with label reckless driving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reckless driving. Show all posts
01 May 2009
12 December 2008
Another DWI on the Causeway...
Times-Picayune - St. Tammany Parish Councilman booked with DWI on the Causeway
Yep, another politician got busted on the Causeway for driving drunk... and this time, it wasn't Drunk Eddie. Instead, we'll call this one "Drunk Marty" - Councilman Marty Gould of Parish District 5.
Seems he got loaded at the Saints game one Sunday, then decided to drive across the bridge.
Then... (Shock!) the cop pulled him over and actually did his job, writing the esteemed Councilman a ticket on the spot. Unheard of!
I guess some people can learn after all... so for once, kudos to the bridge police.
The sad thing here is how the Councilman responded to all this... his only regret? Getting caught. The classic sign of the unrepentant criminal. So, just like I'm (still) calling for Drunk Eddie to resign (or get indicted), I'm also going to call for Drunk Marty to get the hell out of public office. Never mind the fact that he seemed to be the only one harmed (did he take a header in the Dome to get that cut on his head?), he could have harmed someone else, especially on the Causeway. Personal responsibility dies a little more each time one of these idiots does something stupid like this, and the stupidity needs to end before someone gets killed.
Yep, another politician got busted on the Causeway for driving drunk... and this time, it wasn't Drunk Eddie. Instead, we'll call this one "Drunk Marty" - Councilman Marty Gould of Parish District 5.
Seems he got loaded at the Saints game one Sunday, then decided to drive across the bridge.
Then... (Shock!) the cop pulled him over and actually did his job, writing the esteemed Councilman a ticket on the spot. Unheard of!
I guess some people can learn after all... so for once, kudos to the bridge police.
The sad thing here is how the Councilman responded to all this... his only regret? Getting caught. The classic sign of the unrepentant criminal. So, just like I'm (still) calling for Drunk Eddie to resign (or get indicted), I'm also going to call for Drunk Marty to get the hell out of public office. Never mind the fact that he seemed to be the only one harmed (did he take a header in the Dome to get that cut on his head?), he could have harmed someone else, especially on the Causeway. Personal responsibility dies a little more each time one of these idiots does something stupid like this, and the stupidity needs to end before someone gets killed.
11 August 2008
A house is NOT the road!
NOLA.com - Car crashes into Covington-area home; driver booked with DWI
View Larger Map
I'm finally starting to get the hang of some of this Web 2.0 stuff. The area this occurred in is heavily residential. You could go faster than the posted 15-25mph limit, but you're better off not doing so. Never mind trying to drive through there drunk... the roads are too narrow and the dropoffs into the ditches are too sharp.
Nevertheless, some idiot (Frederick Vairin, 45, Covington area) decided to do just that, and apparently mistook one of the houses for part of the roadway. Makes me wonder if he was one of St. Tammany's many failed reclamation projects (a.k.a. fourth-offense DWIs), but regardless... it's kind of ridiculous... idiotic... local... Perfect blog material. :P
View Larger Map
I'm finally starting to get the hang of some of this Web 2.0 stuff. The area this occurred in is heavily residential. You could go faster than the posted 15-25mph limit, but you're better off not doing so. Never mind trying to drive through there drunk... the roads are too narrow and the dropoffs into the ditches are too sharp.
Nevertheless, some idiot (Frederick Vairin, 45, Covington area) decided to do just that, and apparently mistook one of the houses for part of the roadway. Makes me wonder if he was one of St. Tammany's many failed reclamation projects (a.k.a. fourth-offense DWIs), but regardless... it's kind of ridiculous... idiotic... local... Perfect blog material. :P
01 August 2008
...At least we're not Montana.
The Advocate: La. second worst in highway deaths
Where do I begin? Who are the first the state blames for this ranking? Drunks. Everyone's favorite whipping boy of course, including mine. (I'm still watching you, Drunk Eddie.) Of course, they're always a problem. And of course, some of these drunks are the Men In Charge, getting second, third and fiftieth chances by the Catch-and-Release arm of the Good Ol' Boy Network. Even those who just kiss the asses of the Men In Charge get caught and released with a signed apology in one hand and a bottle of vodka in the other. And they kill. Sometimes they put themselves in the running for a Darwin Award, but a lot of the time they kill someone else in the process, or instead of themselves.
