This morning's hit and run incident encourages me to write about a recent experience I had myself with getting hit by a car. It wasn't a serious incident, but it could have been. I think that it was accidental, but it seemed like the driver wasn't going to stop until I yelled at the top of my lungs to pull over and that I had the license number of the offending vehicle. However, the driver did pull over and she was very apologetic and concerned that I might have been injured, which I wasn't.

I recently read a series of emails concerning pollution and waste relating to idling cars and trucks. A vehicle that is stopped and waiting in line at a fast food restaurant drive through, or at a traffic signal, continues to emit exhaust even though the engine is not working to move the vehicle.

We have problems with pollution (in re: global warming) and gas consumption (in re: foreign wars of aggression over oil resources.)

Recently I returned from a jog; my route had taken me through downtown Olympia. When I got home I realized that I smelled like automobile exhaust. I was kind of grossed out. I also depend on my bicycle for much of my transportation needs. I don't like breathing automobile exhaust while I am out, and I don't like smelling like it after being out. Reducing the amount of exhaust in the air seems like a good idea to me.

Anyway, I was reading this discussion. Former mayor Bob Jacobs had once proposed to turn the city stop lights to blinking yellow status during off hours. I have noticed that the Adams Street and 4th Avenue stop light seems to be passively blinking yellow all the time recently.

Does changing the traffic signals to a passive blinking status during non-rush hours make sense to you?