Crosswalks

Our house is in a great location - we're just a few houses and one main road away from the community pool. The walk takes less than five minutes. Unfortunately, we have to cross Commonwealth Avenue. It's a main connector through King's Park West so it gets a fair amount of traffic. Sadly, the traffic that goes through there seems to miss the post 25 mile per hour signs and flies down the road. There is a painted crosswalk on the corner of Pommeroy and Commonwealth to get us across the street, but I find some of the drivers see a woman and a kid in a stroller as a sign to speed up. On a rare occasion, a driver will stop and let us pass unmolested.

I am always pleasantly surprised when anyone stops and we make a special point to wave to say thanks. Yesterday, we were crossing the street though and a nice driver stopped to let us cross. A woman in an SUV on her cell phone couldn't stand traffic not moving and actually tried to pass him while he was paused letting us walk. I get this kind of behavior on Connecticut Avenue downtown during rush hour, but residential suburban Fairfax on a weekend?

To counter the rudeness, I find myself smiling and waving at people as they speed past me. They usually pause, wondering if they actually know me, half the time waving back out of fear that they do. It doesn't make them stop, but it does make them slow ever so slightly and that makes me feel better. A little, anyway.