Sunrises and Slowing Down

Look at the gorgeous sunrise this morning.  Our Oklahoma skies are always so beautiful before the storm arrives!

In the December 6, 2010 issue of The New Yorker, in its "The Talk of the Town" section appears an article by Ian  Parker about Rod King, the founder of "20's Plenty for Us."   A resident of Warrington, Cheshire, UK, Mr. King recently visited New York to deliver a speech at an anti-speeding conference.  (The entire article can be viewed at The New Yorker)  


It is good to know that somewhere out there is another person who believes that slowing down is a good thing and a safe thing to do.

This morning on our local news, there was a report of gasoline prices going up, up, up.  And that report reminded me of where we all were a couple of years ago with a gallon of gasoline kissing the $4.00 mark.  The tax rebate that Bush sent out was spent by us on a three wheeled bicycle. We really believed that we would be cycling to the nearest town to get essentials.

Our three wheeled bicycle that we bought with
Bush's tax rebate.

In the USA, Tim Castleman has a web site, drive55.org, which advocates the adoption of a national 55 mph speed limit.   I am in favor of this.  In addition to improving safety on the roads, the 55 mph speed limit goes a long way toward conserving our dwindling oil supplies.

However, after the last gas crunch was over, Okies went back to purchasing behemoth vehicles and flying down the highways and byways.  Our more talented Okie drivers can do this while texting, eating, and running  DVD players in their behemoth vehicles.  When we are tootling home on I-44 in the evenings, SUVs will flash past us, their DVD screens flickering in the night.  Doesn't anyone want to look out the window anymore?  Hey, it's okay to be bored once in a while.  Our lives are filled with constant entertainment, leaving little time for reflection. But I digress.

I wish Mr. King well in his advocacy of 20 miles per hour in residential areas. Nothing is more important than a life.  A life cannot be replaced;  it can be snuffed  out in a moment through the negligence of inattentive and speeding drivers.

See my earlier post on walking and cycling in a flyover state.