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I don't have road rage; I have campus rage. - The Rocky Mountain Collegian
By Thea
Domber
September 19,
2003
Why does it take me 20 minutes to get to class once I
enter campus whether I bike, walk or drive? Why do people scatter across
crosswalks in herds of 50, bike through stop signs or fail to obey stop signs?
Simple answer...the traffic setup on campus sucks.
I was somewhere around the stop sign at Meridian
Avenue and South Drive last week, in my car, waiting for the herd of walkers to
have some semblance of a space big enough for my car to fit through, for the
bikers to decide whether they are on the road, the sidewalk, or just kamikazes,
and for the other cars at the four-way stop to either plow through the
intersection or figure out who had the right of way. And the rage sweltered
inside of me.
No one knows how to follow traffic rules on campus
(or, arguably, anywhere really). Are bikers supposed to be treated as cars? If
so, why are they allowed to ride on sidewalks on some parts of campus? Why do
some parts of campus have bike lanes while other parts force them to merge with
unwilling cars on the road? How many pedestrians should cross the streets at
once? Why do so many people insist on crossing where there are no crosswalks?
Why is there only one way for cars to access the main part of campus?
Irritation runs high between classes. People cross the
street in groups, which is fine, but then three more people who were 50 feet
away when the group started crossing as well, which makes me want to hit them
with my car! Bikers don't dismount their bikes on the plaza, and shoot through
stop signs at intersections. Cars don't stop at stop signs, and cut each other
off in the hopes of making it to class ten seconds sooner than they would if
they followed the right of way rules. There were times I have been almost hit
by a bike or car on my way to class. Cars also randomly stop around campus to
drop people off, causing a traffic jam and making it confusing to know whether
you can go around them or not.
I'm not going to lay blame on any one type of
transportation - pedestrians, bikes, or cars, because I've done all three at
CSU and everyone is equally to blame, myself included. But I think there is a
solution to the traffic problems on campus.
Perhaps you've noticed them on your worldly travels.
They are a box on top of a thin pole. The box contains two symbols - a red hand,
symbolizing stop, and a white person, symbolizing walk. These things, called
crosswalk signals, work in conjunction with another mechanical/electrical
device - this other one is a smaller box, painted yellow and attached to a
thick wire. It has three circles that light up in a specified pattern of green,
yellow and red. Some people like to call it a traffic light. You may have
encountered these exotic pieces of ingenuity everywhere else in town, but
probably not on campus. Why do these things exist everywhere around town except
on campus, where they are most needed?
When the designers of the university originally built
the roads, they probably couldn't conceive the idea of cars. And when cars did
come around, stop signs were probably enough to control traffic flow. But
sadly, everyone is an idiot at one point when they are on a bike, behind the
wheel of a car, or given a crosswalk. I don't think making CSU a pedestrian
campus would solve the problem because there isn't nearly enough housing on
campus to satisfy the number of students we have here. People need to be able
to drive to campus and park in semi-convenient locations. I don't think more
crosswalks are the answer either - making cars stop every ten feet while people
cross (hoping to some higher power that the driver remembers they have to stop)
seems more like playing Russian roulette than a solution.
Not to bring up that still sore subject of the other
big college town in Colorado, but
Boulder uses a very effective traffic-flow control on
Pearl Street. Wide crosswalks are paired with timed traffic
lights. Every red light gives people 30 to 40 seconds to cross the road.
Traffic is controlled effectively because pedestrians and bikers aren't forced
to fight against cars, and when the light is green but no cars are around,
pedestrians and bikers can still cross with relative safety. I think we need
three traffic lights on campus with crosswalk signs, one at each major
intersection of Meridian. Yes, there will still be traffic backups around
5 p.m. Yes, I know that traffic lights and timed crosswalk
signals are expensive. But isn't the peace that would come out of it well worth
the expense? Write people big tickets when they break the
rules to help cover the cost. Enforce the rules.
Please, powers that be at CSU,
do something, anything, so I can get to class on time without killing anyone!
Original Article Found Here:
http://www.collegian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/09/19/3f6a875950a21
DRIVERS warn of road rage - The Wimmera Mail Times, Australia
HORSHAM taxi drivers have hit the roof over proposed speed restrictions in the city's central business district.