I'm really not going to shed a tear when some idiotic twenty-something downs a case of beer, decides to take a drive to chase the pink elephant, then wraps their car around a telephone pole. No. I'll shed a tear when they wrap themselves around a minivan with a mother and four kids, all killed on impact.
Where else can they set the blame? How about at the feet of people who don't use their seat belts... another prime scapegoat. Of course, we all know the government mandates this behavior, but like most behaviors mandated by the Men In Charge and the lobbyists who pull their strings, the people don't care. Because, as we all know, it's our God-Given right to splatter our heads all over the Interstate when something goes wrong. Excuse me for not exercising it - suicidal as I am, sometimes I prefer living. That and gruesome automotive death isn't my thing.
It makes me wonder, though... if you're not wearing a seatbelt, you're not anchored to the car, so of course you drive just a little more carefully, watching a bit more. Often one is at her most defensive when she's unprotected.
Strap yourself in, on the other hand, and you don't have to worry about that violent left-hander knocking you into the passenger door. Of course, you flip yourself over into a ditch or get clipped by the guy coming from the other way. She who feels protection from the repercussions often lashes out recklessly.
Safety breeding unsafe conditions? Think about it a little bit. On with the entry.
Not mentioned in the article, I'll throw in the following - idiots who operate their motorcycles without helmets. Sure, the cagers have to wear their seat belts, but motorcyclists don't have to use helmets. Or do they? Seems each and every new governor around here changes that law as one of their first bill-signings in their term. Regardless, the number of them getting their heads busted like eggs on the pavement has to factor in to it somewhere.
Let's not forget the other white meat, SFB's. (Stone Headed Idiot Talking, Forgetting Operational Rules, But Running Automobile In Nagging Stupidity - put the capital letters together, each comma makes a new word, and you'll figure it out. Thanks MLOM.) They're almost as bad as the drunks at times. Everything I said about the drunks can be applied to these geniuses on an almost interchangable basis. If you've got your hands full as it is dealing with stupidity-inducing city traffic, do you really need to be on a phone as well? It's not quite as annoying on long and endless stretches of highway connecting Nowhere with B.F.E., but when there's more cars on a block of roadway than exist in the entire state of Rhode Island, you should really put the goddamned phone down and drive. 'Kay?
Of course, the article also blames the roads themselves. The bridges suck, the roads are rough, yadda yadda yadda, $14 billion backlog, blah blah blah. Couldn't we start doing something about that one of these days, preferably before my hypothetical children start getting grey hairs? They're not going to fix themselves. Instead of passing more nonsense laws and diverting money to projects with their own funding or those government has no business funding, can't we put that towards making the highways safer? Can't we put that towards widening and shoring up a bridge instead of feeding the pockets of do-nothing Men In Charge and their handlers?
Oh, wait. I forgot this is Louisiana. Always in excess, except when it could help someone other than the Politician or his Master. Because they need that money to show just how much Better Than You they are, more than you need a safe highway. I'm so glad we've got our priorities straight around here. It's enough to drive me to drink...
(Don't worry, I hid my car keys from myself.)
In this state, for the longest time, someone would say how crap we are in some national ranking, and the people would just sigh and say "at least we're not Mississippi" or "at least we're not Texas." I guess now they'll just shrug and use the new saying meaning "we're inept, who cares?"
But hey, at least we're not Montana.
Where do I begin? Who are the first the state blames for this ranking? Drunks. Everyone's favorite whipping boy of course, including mine. (I'm still watching you, Drunk Eddie.) Of course, they're always a problem. And of course, some of these drunks are the Men In Charge, getting second, third and fiftieth chances by the Catch-and-Release arm of the Good Ol' Boy Network. Even those who just kiss the asses of the Men In Charge get caught and released with a signed apology in one hand and a bottle of vodka in the other. And they kill. Sometimes they put themselves in the running for a Darwin Award, but a lot of the time they kill someone else in the process, or instead of themselves.
