Did I miss the memo? (Denver, Colorado Springs: live, dangerous, shoppers)

[Beerman]

Did I miss the memo that declared the streets of Colorado Springs a race track? Or is it that the people in Colorado Springs are so in love with the red lights that they have to speed to them? When do those people realize that if they would slow down they could actually go without stopping?

[COflower]

It's always been that way...not sure how long you've lived here but it's not unique to C Springs. It happens all over the place.

[froggin4colorado]

Why yes, you did miss that memo!
You see, this ultra conservative town, with churches on every other block, is in a big hurry to meet St. Peter at the pearly gates ASAP. hehe.
Or, you can look at it in this perspective: We support our police and fireman by providing them with great TA's (traffic accidents). This comes from a wife of a fireman- me.

[Mike from back east]

Like pictures on food cartons at supermarkets, traffic lights are just "serving suggestions" for savvy shoppers.

[froggin4colorado]

Exactly Mike...but the police are trying to crack down (occasionally). I would venture to say that those who do the speed limit should stay in the right lane because they are going "slow". That's why they call it the "suggested speed limit" around here.
To add to that, we are starting to have a problem with drag racing, especially on Powers.

[Rob_H]

When I lived in Colorado Springs I called Academy , "Academy 500"

- enough said

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Rob_H

When I lived in Colorado Springs I called Academy , "Academy 500" - enough said

Too much traffic on this road now...action has moved over to Powers, aka "Raceway."

[Beerman]

The worst part is that the speeders actually slow down the ones who do the speed limit since they sit at the red lights and don't get their butts in gear. If they would "slow" down to the speed limit they have a much better chance in getting a "green wave".

[Nadine]

On another thread, I know I told this. This was in our little town. My grandson was getting ready to take his drivers test. That would be about 9 yrs ago. I was driving and as things came up I would ask him questions. As I approached a light that turned yellow---I asked him what a yellow light meant. His answer---Hurry up, it's going to turn red. --I could not believe my ears. I looked at him and he looked dead serious. I said,"you're kidding aren't you?" He said he wasn't. ---I knew his Dad drove like a bat out of h*ll and run lights etc---also had license taken away, allowed only to drive to work. Which of coarse he cheated on. He about killed this same boy when he was only 9mos old running a stop sign, had a wreck, baby was in hospital a couple wks with a fracture skull. ---Anyway the point I guess I am trying to make is---just look at what we are teaching the kids and their kids and their kids kids. Somewhere, sometime, something has to give. Doesn't it???

[jazzlover]

Despite my often-repeated concerns that Colorado is heading in the wrong direction (sprawl, etc.), most times I am proud to say that I am a native of the state. But in one area that I am loathe to admit being a former Coloradan is when a discussion starts up about driving. Without doubt, in my mind (and I've driven in a lot of places), the metro areas of Colorado have some of the very worst and dangerous drivers that I have seen anywhere.

Speeding is epidemic in Colorado. Darting in and out of lanes, road rage, driving too fast for adverse road conditions--all of that occurs constantly. It should be an embarassment to the state. In my adopted state of Wyoming, if one sees a speeding, discourteous, or dangerous driver on the highway, about 9 times out of 10, it is a Colorado car. The Wyoming Highway Patrol is often accused of "singling out" Colorado drivers for citations. A Wyoming trooper told me one time, "We don't single out Colorado drivers--they are just THAT BAD!"

And, yes, Colorado Springs is a NIGHTMARE to drive in--worse in some ways than Denver, in my opinion. I used to have to go there fairly often on business. What a godawful mess to drive in. It's a classic example of what our automobile-centered society does to a place. The Springs used to be one of Colorado's nicest cities. Its cult-worship of growth and the automobile has made it a ****hole. Anyone who thinks it's nice now probably never saw it when it really WAS nice.