Traffic Nightmares

Driving home from work at the Town Hall last night was a challenge.

Trying to turn right at Bryant Street to cross over Route 1 is an exercise in frustration. There is a box painted on the pavement on Eastern Ave. by Bryant Street. This box's purpose is to leave open space for emergency vehicles.  It asks drivers to leave the box open when waiting for a light. Not hard to understand.  Makes perfect sense to me.  To others? Not so much.  This society deems that the fastest person in line wins, and they'll do whatever they can in the process.  The box is ignored by drivers constantly.  Emergency vehicles have to bull their way through -and hope that people will move.  Some of these people won't even pull over to the side of the road so a firetruck or ambulance can get by. There is no compassion, caring, or respect for the first responders OR the victims. 

It's also impossible for cars to turn right when the light is green because no one will let them turn out of the street. I have waited two full lights before I could get of Bryant Street. Where's the courtesy?

Finally I was able to cross Route One. BUT then cars began to come  down Eastern Ave to turn left onto Route One.  I'm fine with the first car turning. The second one - maybe.  But when it becomes three, four, or more literally cutting the corner to get onto Route One, I have to ask:  Where's the fire, people??  You can't wait two more seconds while other cars pass through?

I could go on for days.  But I would just like to know how this all happened - what caused the evolution of this selfishness, lack of manners, and compassion?  I understand that people are busy - I am too! But to treat others like dirt is unacceptable.  We all complain about the world these days but this behavior is causing a lot of anger, which leads to untold things like road rage, accidents, deaths, and heart attacks!

Come on, people.  We can't do anything about the big picture in the world, but we CAN change our own little corner of the world.  Maybe it will spread and we'll see a kinder, gentler town... Just sayin.'