Safety advocate: Say 'crash,' not 'accident'
Here’s a treatise on what to call traffic collisions; the author suggests that “accident” is inappropriate, “crash” is better.
The word “accident” implies no fault. It’s what we call it when a toddler makes a small mess.
While we’re on the subject of negligent driving, for you folks who like to drive 70 or 75 mph within a car length of the vehicle in front of you, here’s a question: Would you throw rocks or bricks off of the roof of a tall building onto the sidewalk and street below? You are creating the same random danger to others by tailgating at high speeds. You’re a sprinting deer or a blown tire away from killing or maiming someone.
Police enforcement against aggressive driving is essentially nonexistent on the major freeways except for the occasional media event. I can’t say I blame police for not wanting to pull vehicles over when traffic volume is heavy and moving at high speeds. That in itself would create a danger. Following at a safe distance might delay your arrival by a few seconds. Is your time so precious that it’s worth risking your life (and others’ lives) by driving recklessly?
Here are your weekend traffic and travel obstacles:
1:15 p.m. UPDATE -- Banksville Road will have single-lane traffic from 8 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday as a repaving project continues.
The Parkway East “bathtub” section will close from 9 p.m. Friday until about noon Saturday, meaning westbound traffic must exit at Grant Street.
REVISED: The northbound Liberty Bridge ramp to Interstate 579-Crosstown Boulevard will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday. The Bigelow Boulevard ramp to the southbound Crosstown will be closed from 8 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday. PennDOT revised the schedule this afternoon.
The Parkway North HOV lanes will close at 8 p.m. Friday until late Sunday, when they will reopen to accommodate departing Steelers traffic.
From the fine people of Carnegie Mellon University:
Three Oakland streets adjacent to Carnegie Mellon University’s Pittsburgh campus will be closed to through traffic from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 19, to accommodate approximately 1,420 first-year students who will be moving into their residence halls for a weeklong orientation program and the start of the fall semester.
The affected streets are: the 5100 block of Margaret Morrison Street, between Forbes Avenue and Tech Street; the 100 block of Tech Street, between Margaret Morrison Street and Schenley Drive; and the 1000 block of Morewood Avenue between Fifth and Forbes avenues.
The 4700 block of Fifth Ave also is expected to be very congested. It is recommended that motorists avoid this area if possible.
And from the Port Authority:
Port Authority will close its light rail system in the North Shore this weekend in order to continue a system-wide rail grinding project. Substitute bus service will be provided during the closure.
Beginning Friday, August 17 at 8:00 pm and ending Sunday, August 19 at 8:00 am, the T will be closed at Allegheny Station and North Side Station.
Riders headed to the North Shore must exit the T at Gateway Station to catch a bus shuttle to stops outside Allegheny and North Side stations. Buses will pick up outside Gateway at Stanwix Street past Penn Avenue, serve North Side and Allegheny stations, then return to Gateway. Regular T service is expected to resume well in advance of Sunday’s Steelers game.
This weekend’s rail work is part of a larger project to correct wear-and-tear on the older sections of the rail, and in the case of the new North Shore section, further fine-tune the rail’s profile to ensure smoother service.
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