I'm really not going to shed a tear when some idiotic twenty-something downs a case of beer, decides to take a drive to chase the pink elephant, then wraps their car around a telephone pole. No. I'll shed a tear when they wrap themselves around a minivan with a mother and four kids, all killed on impact.
Where else can they set the blame? How about at the feet of people who don't use their seat belts... another prime scapegoat. Of course, we all know the government mandates this behavior, but like most behaviors mandated by the Men In Charge and the lobbyists who pull their strings, the people don't care. Because, as we all know, it's our God-Given right to splatter our heads all over the Interstate when something goes wrong. Excuse me for not exercising it - suicidal as I am, sometimes I prefer living. That and gruesome automotive death isn't my thing.
It makes me wonder, though... if you're not wearing a seatbelt, you're not anchored to the car, so of course you drive just a little more carefully, watching a bit more. Often one is at her most defensive when she's unprotected.
Strap yourself in, on the other hand, and you don't have to worry about that violent left-hander knocking you into the passenger door. Of course, you flip yourself over into a ditch or get clipped by the guy coming from the other way. She who feels protection from the repercussions often lashes out recklessly.
Safety breeding unsafe conditions? Think about it a little bit. On with the entry.
Not mentioned in the article, I'll throw in the following - idiots who operate their motorcycles without helmets. Sure, the cagers have to wear their seat belts, but motorcyclists don't have to use helmets. Or do they? Seems each and every new governor around here changes that law as one of their first bill-signings in their term. Regardless, the number of them getting their heads busted like eggs on the pavement has to factor in to it somewhere.
Let's not forget the other white meat, SFB's. (Stone Headed Idiot Talking, Forgetting Operational Rules, But Running Automobile In Nagging Stupidity - put the capital letters together, each comma makes a new word, and you'll figure it out. Thanks MLOM.) They're almost as bad as the drunks at times. Everything I said about the drunks can be applied to these geniuses on an almost interchangable basis. If you've got your hands full as it is dealing with stupidity-inducing city traffic, do you really need to be on a phone as well? It's not quite as annoying on long and endless stretches of highway connecting Nowhere with B.F.E., but when there's more cars on a block of roadway than exist in the entire state of Rhode Island, you should really put the goddamned phone down and drive. 'Kay?
Of course, the article also blames the roads themselves. The bridges suck, the roads are rough, yadda yadda yadda, $14 billion backlog, blah blah blah. Couldn't we start doing something about that one of these days, preferably before my hypothetical children start getting grey hairs? They're not going to fix themselves. Instead of passing more nonsense laws and diverting money to projects with their own funding or those government has no business funding, can't we put that towards making the highways safer? Can't we put that towards widening and shoring up a bridge instead of feeding the pockets of do-nothing Men In Charge and their handlers?
Oh, wait. I forgot this is Louisiana. Always in excess, except when it could help someone other than the Politician or his Master. Because they need that money to show just how much Better Than You they are, more than you need a safe highway. I'm so glad we've got our priorities straight around here. It's enough to drive me to drink...
(Don't worry, I hid my car keys from myself.)
In this state, for the longest time, someone would say how crap we are in some national ranking, and the people would just sigh and say "at least we're not Mississippi" or "at least we're not Texas." I guess now they'll just shrug and use the new saying meaning "we're inept, who cares?"
But hey, at least we're not Montana.
16 July 2008
Truck barrels into rush hour traffic - 2 dead, 16 injured
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - 'He kept... hitting cars'
Let me get my callous, uncaring moment out of the way. LOL @ article title. Ok, now I'll act like I care about my fellow human for the rest of this writing.
I was thinking about posting this one to the newsgroups, but then I thought about S&DDAM's response...
"Give that MURDERING speeder in that missile of death the CHAIR! Heh-heh-heh. The CHAIR! Heh-heh-heh, heh-heh, heh-heh."
