Reader mail

One of my readers has some brickbats to throw Metro's way:

James,

On my way to work this morning, I noticed a "NOT IN SERVICE" Metro bus going pretty fast down Maryland Ave in the direction of Bladensburg. (I note the direction because frequent drivers in that area might know it as an area of high-pedestrian traffic--in or out of the crosswalks, in the middle of the road, whatever. Kids, adults, it's one big outdoor festival on that street--and drivers are mere inconveniences...)

I caught up with that bus and clocked it at 50 miles an hour. Now, I believe this street is 35 m.p.h., though it may be forty. Still and all, a BUS doing FIFTY on that street? Several tons of aluminum and steel rocketing down a residential street in rush-hour traffic? Nice.

But that wasn't even the most fun part. When he made a token effort to slow down as he approached a yellow light, I was still going pretty fast. So, I pulled out from behind him, switching to the right-hand lane, and I nearly took out a Metro traffic Nazi's car parked IN THE LANE. Her car was parked next to, as in side-by-side, parallel, to the illegally parked car. The
Nazi ticketing the car was chatting on her cell phone, apparently oblivious to the roughly three hundred yards of empty street behind and in front of the car she was ticketing.

I'm not a big fan of conspiracy theories, but I'm pretty sure the District wants to kill us all.