Driving and parking are cultural behavior. That is learned behavior that
is passed on from one generation to the next.
Driving "styles" are part of this mix. I have found that when you
challenge (in the sense of question) driving and parking behavior, most
people in Minneapolis get very angry. It is as if you are asking them to
sacrifice their first born. These behaviors are deeply engrained and
people generally never think about them until the "other" violates the
"taken-for-granted" cultural rules that they hold dear.
I don't know how many times I've heard biting criticisms of eastcoast
drivers by Minneapolis people. Yet, no one on the eastcoast ever got out
of their cars at stoplights and smashed my window. That happened to me at
50th and Lyndale in Minneapolis because the driver didn't like the way I
drove. I guess it wasn't up to his standards and he needed to enlighten
me on how the natives do things here.
The overlay to this is the false conciousness of politeness, "liberalism,
civility, and Minnesota Nice. This is a shield for the type of behavior
that goes on in the streets and highways in Minneapolis daily. People
aren't as aggressive as drivers from "out east." (Of course we don't know
how to merge on the freeway, but I'll never admit that publicly.) They
park on crowded city streets as if they were on the farm--take up as much
space as you need to be comfortable, leave 4 ft. between you and the next
car. If you think I am exaggerating go to the local video store and rent
"Fargo" by the Coen brothers. They capture this peculiar Minnesota
cultural disconnect very well.
What is my point here? If Minneapolis drivers learn how to drive with
these attitudes towards other people, how can you expect them to treat
pedestrians as people instead of characters in a video game?
I believe that there is a recent law that gives pedestrians the
right-of-way in a crosswalk (even if they are acting like those
uncivilized people from New York and New Jersey).
I've been to Toronto and Montreal where they have had similer laws. In
those cities, if a pedestrian in the crosswalk extends their finger, the
driver must stop or face a stiff fine. I guess the difference between
Canada and Minnesota is enforcement. Look at what the monitoring of the
speed limit did for Lyndale Ave. and for 50th Street did in SW
Minneapolis. The cops staked it out and nabbed speeders. If you get one
speeding ticket, they get your attention, and you learn to modify your
driving behavior.
Minnesotians and Minneapolis drivers need to learn to modify their driving
behavior.
David Wilson
Loring Park
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