almost a city driver

I have to put myself in a different driving mindset depending on whether I'm in my neighborhood here or back in Libety. By now, I'm comfortable running yellow lights, accepting the difference between posted speed limits and actual driving speeds, and ignoring that whole bit about coming to a complete stop at stop signs. And no offense to you of fuhmallee persuasion out there, but I notice more frequently that some of y'all do really stupid things while driving.

Well today, I think I graduated another level higher in my St. Louis assimilation. There's this major road that runs between my neighborhood and Forest Park that connects people out west to downtown, running parallel to the interstate. It has been shut down for ages (ok, a couple years, at least) for the metro construction. Recently, they have been reopening small segments of it. Now, the segment that runs to my neighborhood is nominally still a construction zone, and technically there is a lower posted speed limit, so technically the guy I followed home this afternoon wasn't doing anything particularly wrong, except of course the fact that he slammed on his brakes a couple times at my persistant following.

You have to understand, this is a clear Sunday afternoon; the only sign of construction is that there are orange barrels in the other lane and not all of the entrance ramps are open. For a couple weeks now, this wonderfully limited access road has served as a pleasant 50 mph section for those of us who have been trapped by the construction for too long. Well this guy apparently took the 25mph signs literally, and in fact we spent much of the trip driving less than 25 mph! If you're lost, you have no business getting on to a road with construction signs saying various things like local traffic only and does not go through to Skinker. And if you're not lost, you have to know that everybody drives 50mph because you have a dedicated lane sandwiched between the concrete barriers and the orange barrels with only one exit ramp and no entrance ramps!

Everybody, that is, save the one or two cars who feel the need to take Forest Park Parkway instead of Lindell yet want to choose that particular location to trap the ten cars behind them that want to drive twice as fast. Arghhhh...If you don't want to drive, take Lindell, stay off the Parkway!! It's a more scenic view of the park, has four lanes instead of two, and possesses quaint things like stoplights and people who only drive 40mph.