Ask anyone who knows me? I drive a minimum of 50,000 miles a year, some days traveling all the way from Homestead up to Jupiter! Yes, I have a Civic Hybrid (no recalls yet) so while I weather the mileage pretty well, it doesnt help make the time fly any faster. Consequently, it gives me much too much time to ponder idiosyncrasies of the South Florida roadways (or should I say drivers)
hence my razor sharp observations!
First we have the Motorcycle. Am I the only one who feels that motorcycles might travel just a bit too fast? Lets just say that 95 percent of the motorcycles that travel I-95 pass me like Im driving in wet cement. Have they all mistaken the I-95 signs for speed limit signs?
Then come the infamous Tractor Trailers. I wont even begin to discuss their speeds because we all know they can go as fast as they want. Lets face it a Honda Civic vs. a tractor trailer is pretty much a done deal for the Civic that is. Im convinced the trucks spy my little red car and find me irresistible, tailgating me all the way home. But my real beef with them is the sign that appears approximately every 2 miles “No trucks with 3 wheels or more in the 2 left lanes.” Do the truckers have trouble with left and right, or cant they count the number of wheels theyre riding on?”
Then there are my fellow North Americans the Canadians, who join us during the winter months. The boost to our economy is great, but they seem to have some difficulty with their dashboard dials. Hint if your car has a Quebec or Ontario plate, most likely your speedometer has two types of speeds MPH and KPM. Please use the inside dial MPH if not, chances are youre making me very late for my next meeting!
Of course, I cant forget our beloved Senior Citizens (Carol just told me to look in the mirror!). Please keep right!! Going 30 mpg in a 65 mph zone can be big trouble for everyone. And while youre at it make sure you make those wide right hand turns from the right lane only. Those condo cruisers are almost as scary as tractor trailers to a little guy like me.
And now a couple of hints to make everyones commuting easier. When traveling from Broward to Miami-Dade and back again, we now have big choices to Express or not Express. First of all, if your trip involves travel to or from Aventura to Downtown Miami, do not take the Express Lane (unless you like trampling down traffic pylons!) Then the question arises to Toll or not to Toll. Forget your radio highway reports or GPS warnings, just look at the posted Cost of the Toll. If the Toll is between 25 and 75 cents, traffic is moving so forget the Express lanes. But if the Toll is $2.50 pay it or sit in traffic for another hour.
By the way, I always go Express, not because Im a big spender (despite what Carol says). But when youre a Hybrid, you not only save gas, but are Toll-free on I-95.
Charles Felix, Publisher
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