Letters to the Editors

Interstate driving isn't the same as navigating on 19

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 11, 2000

Re: Left lane is no place for slowpokes, by Bill Maxwell, July 5.

I agree with Bill Maxwell that on Interstate 75, the left lane should be mainly for drivers who wish to pass slower-moving cars. What I regret, however, is that his article may very well give license to aggressive drivers to apply the same thinking to travel on U.S. 19.

There are many circumstances on U.S. 19 where it would be hazardous to wait until the last half mile or mile to move from the right lane to the left lane. The most common situation is when one knows that a left turn has to be made a couple of miles down the road.

With too many drivers not keeping the proper distance from each other in heavy traffic, it is often very difficult to work one's way across two lanes. When I am driving from Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard to Sunset Point Road, where I need to make a left turn, I feel that the safest way to do this is to get in the left lane and stay there for the full distance. I do make it a point to keep up with traffic if it is not moving many miles over the speed limit. I would be uneasy having a tailgating driver behind me who is thinking, "Didn't you read that article by Bill Maxwell about slowpoke drivers?"

All drivers should have the understanding that on U.S. 19 the left lane is not reserved for drivers who wish to pass. There are often good safety reasons for other cars to be in that lane.
-- Clara Morabito, Clearwater

Basic courtesy is overlooked

Thank you to Bill Maxwell for saying that the emperor has no clothes. He has finally verbalized what most drivers in Florida already know: that the major cause of road rage isn't people who flash their headlights or honk their horns at slow cars in the left lane. Rather, it's those slow-moving cars themselves that are the cause of the problem.

Drivers throughout South America and Europe have already figured this out. Slower drivers in other countries almost always stay in the right lane. And, if they momentarily forget, a quick flash of headlights from the faster cars behind them is considered a reasonable and courteous reminder to move over -- a reminder that is respected.

It's hard to fathom why American drivers can't observe a basic courtesy that drivers around the world unquestioningly accept as common sense. Perhaps driving slowly in the left lane is, as Maxwell states, a passive-aggressive tactic by stubborn people who see themselves as upholders of the law. If so, these vigilantes would do well to remember Ralph Waldo Emerson's observation that, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."
-- William Douglas, St. Pete Beach

Making accidents happen

Re: Left lane is no place for slowpokes, July 5.

I read Bill Maxwell's column on "do-gooders" who drive in the so-called "fast lane" or left lane and deliberately hold to the speed limit or slower. I realize that they think they are doing the right thing but, in actuality, they are not. They are causing accidents to happen. But they aren't in the accident itself.
-- Harold Snay, Largo

Realities of life in the fast lane

Re: Left lane is no place for slowpokes, by Bill Maxwell.
-- This was another excellent column by one of my favorite writers. The point he makes, which seems to escape those who smugly say they're entitled to the left lane when they are at the posted speed limit, is that those signs don't say "Slower traffic keep right, unless you're at or over the speed limit," they say "Slower traffic keep right." Period.
Another point to consider, the posted limit is just a guideline. Under good conditions it's highly unlikely for a traffic officer to consider ticketing anyone within 10 miles per hour of it, and in practice, nearly impossible to successfully ticket anyone within 5 mph.
Jason A. Zurflieh, Tampa

American driving skills

Re: A note to Pinellas' drivers: Try being nice, by Howard Troxler June 26, and letters, July 3.

Regarding drivers, your editors should recognize the fact that American drivers are smarter and more adept at this sport than any others:

They can go from a standing start at a stop sign (if they had stopped) to a red light two blocks away, accelerating from zero to 60 miles per hour and slam on their brakes just in time (if they stopped).

American drivers also are able to change lanes and pop into a line of cars going 70 mph with only 18 inches between their front bumper and the other car's rear bumper, yet they can take up two parking spaces while they sit in their car waiting for the heavy vibrating woofers to stop shaking the neighborhood with their "music."

We really need to retest older drivers. If they can't exhibit this same expertise, they should be taken off the road!
-- R.C. Hilton, Tampa

In defense of SUVs

Re: Those thoughtless drivers, letter, July 3.

The insulting letter writer charges that SUV stands for Stupid User Vehicle or Stupid Useless Vehicle! Let's examine those wild statements.

"Thoughtless"? We SUV owners thought about how our children or grandchildren would survive a possible crash before buying. Large SUVs are safer.

"Stupid"? It takes skill and brains to back a travel trailer into a campsite, park or lane-change an SUV.

