Neighborhood Pace Cars

I went to a Bothell city open house on their proposed Bike Plan. As a recreational and occasional commuter cyclist, this is important. In particular, getting to the bike trail from home in the most expeditious manner requires crossing an arterial where the posted speed limit is 25 mph. In reality, most cars are going at least 35 mph. I brought up my concern about this street and the need for a protected crosswalk near the parking lot of the former Wayne Golf Course.

After the meeting, I spoke with a woman who learned of a program in Lakewood, Washington called Neighborhood Pace Cars. These drivers pledge to drive the speed limit and have special Neighborhood Pace Car bumper stickers on their cars. This woman has resolved to drive the speed limit and consciously slows down on neighborhood streets when speed demons are behind her.

While this idea borders on passive-aggressive, it may work as well as busting speeders to slow traffic on neighborhood streets. The life saved could be your child’s.