There are few things that baffle me more than city folk and their trucks.
Exactly why do yuppies need an Expedition, Suburban or Tahoe when it's just the couple, a kid or two and/or a dog in the city?
Why does my (guy) friend, who lives in an apartment and works only for the military--a very large organization in possession of its own fleet of utility vehicles--need an oversized pick-up truck with 4-wheel drive in the city?
Why does a soccer mom need a truck-like vehicle with enough horsepower to pull the moon out of orbit, just to drive from dance recitals to Wal-Mart?
Exactly when do you need that 4-wheel, or even all-wheel, drive feature in the city?
These are the people who, with a jacked-up truck and 4-wheel drive, will slow down to about .2 miles per hour to drive over a speed bump. These are the people who will swerve to avoid a shallow pothole like they're driving a low-rider pimpmobile. These are the people who take up two parking spaces because they can't maneuver their tank in a modern parking lot, and don't even get me started about parallel parking!
And then today, on my way home from class, I saw it: the first real, proper use of an SUV in the city. It was marvelous. It was stunning in its simplicity. It made me want to trade in my sturdy minivan immediately.
I'm waiting in lane one of a five-lane intersection. The direction of traffic is separated by a thin strip of curb. Up ahead to my left, in lane five, a large, white SUV was waiting in the left-turn lane for the light to change.
Opposing traffic cleared.
All of a sudden, the driver of the white SUV changes his/her mind, turns the wheel hard to the left, drives over the curb and executes a near-flawless illegal u-turn. Impressive!
There is hope for humanity after all.
Exactly why do yuppies need an Expedition, Suburban or Tahoe when it's just the couple, a kid or two and/or a dog in the city?
Why does my (guy) friend, who lives in an apartment and works only for the military--a very large organization in possession of its own fleet of utility vehicles--need an oversized pick-up truck with 4-wheel drive in the city?
Why does a soccer mom need a truck-like vehicle with enough horsepower to pull the moon out of orbit, just to drive from dance recitals to Wal-Mart?
Exactly when do you need that 4-wheel, or even all-wheel, drive feature in the city?
These are the people who, with a jacked-up truck and 4-wheel drive, will slow down to about .2 miles per hour to drive over a speed bump. These are the people who will swerve to avoid a shallow pothole like they're driving a low-rider pimpmobile. These are the people who take up two parking spaces because they can't maneuver their tank in a modern parking lot, and don't even get me started about parallel parking!
And then today, on my way home from class, I saw it: the first real, proper use of an SUV in the city. It was marvelous. It was stunning in its simplicity. It made me want to trade in my sturdy minivan immediately.
I'm waiting in lane one of a five-lane intersection. The direction of traffic is separated by a thin strip of curb. Up ahead to my left, in lane five, a large, white SUV was waiting in the left-turn lane for the light to change.
Opposing traffic cleared.
All of a sudden, the driver of the white SUV changes his/her mind, turns the wheel hard to the left, drives over the curb and executes a near-flawless illegal u-turn. Impressive!
There is hope for humanity after all.
3 comments:
From Swangirl: If you think it's bad in Va., it's even worse here in Atlanta where most people seem to think bigger is better. I see more Hummers than I can count. And the good ole' boys in their monster trucks try to give them a run for their money, too.
I used to live in Augusta and often drove through Atlanta on my way to Birmingham. Yeah, it's bad there, I think simply because it's all so concentrated.
At least here in the "Hampton Roads" area, it's a bit more sprawled. Yes, it's a huge metropolis. But it's divided into sections thanks to all the waterways that drain into the ocean.
Also, this area seems to have always had an impressive appreciation for preserving the natural environment: even the "old town" sections of the cities have plenty of trees and grass, which makes this metro area seem less, well, metro.
Hi Soo! I just realized your blog was here, it's V :D
I'm in Fairfax! I agree-there are Way too many people here who have more vehicle than they either need or can handle. I drive a Prizm, perfectly adequate for my needs and gas efficient...and every time I'm stuck behind one of those behemoths I can't see anything! Argh!
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