...and I decided to make it blog material only and let someone else draw the stupidity out. That and Google Groups doesn't allow for a killfile.
...Anyway.
Without warning, a big rig plowed into stop-and-go traffic on Highway 40 (or I-64, if you prefer - I'll use the local vernacular). The driver of the truck is being questioned. Two are dead. Another 16 were injured.
The investigators aren't elaborating on a cause yet, but they don't think it was drinking or drugs. They don't think it was the ongoing roadwork on 40, either. So what was it then? Blowout? Brake failure? Did the accelerator stick? We don't know yet. There's one theory I have, though. Truckers have been hit EXTREMELY hard by fuel prices lately, so hard that some are gambling the truck holds up for a week in order to get the most from their pay. (The rest are just praying.) It wouldn't be unheard of for one to skimp on maintenance to save a buck in these trying times. (Though, that's not to say all do. I hate stereotyping.)
They also said no video was recorded, though MoDOT employees did see it happen on video. Shoddy. That could have helped to unravel the "why" in this tragedy. Instead, what's left amounts to eyewitness testimony... somewhat reliable, but it can be blown away like a road sign on a rural Louisiana highway.
Still, the trucker survived. Better to have the person who was actually driving available to question. There's a good chance they'll be able to get to the bottom of this due to that stroke of luck.
Pity the same stroke of luck worked against the two dead.
Edit: I'm labeling this under "Reckless Driving" now, since it turns out a cellphone may have been a factor. - T
Let me get my callous, uncaring moment out of the way. LOL @ article title. Ok, now I'll act like I care about my fellow human for the rest of this writing.
I was thinking about posting this one to the newsgroups, but then I thought about S&DDAM's response...
"Give that MURDERING speeder in that missile of death the CHAIR! Heh-heh-heh. The CHAIR! Heh-heh-heh, heh-heh, heh-heh."
...and I decided to make it blog material only and let someone else draw the stupidity out. That and Google Groups doesn't allow for a killfile.
...Anyway.
Without warning, a big rig plowed into stop-and-go traffic on Highway 40 (or I-64, if you prefer - I'll use the local vernacular). The driver of the truck is being questioned. Two are dead. Another 16 were injured.
The investigators aren't elaborating on a cause yet, but they don't think it was drinking or drugs. They don't think it was the ongoing roadwork on 40, either. So what was it then? Blowout? Brake failure? Did the accelerator stick? We don't know yet. There's one theory I have, though. Truckers have been hit EXTREMELY hard by fuel prices lately, so hard that some are gambling the truck holds up for a week in order to get the most from their pay. (The rest are just praying.) It wouldn't be unheard of for one to skimp on maintenance to save a buck in these trying times. (Though, that's not to say all do. I hate stereotyping.)
They also said no video was recorded, though MoDOT employees did see it happen on video. Shoddy. That could have helped to unravel the "why" in this tragedy. Instead, what's left amounts to eyewitness testimony... somewhat reliable, but it can be blown away like a road sign on a rural Louisiana highway.
Still, the trucker survived. Better to have the person who was actually driving available to question. There's a good chance they'll be able to get to the bottom of this due to that stroke of luck.
Pity the same stroke of luck worked against the two dead.
Edit: I'm labeling this under "Reckless Driving" now, since it turns out a cellphone may have been a factor. - T
03 July 2008
More flames for the hometown drunk
NOLA.com - Price stopped for drunk driving in 2006, chief says
Why am I not surprised at all by this? Of course, if he's done it once, he's done it before. Now we know. He's a habitual drunk who uses his position to escape justice.
I still say the bastard needs to resign, of course. Or be arrested. I was sickened enough by Mandeville becoming a haven for idiots with seven-figure debts, but now I'm seriously pissed off. Just because you're a politician doesn't mean you can break the law. (Yes, that's supposed to be true even here in Louisiana.) Mayors are supposed to be subject to the same laws as everyone else. Instead, favors get done, while if anyone else did the same things, everyone would be clamoring to put them under the jail. Part of this is due to the fear that the big bad Mayor will make your life a living hell if you're the unfortunate cop that actually shows some backbone and does the right thing. Part of this is the good-ol'-boy network that still tries to run things around here. Either way, it all has to stop.
