Highly Obnoxious Villains
Posted on | March 4, 2008 at 9:04 pm | 7 Comments
So, there I was driving to my dad’s nursing home after work down Santa Fe Drive during rush hour, mentally composing my Pet Peeve Of The Day as douchebag after douchebag passed me on the left from the HOV lane even though most cars had only one person in them and were not making left turns. I always see this happening on Santa Fe when the HOV lights are on and single-occupancy cars are forbidden in those lanes. After all, the regular lanes are jammed tight with people trying to get home, and everyone knows that the HOV rules don’t apply to important pricks in their sports cars & SUVs and those busy soccer moms in their minivans. Heck, I’ve used that lane for a block or two once or twice myself when late for an appointment. (They’re talking about opening them up to single-occupant Hybrids too, in which case I’ll have a legitimate, legal reason to use them.) But tonight it was especially ridiculous, as single-occupant vehicle after single-occupant vehicle whooshed past me in an unending line. I spied maybe only two or three that had a passenger in them.
So, like I said, I was cussing them out and composing this PPD blog entry, when… yep, you guessed it. There was a cop parked over by the median with lights flasshing. He went after one of the more egregious offenders driving an Acura and pulled him over. I cheered. There is some justice on Santa Fe (land of trucks and adult bookstores) after all. I just wish they had more of those guys out there.
And it’s going to make me think twice about using that lane when I’m in a hurry…
Latre.
Jogged Today: Yes (@ 35°F)
Songs That Came Up On The iPod While Jogging:
- “Lost Planes” (The Fixx)
- “Rage in Eden” (Ultravox)
- “Retreat” (The Rakes)
- “Salome” (House of Love)
- “Dresden” (Alternate Learning)
- “Our Heads Are Round” (Dave Allen)
- “Spirit” (The Go-Betweens)
Latre.
Comments
7 Responses to “Highly Obnoxious Villains”
March 4th, 2008 @ 10:53 pm
Years ago my Denver commute included a stoplight bordering a school zone, where people would often charge forward on green (sometimes angrily passing my 20-mph ass) and there was A-L-W-A-Y-S a cop car poised at the edge of the school parking lot… sometimes 2 or 3 lined up!
I used to laugh like a Rasta-band drummer every time as I cruised on by.
March 4th, 2008 @ 11:10 pm
My pet peeve? Favoring hybrid vehicles even when they get punk-ass mileage. Sorry folks – but if your honking enormous yet hybrid SUV gets 22 mpg, you shouldn’t be getting any privileges whatsoever over my ten-year-old Mazda Protege that gets 37 mpg. You’re still using more gas per mile than I am, by a large margin.
March 5th, 2008 @ 5:11 am
…and if your Mazda WAS a hybrid, you’d already be on your third battery pack by now!
March 5th, 2008 @ 7:18 am
Here in CA, not all hybrids qualify for the HOV lane sticker. I think only the Prius & a couple Honda models made the cut. Anyway, the number of stickers was capped and they have reached the limit, so even if you go out and buy a new Prius today there’s no HOV lane for you!
March 5th, 2008 @ 8:15 am
There’s an editorial in the RMN today about this. It does explain that only 2,000 (count, not year) Hybrids will be allowed to apply for the permit initially, and that not all Hybrids are eligible. However, get this:
Moreover, the draft suggests exempting hybrids that get 50 percent higher gas mileage than their traditional counterparts. This would allow drivers who own behemoths that happen to be hybrids to travel alone in HOV lanes. A 2007 Lexus hybrid SUV (25 mpg highway) could zip along solo; a traditionally powered 2007 Honda Civic (36 mpg highway) could not.
As 2fs says above, that’s just not fair!
March 5th, 2008 @ 3:20 pm
How is it not fair? The Lexus owner paid lots more for their car – and probably pays more for the gas too. That translates to higher road taxes, and indirectly into a driver who’s in a bigger hurry to get to and from their high-paying jobs. It all works out in the end.
Besides, imaginary studies show that economy car owners don’t vote or anything.
March 5th, 2008 @ 5:58 pm
It’s good to see some justice served. And when do they roll back the rule? Once everybody has a hybrid?