Suicide Lane Challange

I am offering a suggestion to anyone who doesn’t understand why residents who live around the suicide lanes dislike them so much. Take the “Suicide Lane Challenge”!

In order to play, you will need to use your imagination, and visualize yourself running a few basic errands on your way home from work, but imagine that you live in any neighborhood between McDowell and Dunlap off of 7th Ave or 7th Street. Picture yourself leaving work at 4:30, getting in your car and heading off to buy stamps, purchase a birthday gift, and pick-up groceries in central Phoenix. First you would head to the post office to buy stamps, then you would drive to Spectrum Mall or Target to buy a birthday gift, next you would head to a grocery store to pick up groceries for dinner, and finally you would drive to your chosen neighborhood.

Now on your path, count how many cars you saw trying to turn at the main intersections illegally. Also count how many cars going against traffic were trying to turn east mid intersection, and had to stop traffic flow, backing up cars behind them waiting for them to turn.

Which neighborhood did you cut through in order to get to Spectrum Mall? Did you pick that neighborhood street to cut through solely because it was the only chance traffic would allow? Did you speed through the neighborhood? How did I know that you cut-through a neighborhood? Because that was your ONLY option. Did you pick the grocery store solely because what side of the street you were on, or have you already com to the conclusion that it really isn’t worth the trouble to patronize these businesses at all?

Think about your new quality of life, now that you have moved to central Phoenix. Is running errands a pleasurable experience? Think about your state of mind because of the number of people who were irritated at you for turning where you chose? Did they throw you the finger? Did they honk? Did they almost ram into your car?

Through this challenge, were you:

A. Tempted to pick a grocery store not on 7th Ave or 7th St?

B. Wait until after suicide lane hours to run your errands (remember what time the post office closes)?

C. Reschedule your life around this lane? D. Buy a gift at the grocery store instead? (Nice gift!)

Is all this hassle for a central-Phoenix resident worth the extra 10 minutes or so it’s going to take a north-Phoenix commuter to drive? Can the small percentage of north-Phoenix residents who commute to downtown not take the extra ten minutes so that ALL of the 114,000 central-Phoenix residents can have a turn lane and be able to turn at major intersections?

I ask that before you make a decision to keep the suicide lanes, that you take the “Suicide Lane Challenge” so that you understand where most of the residents come from. And realize how this important City Council vote will affect the central Phoenix residents’ quality of life.

Disclaimer: When doing the challenge, make sure you are wearing your seatbelt is tight, you use the rearview mirror often, and be very careful.

Source: Teresa Stickler, Carnation Resident and Melrose Pharmacy Owner