Red light, green light

I just drove down Broad Street in Hartford on the way back from a video shoot. The police seem to be conducting some sort of traffic surveillance - standing in the roadway, looking closely at each vehicle, marker plate, driver and occupant. Likely searching for the hit and run culprit featured in the morning news. Or the crash of a stolen van early this morning.

The video of the hit and run, which is likely to earn Hartford a certain web notoriety, shows two cars illegally passing, and in the process, striking a pedestrian, who other pedestrians proceed to ignore for a good couple of minutes.

I work in the South end of Hartford, and I have to say, this is the accident that was waiting to happen. The social contract, in which we all agree to stop at four way intersections, is badly frayed here. Every day, and I mean every day, I see harrowing traffic infractions - stop signs ignored, vehicles cutting through convenience store lots to avoid stopping at intersections, passing a vehicle stopped at the light on a left to make a right hand turn, speeding unlicensed and unregistered motorcycles of all sizes, speeding all-terrain vehicles, stunt riding on busy streets and through intersections by motorcyclists, serious jaywalking with parents dragging toddlers into traffic with the expectation that cars will magically stop, middle of the street conversations. I'm more surprised that a serious life-threatening accident did not come earlier.

As someone who has repeatedly complained to the Police when I've witnessed the traffic hijinx, I can say that for whatever reason, they do not seem very interested in pursuing these scofflaws.

So, who's at fault? Drivers who recklessly disregard their own safety and the safety of others. Or police who can't be bothered to crack down on small problems which inevitably lead to larger ones?

My guess is a bit of both.

The social contract frays at the stop sign

(© 2008, Caterwauled)

I work in the South End of Hartford where disregard for simple traffic rules is often stunning. From the plague of pocket bikes a few summers ago, to the regular disdain for Stop signs, to the short and ubiquitous horn beep as soon as the light turns green, to the clever trick of short cutting through corner convenience store parking lots when the light is against you and, of course the creative pass on the left to make a right turn on red, ahead of you.

Yes, these, and more are everyday occurrences in a drive around the South End.

But today, I witnessed a zenith of disregard, a nadir of contempt for traffic rules, a spectacularly stupid disdain for life and limb. Three teens, on two unregistered All Terrain Vehicles were speeding down Maple Avenue at about 70 mph. One of the ATV drivers pulled a wheelie through two intersections, where the light was against him, and weaved in and out of the opposite lane of traffic.

I called the Hartford Police Department twice, but gave up each time after the phone rang for several minutes without being answered.

And then I saw that the ATVs were continuing their antics with impunity on Maple Avenue across from Goodwin Park. So I decided to get a photo. Then I drove off before getting shot.