They say they `vehemently object' to the 40-kilometres-an-hour proposal and say it will affect their business viability,
add to traffic congestion and possibly increase road rage,
city vandalism and street brawls.
Andrew Kuhne voiced their concerns in a letter to Horsham Rural City Council on behalf of Horsham Taxi Service
management and drivers.
His letter prompted talks with city council representatives and a revision of the city's speed zoning proposal. See
story, page 7.
In his letter Mr Kuhne said taxi drivers used city streets 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"Our income and viability depend on the efficient and unimpeded traversing of these and all other streets in this great
city," he said.
"Because a majority of our work either originates, terminates or travels through the central business district, these
changes would have a maximum impact on our business viability.
"Imposing new and lower speed restrictions would severely retard our business by causing undue delay in passenger
pick-up and passenger drop-off, and travel time delays.
"We feel these delays would be further impeded in the daytime by additional congestion under the proposed slower
speed limits.
"Delays during the night, especially from the hotel areas, could have a flow-on effect resulting in an increase in city
vandalism and street brawls from frustrated and alcohol-affected
taxi patrons who have to wait longer for their taxi to arrive.
"We also believe that taxi drivers might also be put at an element of risk by verbal abuse and lewd behavior from
agitated customers."
Mr Kuhne said taxi drivers also believed lower speed limits could encourage road rage and cause accidents by
other impatient drivers as they became agitated or aggressive when held up.
"Since the introduction of the state-wide 50kmh speed limit in residential areas, taxi drivers have suffered financially,
" he said.
"We strongly believe that a further reduction in street speed limits will exacerbate our situation."
Mr Kuhne said drivers fully acknowledged and supported new 40kmh speed restrictions at schools.
Original Article Found Here:
http://www.mailtimes.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&category=general%20news&story_
id=255589&y=2003&m=9
ROAD-RAGE Victim's Company Offers $5,000 Award - Click 2 Houston.com, TX
Friends, family members and co-workers pleaded for the public's help Friday in finding the shooter
responsible for a senseless crime that killed one man.
Robert Pietsch,
33, was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head while driving his sport
utility vehicle Sunday. His SUV then crashed into a building on Shephard at Richmond.
"The loss that you feel in
this type of situation is (something) you can't get over," Pietsch's longtime friend Duane Murphy said. "I can't
imagine what type of person could do something to take away what we had and
what we shared."
Investigators and witnesses
said he might have been playing road tag, cutting off another driver in the
area.
Investigators said Pietsch was shot and killed by an unknown assailant Sunday around 5:30 p.m.
as he was driving south on the 3400 block of Shepherd.
According to Houston police Sgt. Tom Ladd and witness accounts, Pietsch stopped at Richmond Avenue to wait for an ambulance before proceeding through the
intersection. As he moved through the intersection, a single gunshot struck him
in the head and killed him. His car careened off the road into an adjacent
building.
One passenger was in the
vehicle at the time of the incident.
The victim's employer, Heavy
Construction Systems Specialists, Inc., is offering a supplemental reward of up
to $5,000 in addition to the Crime Stoppers of Houston reward of $5,000, bring the total reward to $10,000.
"It's devastated the
family. It's devastated us, so we are trying to do what we can do o take this
person off the street," HCSS vice president John Davis said.
Witnesses told investigators
that the other vehicle involved in the incident is a white four-door compact
vehicle with a very loud muffler.
Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at (713) 222-TIPS.
Original Article Found Here:
http://www.click2houston.com/news/2496952/detail.html
REWARD offered for information related to road rage shooting - News 24 Houston, TX
Family and friends of
33-year-old Robert Pietsch described him as a loving
and caring man.
"To understand a loss like this is
unbelievable -- somebody that touched so many people's hearts,
touched my heart for a number of years, touched anybody he met. If you remember
Robert, he had a smile on his face," said Pietsch's
best friend, Duane Murphy.
Close to 5:15 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 14, Pietsch
was driving home after joining friends at a local restaurant.
While driving through the intersection at
Shepherd and Richmond, Pietsch
stopped at a red light to yield the right-of-way to a passing ambulance.
