(I couldn't resist an Ace Frehley reference there!)

So, last week I'm sitting in Old Chicago with Shanon and Elena, eatin' some chicken, talkin' about blogs when Shanon says, "You should write about that stupid new speed limit sign they have on Circle." Ooo! Great idea - thanks!! So here we go:

On Circle Drive, the road I take to work, and on Constitution Avenue, the road my parents live on, they have these new speed limit signs that will tell you how fast you're going. The speed limit is 30 (pfft! Way too slow, seriously!) so if you're going 30 or under, it simply displays your speed. If you're between 31-39 it flashes "SLOW DOWN" at you. Anything over 40 (this is where it gets good) you get these red and blue flashing lights on the screen like a little cop car is inside there.

I don't drive down the part of Constitution where the sign is often but Circle is my route to work so I'm there 3-4 nights a week. I never go 30. At least, I never used to go 30...now people see this sign and they slam on their brakes and I end up having to follow suit lest I end up in the backend of someone's Toyota. It drives me crazy that these drivers think that a sign is going to get them. There's never a cop around these signs...they put them up on curves because there have been people who have taken the curve too fast and ended up in the yards of the houses that flank the road. This sign is meant to serve as a warning only. It can't give you a ticket so it drives me nuts when we're all proceeding at the nice round speed of 40 and suddenly all you see are brake lights! It's a hazard, really!

I've only gotten the flashing lights thrown at me once, maybe twice. Last night on my way to work there was no one in front of me and I only got the "SLOW DOWN" message. Some people actually slow all the way down to 20! Swear to God, 20 miles per hour! I mean, come on!!! Only in a school zone is that necessary. This has become a hinderance in traffic flow - I might have to start taking Academy to work. Yuck.

Labels: stories

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