Readers Have Mixed Views on Texting While Driving

Some believe the distraction of conversation or texting is as bad or worse than having one hand off the steering wheel. Few of my weekly polls have been as evenly split as last week’s: Texting while driving is a current issue.

Pick the answer below that best describes your thoughts:

• Texting or talking while driving is equally dangerous. 27 (33%)
• The distraction of texting/talking is much worse than having a hand busy holding the phone. 26 (32%)
• Having one hand busy with the phone is worse than the distraction of talking. 24 (30%)
• Texting while driving is not a safety issue. 2 (2%)
• Unsure/no opinion. 2 (2%)

For the entire week the relationship between the answers remained the same.

– Steve Patterson

Texting/Talking on the Phone While Driving

Last week the issue of texting while driving got a high profile new policy:

Oct. 1  — President Barack Obama banned the nation’s almost 3 million federal employees from texting while driving as part of an effort to fight motorist distractions that may have caused 5,800 deaths last year.

Obama’s executive order tells workers not to text while driving federal vehicles, using government-supplied communications devices or in private vehicles on official business, the administration said in an executive order announced today.  (Source: Bloomberg.com)

Since I have good use of only my right hand I cannot drive & text — or even drive and talk on the phone.  I have, before, talked on the phone while driving. Currently I pull off the road to talk on the phone.  Texting or viewing maps on my phone is limited to when I’m not moving — at stop lights, for example.  To be honest, if I had full use of both hands I’d probably drive & talk at the same time.  But with both hands I’d still be driving a scooter, not a car.  Even on a scooter I’d talk on the phone, either holding the phone with one hand or wedging the phone under the helmet.

To me either talking on the phone or texting is  a safety issue because of distraction more so than having a hand busy. I’ve ridden with people who, while talking on the phone, change their driving habits.  They were into their conversation a bit too much.  Using a hands free device would not eliminate the danger from distraction.

The poll this week (upper right sidebar) asks your thoughts on the dangers of talking & texting while driving.

– Steve Patterson

Pro Sports Teams in St. Louis

St. Louis has a long history with professional sports teams, but, except for the Blues and the Cardinals, there’s also been a lot of changes over the years. The Browns, the Hawks and the football Cardinals have all left town. We invested heavily to get the Rams. We were once the epicenter for professional wrestling, and we currently support, among other sports, roller derby (ArchRivalRollerGirls.com).

Supporters of pro sports view them as being critical to a major city’s identity and for attracting new businesses. This is backed up with public investments like those in the Jones Dome, Busch III and Scottrade Center. But there are always groups advocating for more and different. One thing St. Louis lacks, in the traditional sense, is a pro basketball team. The Hawks were here from 1955 to 1968, but they were sold and moved to Atlanta. There are also “newer” pro sports leagues that are growing around the country, in sports that appeal more to the younger generations, sports like soccer and lacrosse.

With some regularity, we’ll see proposals, many times in Illinois, to build a new pro sports facility to support one of these new leagues. The Rams continue to make noises about the need to improve or replace the Jones Dome.  We just had a successful weekend of bike racing and the possibility of bringing the Olympics back to St. Louis is always a remote one.  There are those of us who would like to see a bigger investment in expanding our trail system, and there are others who value motorsports like NHRA and NASCAR.  Heck, there are even people willing to spend money watching monster trucks or lawnmower racing.

This all boils down to priorities.  We can’t be everything to everybody, so choices have to be made.  The Cardinals and the Blues seem to be relatively satisfied, for the time being, which leaves everyone else.  Should we focus our efforts on keeping the Rams or should we try to get an Arena Football team?  Would pro soccer be a better investment than pro lacrosse?  And should St. Louis work to keep any new facility in or near downtown, ar should we let other cities in the region share in both the glory and the headaches any pro team brings?

– Jim Zavist

Readers Prefer Boulevard Over Tunnel

A large majority of those voting in the poll last week support the idea of removing a section of highway downtown and building a boulevard as a pleasant way to move vehicles through the area.  The total number of votes was 162.

The highway is now marked as I-70 but once the new Mississippi River bridge is opened I-70 will cross over into Illinois rather than pass by the Arch.  The tunnel proposal solves only a 3-4 block section of getting past the highway lanes.  The boulevard would help mend over a mile long zone for half the cost.

It has been suggested just closing Memorial Drive.  That still leaves the exposed highway North of Washington Ave as well as creating a huge dead zone  — vast pedestrian mall at the foot of the Gateway Arch.  Bad idea.

– Steve Patterson

Plaintiffs Delay Century Case Again

After demolition of the historic Century Building began in the Fall of 2004, the lawsuits by two downtown residents seeking to prevent the demolition became a moot point.  On April 19, 2005 the State of Missouri and the City of St. Louis, through entities, joined with the developer of the Ninth Street Parking Garage and filed a Malicious Prosecution claim against Marcia Behrendt & Roger Plackemeier. The plaintiffs are seeking $1,000,000.

After numerous delays the trial was scheduled to finally get underway tomorrow ( 9/14/2009) at 9am.  But last Friday, at the request of the Plaintiffs, the case was again delayed.  The parties have a new date of 10/26/2009 — that date is just to determine the future trial date.  Most likely we are looking at 2010 for the trial.   When your motivation is to discourage public participation it makes sense to drag these things out.

I should disclose that I personally know both Marcia Behrendt & Roger Plackemeier.  Marcia was the person that found me after my stroke on 2/1/2008.  So I’m not an impartial observer in this issue.  To file such a claim and then delay for years is just wrong.

MISSOURI DEVELOPMENT FINANCE BOARD VS BEHRENDT, Case #22052-01373, can be viewed at http://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet.  The poll this week asks your view on the city & state suing these two for the last four + years.   Right or wrong?

– Steve Patterson