Police who interviewed witnesses at the
scene say a male in a white car pulled up next to Pietsch's
truck, where he then shot and killed him. Seconds later, the victim's SUV spun
out of control.
"As [the witnesses] were watching this vehicle, the vehicle was able to
pull up beside them, they looked inside and they saw a white male slumped over
the steering wheel and body was rocking with the motion of the car. There was
no one else in the vehicle, the vehicle then careened off the road and drove up
into a small area, a parking area of a building under construction," said
Sgt. Tom Ladd with HPD Homicide.
According to police, the suspect was
playing tag with his car and the victim's SUV. It is unknown at this point if
the fatal shot came from one of the back windows in the SUV or if he was shot
from the front.
Police are urging more witnesses to come
forward.
Sgt. Ladd added that cases of road rage
are not only senseless, but they endanger innocent bystanders.
"I guess every incident of road rage
where one individual fires at another individual while in moving cars is not
only [that] they endanger their lives, but they endanger other people's lives,
as well. I have never completely understood road rage to the point where
somebody would pull a firearm out and shoot it at someone else," said Sgt.
Ladd.
Police are looking for an unknown male
suspect who fled the scene in a small four-door white compact car with tinted
windows. The car also had a very loud muffler.
A reward of up to $10,000 is being
offered for any information leading to the arrest and charging of a suspect.
Crime Stoppers is offering $5,000, while the victim's employer is offering
another $5,000.
If you have any information about the
case, you are urged to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. All calls will
remain anonymous.
Original Article Found Here:
http://www.news24houston.com/content/headlines/?ArID=15110&SecID=2
OHANGWENA Residents Vent Their Road Rage
Oswald Shivute
Windhoek
RESIDENTS of the Ohangwena Region, mostly from the Okongo
Constituency, last week took to the streets to demand the tarring of the main
gravel road between Elundu and Okongo.
The villagers said the
road had become unusable as it had been damaged by heavy trucks.
Heavy trucks from Angola and Zambia use the road to link up
with Oshikango where they collect goods.
Okongo residents also took
issue with politicians who had visited the constituency since 1991 and had
promised that the road would be tarred, but, up until now, nothing had
happened.
The demonstrators, who
handed over a petition to Ohangwena Regional Officer
Daniel Kashikola at Eenhana,
said the Elundu-Okongo road was so bad that the
number of accidents along the road had increased dramatically.
They also said patients
referred by the Okongo District Hospital to Onandjokwe
or Oshakati Hospitals were dying on the way because
of the bumpy road.
The petition said
between 1998 and September 2003, 132 vehicles had been involved in accidents on
the road, with 179 people injured and 29 dead.
The petition said 2001
had been the worst, with 63 road accident injuries and nine deaths on the road
recorded.
"The road is
completely destroyed by heavy trucks, especially from Angola and those of local
business people," the petition states.
The villagers also said
development of the Okongo Constituency was being
hampered by the bad condition of the road Community members said they were
requesting Government, through the Ministry of Works, Transport and
Communication, to respond to their demand before November 30.
Original Article Found Here:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200309230354.html
HEARING begins in apparent road rage slaying - The Californian, CA
Two people charged in an apparent road-rage slaying in
May relentlessly pursued the victim along Highway 101, a witness testified
Monday.
Glenn Barry Spillman, 35, of
Salinas, and Rubi Florencia Garcia, 23, of Royal Oaks, are charged with the
May 22 slaying of Javier Soto. The 27-year-old was
shot while driving north on the highway at White Road.
Police say Spillman shot Soto after Garcia, who was driving, positioned Spillman's pickup alongside Soto's
car so that Spillman could take aim.
A third person in Spillman's
GMC Sierra pickup, Antonio Garcia, 18, testified during a preliminary hearing
Monday that Rubi Garcia didn't position the vehicle
beside Soto's Honda. In scattered and seemingly
reluctant testimony, he testified that Spillman at
some point took control of the wheel from Rubi
Garcia, who'd been driving because Spillman was
drunk.
Antonio Garcia testified that Spillman
pulled a handgun from the glove compartment and began firing.
"(He) started shooting," Antonio Garcia said
of Spillman, formerly employed by McCormick & Co.
