People who speed in residential areas have no dicks

Last night I was riding my bicycle home from the train station, I've explained in a previous post that my commute puts me in such a good mood that I find myself compelled to ride my bicycle twice a day, not for entertainment purposes, but for the more European (and eco-friendly) transportation purpose.

Just to set the scenario, my house is on a residential street (no really? Duh!) that turns twice, basically, as I look out my front bay window, I see the road coming down towards me, turn left (right as I look out), pass in front of the house, turn right again (absolute), and drop again out of sight below.

So last night, as I'm pedaling away, going up the hill that leads to my house, and believe me it's an impressive incline, I have two cars riding my ass, they were slowed down somewhat by the fact that there is a stop sign (that most motorists largely ignore) at the bottom of the hill.

Then as they finally passed me, at about mid-hill, did I mention it's an impressive incline?

It's not very long, although you wouldn't know it as you go UP. It's possibly 200ft, maybe a bit more, and the incline is impressive.

But I digress...

So as they finally passed me, I looked up and found another car coming my way.

Fast.

Not just fast, damn fast.

The limit on my street is 30km/h because there is a park.

When I first moved into the house the limit was 40km/h, it was not posted, but it was the municipal limit for residential areas, and I had to write the city for them to post the limit.

I also explained that since there is a park on the street, and the park is in the middle of the second part of the hill (as you go up), the same hill with an impressive incline, the limit should be lowered to 30km/h as per provincial regulation.

To my amazement, a few weeks later some Maximum 30km/h signs appeared at both ends of the street.

So here I am, riding my bicycle uphills, with a car barreling towards me FAST. I don't have a radar gun (yet) but he must have been going at least 60km/h.

He passed by me, and by then I had reached my house, and was about ready to cross over to my side of the street (the left as I come up the hill) when another vehicle appeared at the top of the hill.

A contractor pick-up truck.

I thought I had time to cross in front of it, after all, this is a residential area and he was about 300 feet away but I hadn't realized this guy was going even FASTER than the previous one.

As he turned the corner directly in front of my house, at mid-hill, he couldn't see me because his windshield pillar was hiding me so I had to scramble to avoid him.

When he finally did notice me I was quasi safely on my own front lawn.

Quasi because a few times I've had to tow vehicles, mostly minivans, out of the ditch in the winter, and occasionally, I've found my lawn had been passed on by a night time out of control vehicle like a car, or a van.

Once I collected a cyclist who had lost control and wound up (unharmed) splattered on my front door.

I'm an adult, trained driver, have been riding bicycles since I was 8, that makes it a whopping 30 years (almost) and for over 20 of those I've been driving cars, 22 years very soon actually.

What burns me is that if riding my bicycle instead of me, had it been my daughter or even my wife, that guy would've taken them out and wouldn't even have noticed them.

So now it's on.

Every afternoon, at around 5PM the "rush hour" starts.

Like in the morning between about 7:30 and 9AM, the afternoon between 16:30 and 18:00 or so, my residential street, complete with 30km/h limit post-signs and park, becomes the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

I've complained to the city who promptly have done fuck-all about it and told me to complain to the SQ.

I've stopped POLICE CARS on the street to ask them to monitor my street at least once in a while to slow down traffic, they do it in the West Island, why not here? They also agreed to monitor the street but I haven't seen any police cars on the street other than the occasional traffic.

I've asked for a speed-hump to be placed at the top, and bottom of the hill to slow traffic down, even a removable one so that it doesn't hinder the normal snowplow operations, but they've largely ignored me.

But now, it's on. I have a plan.