How’s my driving? Slow

Published 6:00 am Wednesday, April 20, 2005

New ‘Pace Car’ program looks for drivers to set a good example.

The recent appearance of pace cars on island roads doesn’t mean NASCAR races will be blazing through your neighborhood anytime soon.

Actually, it could mean slower speeds and safer roads, says city Non-motorized Transportation Committee member Mark Epstein.

Crafting a “pace car” sticker and a pledge form to go with it, Epstein hopes to see hundreds of island motorists signing up to drive responsibly and show their pride in doing so.

“The whole philosophy is that education is more effective than engineering and enforcement,” Epstein said. “It’s creating more of a social behavior change rather than hiring a bunch more traffic cops and building obstructions to slow people down.”

The stickers are available from the Planning Department at City Hall, along with a form that pledges the newly minted pace car driver will travel at posted speeds.

Seeing the idea on an Australian website, Epstein decided to bring the pace car sticker program to Bainbridge.

The idea has already taken off in other U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Boise and Santa Cruz, Calif.

While some speed-hungry drivers may grumble a bit when caught behind one of these law-abiding vehicles, Epstein urges calm.

“They should be going the speed limit too,” he said of other drivers. “It will help reduce the fast-paced atmosphere and make life less stressful.”

Dana Berg, president of the bicycle advocacy group Squeaky Wheels, said the pace car idea is one of many steps drivers can take to make the island’s roads safer.

“It’s a part of a paradigm shift that people need to get used to the fact that speeding is dangerous,” she said.

And besides, a little foresight and planning can reduce the need for lead-footed road races, she said.

“On a lot of island roads, like Miller, going five miles over the speed limit will only get you the three miles you’re traveling about 45 seconds quicker.”

Paraphrasing a local bicyclist’s adage on speeding, Epstein added: “If you get to life’s finish line first, you don’t win.”