Inc.
Garcia contradicted witness statements to police that
the driver of the truck appeared to be trying to position the vehicle alongside
Soto's car.
"(Rubi Garcia) was
afraid, like me. I just know it, I could feel it inside," Antonio Garcia
said of his friend, who was a temporary worker at McCormick & Co. Inc.
Soto, a married father of two small girls, received a
mortal bullet wound that penetrated both of his lungs and a major artery to the
heart, Monterey County Pathologist Dr. John Hain
determined.
After a California Highway Patrol officer pulled over Spillman's truck at San Miguel Canyon Road, Antonio Garcia said Spillman
told him to "keep (his) mouth shut."
Monterey County sheriff's investigator Kevin Oakley testified that
Francis Jarschke, an eyewitness, told him that the
driver of the truck relentlessly pursued Soto,
darting between lanes and tailgating Soto's Honda
within 1 foot.
"He described it as the Honda was being chased by
the maroon truck," Oakley said.
Oakley testified that to Jarschke
it appeared that Soto was trying to make an evasive
U-turn on Highway 101 at White Road just before he was shot. Jarschke
told police that he saw Soto brush broken glass from
his hair and thought that he was OK.
He also told police that Soto,
who was in the fast lane, was shot at from the truck in the slow lane, Oakley
said. Jarschke said that he saw an arm reach behind
the driver's head and fire three shots at Soto,
Oakley said.
Another motorist who witnessed the chase made similar
statements, Oakley said.
Statements by Rubi Garcia to
California Highway Patrol officer Gary Marshall after her arrest also seemed to
implicate Spillman.
"She said, 'I was just driving, he did the
shooting, I didn't even know what was going on,'" Marshall said.
Spillman's Salinas-based attorney, Eugene Martinez, pointed out
that Garcia did not name the person she was talking about.
A Monterey County Deputy District Attorney rested the
prosecution's case Monday. Superior Court Judge Stephen A. Sillman
is expected to make a decision today whether to bind the two over for trial on
the murder charges.
Originally published Tuesday, September 23,
2003
Original Article Found Here:
http://www.californianonline.com/news/stories/20030923/localnews/314003.html
OHANGWENA residents vent their road rage - The Namibian, Namibia
RESIDENTS of the Ohangwena Region, mostly from the Okongo Constituency, last week took to the streets to
demand the tarring of the main gravel road between Elundu and Okongo.
The villagers said the road had become unusable as it had
been damaged by heavy trucks.
Heavy trucks from Angola and Zambia use the road to link up with Oshikango
where they collect goods.
Okongo residents also took issue with politicians who had
visited the constituency since 1991 and had promised that the road would be
tarred, but, up until now, nothing had happened.
The demonstrators, who handed over a petition to Ohangwena Regional Officer Daniel Kashikola
at Eenhana, said the Elundu-Okongo
road was so bad that the number of accidents along the road had increased
dramatically.
They also said patients referred by the Okongo District Hospital to Onandjokwe or Oshakati Hospitals were dying on the way because of the
bumpy road.
The petition said between 1998 and September 2003, 132
vehicles had been involved in accidents on the road, with 179 people injured
and 29 dead.
The petition said 2001 had been the worst, with 63
road accident injuries and nine deaths on the road recorded.
"The road is completely destroyed by heavy
trucks, especially from Angola and those of local business people," the
petition states.
The villagers also said development of the Okongo Constituency was being hampered by the bad condition of the road
Community members said they were requesting Government, through the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication,
to respond to their demand before November 30.
Original Article Found Here:
http://www.namibian.com.na/2003/august/national/03F738C765.html
RIVAL Gangs Suspected In Road Rage Incident - Leesburg Today, VA
Sep
22, 2003 -- The
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office arrested two
teenagers Sunday night in what it believes was a road rage incident of two
rival gangs.
A group of juveniles "exchanged
words" while at the Sterling Park Mall and then all left in separate
vehicles. While driving in the area of Staunton Avenue, the driver of one of the vehicles
occupied by three white juveniles, brandished a gun.
From the second vehicle, which was occupied by three Hispanic males, someone
threw a baseball bat at the window of the other car. Both vehicles then
departed.
