Re: Your invitation “Let’s talk traffic”:

1) If Gov. Bush has so much extra cash in the budget, can we please widen State Route 54, east of I-75 in Wesley Chapel!? Every weekday morning, traffic is backed up from Wesley Chapel to the New River development.

Keep in mind, that in the near future, New River will extend from 54 through to Curley Road. Curley now feeds three schools _ a high school, middle and an elementary school. To the south of 54, Meadow Point has a back entrance and goes through to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. I have heard a second high school and a Wal-Mart Supercenter will be going in behind Applebee’s. Where is the traffic to go!?

2) We need to get over the cameras to catch red light runners. They have been in place and well know in Europe for more than 30 years. I can attest to that, personally. They are very affective at catching speeders in small villages, where speed limits are strictly enforced. As you drive down the road, you see a flash, and in about a week you will get a ticket in the mail, which you are expected to pay, in local tender only, at your local post office (or in my case at the local MP station, which also had a city polizei desk).

3) We might have fewer bottlenecks if we adopt the European rule of “zippering”. There’s even a word for it. Maybe active duty personnel from MacDill could help and will know what I am referring to.

But Tampa drivers are so aggressive, tailgate so often, and do not want to share the road, therefore, it might be a hard practice to enforce. It works like the concept of a zipper, especially when entering interstates from ramps. If every car would leave a a few car lengths between them and the car in front, we could all keep moving and just blend in, like a zipper.

Actually, this is law in Germany. As you accelerated on the entrance ramp, you look to be sure you are clear, put on your turn signal showing your intent to merge (this is a required practice in Germany EVERY time you changed lanes), and the driver behind you will then slow to let you in, expecting you to merge or change lanes. If you don’t change lanes after you have given your intent, he will be upset and show you as he drives on by.

In Tampa, when I use my signal to merge, even when it looks clear, by the time I get on the highway a car will be on my tail or worse, at my side blocking my merging onto the interstate, thereby forcing me to come to a stop or slow, and all the cars behind me on the entrance ramp as well. I see the backups all the way from Wesley Chapel to Tampa: on the 54 ramp, the 56 ramp, Bruce B. Downs, and especially the Bears-to-Busch I-275 stretch.

Do you think the “zipper” practice would ever catch on, without making it a law?

My commute takes 1-1.5 hours Mon.-Fri., unless schools are out. On weekends it takes 35-45 min., but I enjoy my job. My only stress is the drive.

Thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts.

—Debbie New