The Causeway officers who screwed up by letting this pass have paid for this injustice with their jobs. The Chief of the Causeway Police has resigned in disgrace. It's time to call for Price's job now. We have no need for an alcoholic with no regard for safety or the law to be in power of anything more substantial than a one-acre lot... certainly not to be in power of a town or a vehicle.
So, not only do I call here for Price's job, I'm also calling for his license.
Why am I not surprised at all by this? Of course, if he's done it once, he's done it before. Now we know. He's a habitual drunk who uses his position to escape justice.
I still say the bastard needs to resign, of course. Or be arrested. I was sickened enough by Mandeville becoming a haven for idiots with seven-figure debts, but now I'm seriously pissed off. Just because you're a politician doesn't mean you can break the law. (Yes, that's supposed to be true even here in Louisiana.) Mayors are supposed to be subject to the same laws as everyone else. Instead, favors get done, while if anyone else did the same things, everyone would be clamoring to put them under the jail. Part of this is due to the fear that the big bad Mayor will make your life a living hell if you're the unfortunate cop that actually shows some backbone and does the right thing. Part of this is the good-ol'-boy network that still tries to run things around here. Either way, it all has to stop.
The Causeway officers who screwed up by letting this pass have paid for this injustice with their jobs. The Chief of the Causeway Police has resigned in disgrace. It's time to call for Price's job now. We have no need for an alcoholic with no regard for safety or the law to be in power of anything more substantial than a one-acre lot... certainly not to be in power of a town or a vehicle.
So, not only do I call here for Price's job, I'm also calling for his license.
05 June 2008
Ohio: She got a designated driver, alright...
WLWT-TV: Woman accused of being drunk, letting toddler drive
Here's some Grade A stupidity for you, my loyal pair of readers. This woman goes and drives drunk. Smart idea - have a designated driver. STUPID idea - have a ONE-YEAR OLD as your designated driver! She sat the toddler in her lap and let him steer the car. To add to her credentials for her Darwin Award, she had her five and eight-year olds in the car as well.
Even more amazing is that this arrest is her third for DUI in six years, and she was still under suspension when pulled over this time.
Her excuse? She was "only going a couple of blocks to return some DVDs to a neighbor." I guess her alcohol-destroyed brain can't process that you're better off walking only a couple of blocks anyway, even while sober but ESPECIALLY when loaded!
Put all these things together, and you get someone who should probably be barred from being anywhere near a car for the rest of her life.
This post has been crossposted to The WTF Files, a brand new blog focusing exclusively on stupidity, compiled by Yours Truly. It is there because of the stupidity, and here because it involved driving.
Here's some Grade A stupidity for you, my loyal pair of readers. This woman goes and drives drunk. Smart idea - have a designated driver. STUPID idea - have a ONE-YEAR OLD as your designated driver! She sat the toddler in her lap and let him steer the car. To add to her credentials for her Darwin Award, she had her five and eight-year olds in the car as well.
Even more amazing is that this arrest is her third for DUI in six years, and she was still under suspension when pulled over this time.
Her excuse? She was "only going a couple of blocks to return some DVDs to a neighbor." I guess her alcohol-destroyed brain can't process that you're better off walking only a couple of blocks anyway, even while sober but ESPECIALLY when loaded!
Put all these things together, and you get someone who should probably be barred from being anywhere near a car for the rest of her life.
This post has been crossposted to The WTF Files, a brand new blog focusing exclusively on stupidity, compiled by Yours Truly. It is there because of the stupidity, and here because it involved driving.
09 May 2008
27 April 2008
So I'm not the only one...
Proof, on video, that many of the people on the roads in St. Tammany Parish, LA are complete morons...
What is a MFFY, you ask? Click here to learn!
...And here I thought I was the only one to see some of the prime examples of stupidity around here...
What is a MFFY, you ask? Click here to learn!
...And here I thought I was the only one to see some of the prime examples of stupidity around here...
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