Two juveniles were identified and
arrested in the incident. The Sheriff's Office said one of them returned to the
Staunton
Avenue area prior to their arrest and damaged a vehicle owned by one
of the Hispanic males.
The case remains under investigation and
further charges are pending.
Anyone with information regarding this
case can call the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office
Criminal Investigations Division at 703-777-0475.
Original Article Found Here:
http://www.leesburg2day.com/current.cfm?catid=6&newsid=7772
ROAD Rage Incident Prompts Shooting - SanDiego Channel.com, CA
SAN DIEGO -- A
19-year-old man was grazed by a bullet in Mountain View in what may have been a gang-related shooting, police
said Tuesday.
The shooting happened in the 3500 block of Webster Avenue. It occurred about 8 p.m. Monday night after a fight over a "road rage
incident," San
Diego police Lt.
Margret Schaufelberger
said.
The gunman fired six or seven shots and fled in a red
Toyota Corolla, Schaufelberger said.
The victim, whose name police withheld, suffered a
graze wound to an arm, but was not hospitalized, Schaufelberger
said.
Both men knew each other and had violent contacts in the past over gang recruitment, Schaufelberger said.
No immediate arrests were made.
Original Article Found Here:
http://www.thesandiegochannel.com/news/2504624/detail.html
TWO to be tried for murder in Salinas road-rage case
Salinas - Two people accused of the road-rage shooting of a man
on Highway 101 in Salinas will be tried for the crime.
A Monterey County Superior Court judge ruled yesterday
that there's enough evidence for a trial, despite defense suggestions that
someone else fired the fatal shots.
Glenn Barry Spillman and Rubi Florencia Garcia are charged
with first-degree-murder for the shooting death of Javier Soto
in May.
The accused's attorney says
there's a significant question about the identity of the shooter, citing
conflicting stories from his client and an off-duty San Jose police officer.
The district attorney's office is deciding whether to
pursue the death penalty.
The two are scheduled to be arraigned October 17th.
Original Article Found Here:
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/6850149.htm
SUSPECT, Victims Sought In Road Rage Shooting
CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Ore. -- Investigators are looking for two
people shot at early Monday in a road-rage incident.
Witnesses say a white Nissan pickup
truck slammed on its brakes near Bob Schumacher Road and Monterey Avenue, forcing the car behind to go
around. As the maroon or dark-red Toyota pickup passed, the suspect allegedly
leaned out the window and fired numerous rounds at the lifted Toyota.
A witness followed the Toyota, catching up to it near Sunnyside Road. The victims, a teenage couple, said
they had not been struck by the bullets.
The suspect vehicle, with a bullet
hole in the hood, was found parked near the shooting scene.
Investigators want to speak with the
couple, who did not file a police report. They are also looking for the
suspect, described as a Hispanic male with a shave head.
Anyone with information should call
the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office at (503) 655-8218.
Original Article Found Here:
http://www.koin.com/webnews/20033/20030924_roadrage.shtml
SANTA Rosa Man Sentenced In Road Rage Death
Sept. 25 (BCN) — A Sonoma County Superior Court judge this morning sentenced
a Santa Rosa man to 11 years in state prison for causing a crash that killed a man
during a shocking road rage incident in February.
Judge Robert Dale sentenced 22-year-old Christopher
Michael Cairati to the maximum term allowed for
voluntary manslaughter, calling his behavior "vicious, violent, callous
and totally indifferent conduct to others on the road."
Cairati pled guilty in July to killing landscaper Kenneth
Neil Hanson, 53, whose Ford F-150 pickup crashed head-on into another vehicle
on Fulton Road in Santa Rosa after Cairati smashed the
truck's rear cab window with a shovel while standing in the truck bed.
The fatal crash ended what Dale called "a hideous
chain of events" which occurred over a long period of time on Feb. 19. The
judge said Cairati had opportunities to avoid the
confrontation that could have ended with a minor traffic citation.
"He is a danger to society and he should not be
on the road," Dale said.
Both Cairati and Deputy
Public Defender Kathleen Posize="3i were in tears as they
insisted Cairati was deeply remorseful for his
behavior
The judge, however, cited Cairati's
past incidents of aggression and domestic violence beginning when he was 15.
