Angry neighbors
With paintball guns?
Received this morning:
Received this morning:
Angry Neighbors With Paintball Guns announces the beginning of a citizens' campaign to reduce speeding on neighborhood streets in the city of Durham.
We are a small group of neighbors who have reached the limits of our patience with the city's inability, some might say unwillingness, to address this issue. We are disappointed that the city has stopped funding and promoting its PACE Car program, which was a successful first step in reclaiming our neighborhood streets from those who abuse the privilege of driving. We are frustrated by the ongoing problem of city of Durham vehicles, including garbage trucks and DATA buses disregarding posted speed limits in our neighborhoods with impunity.
By posting these signs in strategic locations throughout the city, we seek to make those individuals who threaten the safety of our neighborhoods by their thoughtless and dangerous behavior aware that our patience is at an end. We also seek to make the city of Durham aware that the problem is no longer one that can be safely ignored.
Contact - AngryNeighborWithPaintballGun@gmail.com
Labels: Durham, Traffic calming
Since 1949, Durhamites have slept soundly, secure in the knowledge that, in our town, erection can be depended upon. Now, thanks to the power of the internets, we can spread that security all over the world.
14 Comments:
Just what they need to do, cause an already speeding idiot to crash his or her car into a power pole becaus they are under a surprise attack. The judge won't think to highly of those vigilante tactics. Much more fun to kick an old soccer ball in front of them. That would create the same effect without seeming to intentionally cause harm.
By
Unknown, at 9:15 AM
Interesting idea. Of course, that requires one actually has to have a soccer ball in possession at all times. I can also see accidents being cause by drivers swerving out of the way of soccer balls.
A few dozen more speeding tickets a week, every week, for a year, would start turning the tide, if you ask me.
By
Barry, at 9:22 AM
Yeah, I have to agree with the previous comments. The idea sounds good after a couple beers on the porch, but in real life, it will seemingly cause the problem to get worse.
They might be better off using cameras to click the license plates as they speed by.
By
1918, at 10:47 AM
I wonder what they will think when they run into angry drivers with real guns?
Or even just better paintball guns?
I mean, really, who wouldn't want to do a drive-by with one of these in their car?
http://www.rap4.com/paintball/os/breda-machine-p-1135.html
I guess the whole "Durham Pace Car" thing didn't work out?
By
Jason0x21, at 12:19 PM
To my knowledge, after Master Officer Eric Hester (who managed the PACE Car program) retired, his replacement, Steve Hall, did nothing to keep it going. Officer Hall has since moved to another position in District 1. I have not heard whether a replacement has been named.
Nor am i aware of Chief Lopez having made a single public statement regarding the PACE Car program since his hiring.
By
Barry, at 12:25 PM
That's probably for the best. The only time I noticed the stickers is when someone was doing 55 in the left lane on 147.
Probably not the aim of the program.
By
Jason0x21, at 12:27 PM
When the PACE Car program first started (i blogged about it several times beginning in, i think, spring of 07) i made the statement that i would deem it a success if i saw at least one car with a sticker every time i drove around town on surface streets.
for a while, say end of '07 through April of '08, that was getting close to happening. Often, i'd see three or four stickers in a supermarket parking lot for example. My own sticker, and Mrs. D's as well, disappeared off our cars last fall. I requested a replacement, but me request was never acknowledged, let alone honored.
As a program, it's a good start towards raising awareness in the community that doing 50 mph on residential surface streets is a very bad idea. But it's not a replacement for a comprehensive and sustained program of enforcement activity by Durham's finest.
By
Barry, at 12:39 PM
while I think its HI-larious, I also have to wonder if it'll end up antagonizing more than helping. I wonder whether some will get so irate that they'll end up scaring people off sitting on their porches, etc.
hell, My husband has a penchant for yelling at speeders by our house, and we'll never forget the couple of times that someone turned around to confront us. Lets just say we can laugh about it now because thankfully no one had an actual gun
By
Vera, at 12:39 PM
As a program, it's a good start towards raising awareness in the community that doing 50 mph on residential surface streets is a very bad idea.
Totally agree with you on this point. When I read about program, it made perfect sense. I must have just encounter the one or two bad apples.
Which is, of course, what worries me about the paintball gun thing, too.
By
Jason0x21, at 12:44 PM
I've had several similar encounters with speeders in my neighborhood. Even on my block, which is weird as i live on one of the few urban cul-de-sacs in Durham. I've never felt that i was crossing some unwritten boundary in asking, or even yelling at, someone to be a little more rational in their decision making when it comes to being behind the wheel of a 3500 pound vehicle.
Seeing as how we live in a town where hitting a pedestrian in a crosswalk isn't even enough to get a ticket, obviously something else needs to happen to get the attention of Durham's leadership.
By
Barry, at 12:47 PM
I have also yelled and/or gestured (not obscenely) at a few speeders in my neighborhood. So far the most I have gotten in return is the finger. Still, I probably shouldn't do that.
Usually I just go for a really hard stare.
If anyone actually does decide to open fire, I think they should start with city-owned vehicles.
By
Brian, at 1:04 PM
I've yelled at people to slow down at the greenway crossing next to my house, but it's never done any good. A speed bump was installed a few years ago at the crossing, but I've watched school buses, garbage trucks and various other city vehicles barrel down the street and hit it at high speed. Shortly after it was installed, I watched a school bus hit it so hard that the kids in the back screamed as they were thrown out of their seats. I couldn't get to the street fast enough to get the bus number and report it.
I've always told my partner that it's only a matter of time before a child runs into that crossing without looking and gets injured or killed. Why is it that something absolutely horrible has to happen in order for change to occur in this town?
By
weege, at 1:37 PM
It's funny that these signs should appear, since my neighborhood has been discussing doing something like this, though using wording that is a bit more "nice nice" like "Please Slow Down" or "Please Drive Safely".
It too have done my share of yelling at speeders or those who drive in the wrong lane. I think that "Idiot!" is the worst that I've shouted, though I've mumbled much more foul language in response to the fools that put us all in danger.
We just got a radar "Your Speed" sign installed on our street, but it isn't making a damned bit of difference. The idiots still speed down our street likes it's just an extension of 147 or 85.
By
Steve Graff, at 2:57 PM
"The idiots still speed down our street likes it's just an extension of 147 or 85."
That's because for most people behind the wheel, the streets between the two highways are just extensions of same.
By
Barry, at 3:01 PM
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