Tuesday, 7/25

I wonder how many times a day it actually happens?

As I mentioned Friday, I'm in the midst of counting license plates this week (14 different states after the first day), so I'm keeping my eyes on the streets as cars go by more than I usually do.

And that's when I see them going the wrong way on a one way street.

The one was street is the one block Blaker Street/ East Bluff Street here in downtown Marquette; specifically, this one--

I tried to get a picture of a car coming out of it the wrong way but, of course, as I was standing across the street with a camera no one actually did. But it happens multiple times a day, mostly by people with out of state plates but occasionally by people who are from around here (or at least bought their car around here).

Thankfully, I haven't seen the wrong-way driving cause an accident, although I'm sure it could..

Now, I don't blame the drivers for driving the wrong way on a one way street. Almost all of them are coming out of the back parking lot of the Landmark Inn, and unless you look very closely you don't even see the signs (across the street from the parking lot, partially covered by tree branches) letting you know you're on a one way street. So, I guess, it's natural to turn right and go down the street the wrong way instead of turning left and going around the block, like you're supposed to.

It's just one of those things.

I'm sure the city could put bigger and/or better placed one way signs across from the parking lot, or even in the parking lot itself, just to let people know. And I'm also wondering if some drivers are just doing what their GPS is telling them to, and the GPS doesn't know it's a block of one way traffic. Either (or both) of those would help, but maybe it's just one of those things.

Maybe having one block of one way traffic in the middle of a downtown is just so...weird that something about it just doesn't register with people. I dunno. I just hope that there aren't a lot of people who end up doing it, and that those who do don't (accidentally) cause any trouble by doing so.

See what you notice by looking for license plates?

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)