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Better know a Milton, driving edition

Lataria Milton is the MBTA driver charged with getting angry and running her bus into a meter maid and several cars. Latarian Milton is the then-7-year-old charged with getting angry and crashing his grandmother's SUV into a curb and several cars.

WBZ reports our Milton was released on personal recognizance at her arraignment in Roxbury District Court today - and that the T has started the process of firing her. Her lawyer says the bus lurched forward by itself.

Innocent, etc.

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Comments

Yeah, that happens when you have the motor on, the bus in gear, and you take the foot off the brake.

Idling more than 5 minutes is not legal, either.

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Dealing with "traffic calming" on redesigned roads every day will make a few go postal. Such stress on the majority is far greater than any friendliness to the few.

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Because having to wait in a single lane on a street that isn't big enough for two lanes while dozens of bikes whiz by you is emasculating - even though you wouldn't get anywhere any faster anyway.

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When faced with "traffic calming" and similar outrages the only reasonable thing to do is run down a parking officer with your bus.

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Running down a parking officer is no more reasonable than bringing a gun to work and shooting managers and co-workers. Workplace stress will, unfortunately, produce them both in a minute percentage of people.

After several incidents of workers going postal, USPS addressed the unnecessary stress management put on workers. Driving made more stressful by frustrating road changes is akin to any other unhealthy workplace condition, be it OSHA violations or cigarette smoke. Stress causes more heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, obesity, and other maladies. 98% of the population subjected to it isn't made up by a few percent getting health benefits part of the year and when its not too hot, cold, wet, or snowy.

If you need more examples of what stress can do to people, just look at air travel. People are acting out like never before at security checkpoints and on planes. The results of stress (from traffic calming) on streets is termed road rage. No matter the location, stress results in poor outcomes. Urban, high density living is more stressful, so "smart-growth" and living/working/playing in confined ares is also less healthy than the 'burbs and a stupid plan.

Its long overdue that the health and safety consequences of stress are taken seriously and reduced where possible. We should not be deliberately increasing it as on roadways.

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I know, we should knock down the whole city for an expressway. Those 1950s planner had it absolutely right! Urbanity is just too difficult to drive through and by no means part of the job description for a bus driver.

You are absolutely right, for a guy living in suburban Arlington, Kenmore Square was so much better when pedestrians were left at the mercy of murderous traffic and no one in the city really cares about traffic fatalities unless it slows down their commute.

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When the WALK signal is lit, its the pedestrian's turn to cross the road. As more "traffic calming" devices are added, the more frustrated drivers and cyclists are likely to want to run them. Each traffic light produces more rear-end collisions than no light at all. Pedestrian bridges have been built, but lazy walkers rather risk their life, as with the death in Waltham at Brandeis this past year. In Seattle a couple years ago pedestrians assaulted a police officer for trying to ticket them for J-walking when they tried to cross a busy multi-lane roadway instead of using the pedestrian bridge.

Because pedestrians value convenience over safety, even near trains, we don't even bother building pedestrian bridges much anymore. One such bridge to nowhere was built in Arlington over Rt. 2 by the bowling alley about 1977 after a death the year before.

Again, pollution is increased by forcing motor vehicles to stop, idle, and then go again more often. Pedestrians and cyclists don't add more pollution when having to wait their turns.

As to 1950's road design, besides more roadway deaths, productivity was much higher with much less time wasted in travel resulting in huge economic gains in decades following. Slower and more expensive travel has contributed to income loss for 99% of us. Those with chauffeurs and private jets don't care so much as they can do work during the trip.

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When the WALK signal is lit, its the pedestrian's turn to be struck by a typical Boston driver ignoring a red light and plowing through the crosswalk without yielding.

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How dare local residents cross their streets and inconvenience suburbanites passing through in single occupancy vehicles. Next thing you know they'll want people to pay market rates for out of towners storing private vehicles on public streets or to not have their neighborhoods bulldozed for parking and highways intended for nonresidents. How selfish of locals to want to preserve and improve their quality of life instead of sacrificing it for benefit of others which have clearly demonstrated complete disregard for urbanites.

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