Defensive driving in Greensboro
Driving into town during morning rush hour on West Market Street is normally tense enough as drivers late for work or class consider the 35 mph speed limit as a guideline to be openly mocked. Driving into town during morning rush hour on West Market Street on Thursday during the "wintry mix event" was perilous.
At Market and McIver -- where Market is four lanes one way eastbound -- a minivan pulled out of McIver into the far left lane of Market, going west. That is, the wrong direction. There was no traffic coming; the light at the Market/Friendly crossover was red. I flashed my lights at the minivan, to no avail. The driver was on the phone. Perhaps she thought I was a gang member. More likely, she was too engaged in her conversation to notice me.
About 50 yards down the road, the light at Market/Friendly turned green and a wave of traffic came upon the minivan. She tried dodging the traffic for a few moments, wondering, I suppose, why all these drivers were on the wrong side of the road. In her wake, she left cars askew across four lanes of traffic.
Finally, the minivan pulled into a convenient driveway, out of the traffic. No accidents. I couldn't tell if she got off the phone.
Another day navigating the friendly streets of Greensboro.