At Large

That’s logical, isn’t it? At most intersections, if stopped at a red light with no oncoming traffic, a cautious right turn is acceptable, unless a traffic sign prohibits it. It’s a simple rule of law, designed to keep traffic moving while protecting the safety of those on the road. Right turn, not left turn. That’s the law.

Until the law becomes optional, and anarchy overtakes common sense.

Two things happened within days of each other this past week that somehow generated a resolving chord in the universe. Now, we’ve assiduously avoided dragging family into these monthly musings – admittedly there have been the occasional references to dear, talented friends, but family has been spared reference. This Bach-like chord resolution, however, offered a prominent place for the youngest grandson, whose name will not be part of the narrative because a 16-year-old ego can be quite fragile.

No left turn on red, sir!

But, back to turns on red at traffic lights. The intersection in focus is the connection of Warren Turnpike and Lime Rock Station Road at Route 7 just as Falls Village becomes Lime Rock, CT. It’s the light that regulates the bus traffic coming and going from Housatonic Valley Regional High School. If you’re a regular on that stretch of 7, you know it well. Just as you’re cruising north or south, the light next to the river bridge suddenly turns yellow, then red, and you’re sitting impatiently waiting for the opportunity to proceed.

On this particular day, while coming up Warren Turnpike on the incline from the high school, the light that had been green turned red, and we coasted to a stop. Approaching from the opposite direction, a pick-up truck rolled to a stop, paused a moment, then proceeded to turn left through the red light and accelerate across the bridge. 

Gobsmacked!

Turning left against the light? What if …? That section of Route 7 is often the site of vehicles making the speed limit optional, and there’s a bit of a blind spot when coming south. That could have been nasty. And before any smart alecs chime in that it is legal to turn left on red from one-way street to one-way street, let me clarify: these are both two-way thoroughfares!

No moving the marker, young sir!

No, our grandson was not driving the errant vehicle. His infraction was miles away on a golf course where he competes as the captain of his high school golf team. He’s a solid kid – sometimes a bit goofy, but good enough to play number one on the team as a junior.

It was a Tuesday match, and as the foursome approached the third tee, his team was two up already on the match. He’d done well on the preceding hole, so he was first to tee off. For those who’re not golf aficionados, please bear with us on this.

At the place where golfers tee off on each hole, there are two markers that establish the invisible point where the ball should be placed, usually on a small elevating wooden or plastic tee, to begin playing the hole. The ball is teed up between the two markers. On this occasion, the decision was made to pick up one of those markers and move it several feet farther from its opposite. Having placed the marker, grandson put down his ball, took his shot, and watched his ball sail toward the green.

The only problem with that scenario is that the rules do not allow a player to move the tee markers. Not only is it wrong, it carries a two stroke penalty, meaning that however he did on that hole, he would be forced to add two strokes to his scorecard.

They knew better

Did he know it was an infraction? In a casual conversation after the match (in which I struggled to keep my signature cool), he admitted that he did. “But, who cares?” he asked. We countered, “if you knew it was against the rules, why did you do it?”

Did the driver know that turning left on a red light was against the law? Most likely, he did. But, he did it anyway, presuming he wouldn’t get caught and, besides, gaining that five seconds on his trip must have seemed more important than driving/playing by the rules.

Scanning the morning headlines these days often seems like an exercise in futility and frustration. Rules, precedents, morality, common courtesy, and court decisions seem to be ignored as blithely as the tee box marker was moved or the left turn was made on red. Admittedly, we’ve been around for many decades, so we cherish the memory of a time where rules were made and enforced and laws were generated as both protection of the citizenry and to make sure that a relatively stable society continued to function in balance.

Voices of protest are becoming louder. Commentary has turned into rage. The use of satire, hyperbole, and outright accusation swirls around us in every form of communication available. 

Let’s get straight to the point. Don’t turn left on red … or move the tee marker. Civilization needs you. •