"Useless"? Readers, please notice that most SUVs have either a hitch ball or a 2-inch square hole under the back bumper for a hitch bar. Many, if not most, SUV owners tow boats, travel trailers, utility trailers, horse trailers, etc. Try towing any of these with a car like the writer's "regular sedan." On second thought, don't! You'll burn up the engine and transmission. Now, that really would be stupid!
-- Don Frank, St. Petersburg

Suburban living is part of the problem

Re: Drought should require sacrifice from all of us, letter, July 7.

Why should new suburbanites be allowed to compromise how I water my lawn? Well, they want to live in the Tampa Bay area just like me, and what's wrong with that?

This drought is just the cherry on the cake of reasons why suburban living is wrong. Car-dependent, suburban living has brought us traffic congestion, pollution, centerless communities, deed restrictions, urban blight and loss of green space, among other things.

Traditional neighborhoods, on the other hand, are pedestrian friendly and compact. It is not wrong for people to want to live in Tampa Bay, but it is wrong to continue this sort of development when we know it does not work. We should first fill up the underused, infrastructure-ready traditional neighborhoods. Then higher density, mixed-use in-fill can take place. Xeriscaping should be the water-saving landscaping of choice. We must also work on making our cities more livable, with things like more sidewalks, bike lanes and mass-transit improvements.

The Tampa Bay area can handle many more residents without expanding its borders (growth boundaries, hint, hint). This area and the rest of America must realize that suburban living does NOT work and we urgently need to do something about it.
-- Graham Coreil-Allen, Tampa

Pulling in the welcome mat

Re: A state that's too much changed, letter, July 7.

I have to laugh every time I read a letter about overdevelopment and traffic congestion that begins, "When I moved to Florida . . ."

It was okay for you to move to Florida, but now no one else should be allowed to move here or build or drive a car. I get it.
-- Robert T. Gupton, Port Richey

A gross overreaction

Re: Teens charged with harassing gator, July 4.

Could somebody please tell me what has happened to common sense with regard to law enforcement?

Four teenagers harass an alligator and they're charged with a felony? Get real. Is harassing an alligator a good idea? No, it is not. It's wrong and illegal. But is charging the four with a felony for throwing rocks at the gator a sensible response? No, it is not. It's a gross overreaction.

Whatever happened to a stern warning and an "If you do it again, I'll have to charge you with a felony" from the responding officer? Unfortunately, it would seem that tact and discretion are yet further casualties of politically correct, dictated behavior on the part of law enforcement agencies.

Imagine if Andy of Mayberry episodes were filmed today. Otis would be in perpetual rehab, Barney in counseling for sensitivity training and Andy cited for improper law-enforcement technique.

Young Cody Flanders' (an alleged offender) assessment of this entire situation is correct: "It's asinine."
-- Thomas E. Abba, Largo

At the airport, an old story

Re: Tampa International Airport.

Let's see if I've got this straight. The Hillsborough County Aviation Authority keeps sweetheart lease deals in place -- costing millions in lost revenue -- and at the same time it is going to raise parking fees to increase revenue.

This is another example of the poor slob getting taken while the rich developers all run to the bank laughing.

I'm not sure how the authority members get their jobs -- election or appointment -- but they should certainly not be allowed to continue if they pull this off.
-- David P. Bramhall, Seminole

Too many sordid details

Steve Persall's article, Memories by the carload, which consumed a sizable part of the Floridian section on July 3, was maybe good filler for a pre-holiday edition, but it really told us more than most of us wanted to know about drive-in movie theaters: "Drive-ins have always been considered as the cheapest motel you could get" and, "Risque romantics in back seats of cars spawned new generations of moviegoers."

The worst part of it, however, was that he saw fit to include Mistica Nicely's bragging about being impregnated at the 28th Street Drive-In back in 1985, the result of a casual summertime affair. Isn't that something to be proud of? Daughter thinks so: "If it wasn't for that place, I wouldn't be here."

Most of us have been to a drive-in before and know what goes on there. A nice quarter-page article, without the sordid details, would have been more than sufficient. I think we expect more of the Times than this kind of morals lesson.
-- Warren Smith, Tarpon Springs

Share your opinions

We invite readers to write to us. Letters for publication should be addressed to Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. They also can be sent by fax to (727) 893-8675.

They should be brief and must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Please include a handwritten signature when possible.

Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length. We regret that not all letters can be published.

For e-mail users: Letters can be sent by e-mail to letters@sptimes.com. E-mail messages must be text only and cannot include attachments. If you're using a word processing program to write the message, you must use its "Save as'' function to save it as a text file, then import it into your e-mail program. Please include your return e-mail address, as well as your name, mailing address and phone number, in the text of the message.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.