On Center
by BRENDA STEWART
I’m not sure what the impetus was, but there was one very busy cop working Center Street on Sunday. Lights flashing, he had cars pulled over on both ends throughout the afternoon. I’ve actually sat out on the Free Press front porch on Sunday evenings and laughed at the cars hurtling past. Where are they going in such a mad dash? The stop light or the stop sign?
So, beware. But, more than just the fear of getting a ticket, slow down just because you’re in the middle of town. There are kids and dogs and skaters and old people and cyclists trying to maneuver and you need more than a split second reaction time to avoid hitting them or scaring the wits out of them.
And, really, it’s hotter than hell and everybody’s getting a bit cranky, so yield sometimes, even if you don’t have to. Let folks back out of parking places (and quit acting like you don’t see their reverse lights). Let cars merge into traffic from side streets. Get off people’s bumpers and lay off your horns. And for chrisakes, stop and let folks walk across the street. At least stop at the crosswalks.
Hey, how about this? You park, you get out of your car and you cross the street. There are all kinds of great places to eat lunch along Center Street: Railroad and Bordeaux’s, Pie Co. and Hitters, Mom’s Cookies and snow cones and the Chinese donut around the corner, The Motley, Su Taco, Luvianos. They’re all local and good, the folks are nice and the air conditioning is cranking.