Testimony during the preliminary hearing indicated Cairati became angry when Hansen nearly ran his 1993 Isuzu
Stylus off the road about a mile away from the crash. Cairati
at one point got out of his car and punched Hansen in the face. Hansen then
backed his truck into Cairati's car.
At a stop light Cairati
climbed into the back of Hansen's truck and smashed the rear window with a
shovel. Hansen's truck collided with a Dodge Intrepid injuring a Windsor woman and her
daughter.
Original Article Found Here:
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/092503_nw_road_rage_sentence.html
ROAD rage incident not being prosecuted
Cpl. Dan Huggins of Gwinnett County Police said the investigation has been closed
on a July 15 road rage incident. The search for a man who allegedly attacked
motorists who displayed a “gay pride” sticker on their car was centered in White County because the suspect vehicle
displayed a local tag. The car was registered to a White County woman.
Dustin Hoose,
23, and Chasen Mote, 28, said they were traveling on
Interstate 985 near the Hall/Gwinnett line when a man
driving a car threw a tire iron at their vehicle.
Huggins said his department prepared
a lineup of suspects for the victims to identify, but the victims have changed
their phone number and will not respond to investigators’ attempts to contact
them.
Original Article Found Here:
http://www.whitecountynewstelegraph.com/articles/articles.asp?ID=2183
MAN Sentenced in 'Road Rage' Stabbing - Missourian Publishing, MO
A Franklin County man has drawn a 20-year prison term for knifing another man during a fight almost two years ago.
Lloyd G. Williams, 49, Villa Ridge, was sentenced Monday by Judge Robert Schollmeyer, Osage County, to
20 years each for first-degree assault and
armed criminal action. The judge ordered the terms to be served concurrently.
Williams faced a maximum sentence of 30 years or life
in prison on the assault charge, plus three years to life in prison on the
armed criminal action charge.
Prosecuting Attorney Bob Parks said his office
recommended a 15-year sentence on the assault charge and dropping the ACA
charge.
Parks said Williams has 10 days to file a notice of
appeal in the criminal case.
Williams was found guilty July 30 of stabbing Michael Kalchbrenner, Columbia, during an altercation at a truck stop/service
station near the Highway 100/Route AT intersection Oct. 4, 2001. The victim was seriously injured but survived.
A six-man, six-woman jury deliberated an hour and 45
minutes Wednesday before finding Williams guilty of the charges.
Williams maintained that he acted in self-defense when
he stabbed Kalchbrenner with a folding knife.
According to testimony at the trial, the altercation
and stabbing stemmed from a "road rage" incident.
Williams had been in a car following a vehicle in
which Kalchbrenner was riding early the morning of Oct. 4, 2001. The defendant followed the other car to the truck
stop and confronted two male passengers after someone in the vehicle allegedly
threw one or multiple beer cans out of a window, according to Assistant
Prosecuting Attorney Scott Fulford, who handled the
state's case at trial.
After Kalchbrenner was
stabbed, the other man, Steve Terry, Villa Ridge, punched Williams and severely
beat him, according to reports. Terry was charged with second-degree assault
and later pleaded guilty to the charge. He was given a suspended imposition of
sentence and placed on five years' probation.
It's the second time Williams has been sentenced to
prison for stabbing someone during a "road rage" incident.
He was 26 years old when he drew a two-year prison
sentence for second-degree assault in the near-fatal stabbing July 29, 1979, of
Garry Haberberger, Washington, who was injured during
a scuffle at Fifth and Cedar streets in Washington following a minor traffic
mishap.
Haberberger suffered multiple stab wounds in the altercation,
including one which penetrated the wall of his heart. Authorities said Haberberger would've died at the scene if a passing
motorist had not picked him up and transported him to the hospital emergency
room.
The case was transferred from Franklin County on a change of venue. In May 1980, a Gasconade County jury found Williams guilty of the lesser offense of
second-degree assault in the stabbing of Haberberger.
He had been charged with first-degree assault.
CRM Williams Sentenced
Original Article Found Here:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10214536&BRD=1409&PAG=461&dept_id=33071&rfi=6