Nothing makes me descend into

a murderous rage more quickly than driving around Fayette County. Between

sitting at red lights when there is no car around for miles, passing a

tortoise-like SUV to see a soccer mom chatting into her cell phone or

turned around yelling at the kids, and keeping watch for the infamous

PTC cops, nothing aggravates me more.

Since we're supposedly the

richest county in Georgia, why don't we have all sensor-controlled traffic

lights? Why are we still hindered by the archaic, inefficient timed lights?

Maybe it's a conspiracy between the PTC brass and the medical practitioners:

They know that the finger-drumming, mind-numbing sitting at useless stoplights

too long will raise our blood pressures and cause ulcers. If only we could

get sensor lights, driving around town would be infinitely easier.

As for the left-lane/right-lane

dilemma, I have to say I agree with Cal Beverly. What part of "slower

traffic keep right" do people not understand? I understand wanting

to avoid speeding, especially with the mercenary PTC traffic cops around

here. But follow the law in the right lane, because others are in a hurry

and are willing to risk it, if you'd only move out of the way.

Yet another aggravation: Failing

to use one's signals. Few things are more frustrating than waiting to

merge onto a road for a car to pass, only to see that car turn suddenly

mere feet away from you. If only the driver had let you know he or she

was turning, you could have merged ten times! But no, it apparently requires

too much effort to extend the arm and use the turn signal.

Worse still is when people

do use their turn signal once they're in the turn lane. As if the huge

arrow and separate lane weren't good enough indicators. That information

would have been a little more useful before you went ahead and got out

of my way.

But nothing, nothing, makes

my blood boil faster than driving on Ga. Highway 74. In fact, I take the

long route through Redwine Road, Robinson Road, and Peachtree Parkway

these days to avoid growing an ulcer or losing my sanity.

It's not bad enough that there

are about 500 lights, all tripped up by one car that could easily have

slipped into the oncoming traffic. Then and this is would be funnier if

it weren't so infuriating there are the bicyclists on one of the busiest

roads in Fayette County.

You have to swerve into the

other lane to avoid hitting them, so if there is oncoming traffic (and

there always is) you've got to slow down to a crawl until it's safe to

continue. Forgive my insensitivity, but I don't care if you and your bike

need special terrain to practice properly. You're inconveniencing and

endangering tons of motorists because you just have to ride your bike

on 74, of all roads.

But the trucks are the worst.

They often cut you off, even when no one is behind you, and don't even

have the courtesy (or maybe the ability) to speed up. These road hogs

take about two hours to accelerate, so every light you're stopped at behind

one robs you of time and sanity. You would try to pass them, but there's

always oncoming traffic so you can't.

Basically, driving around Fayette

County, especially PTC, really makes me appreciate this great place less.

I love living here, but I think we can all agree that the building needs

to stop. With every new neighborhood come more people, and more drivers

to crowd the roads and cause accidents. I realize what a wonderful, safe,

friendly community this is and completely understand the desire to move

here. But scores of new residents in an already overpopulated place just

takes away the town's quality of life from everyone.

Crowded or not, PTC would be

a lot more pleasant place if the people who wave, smile, and greet one

another on the golf cart paths would extend the same courtesy and thoughtfulness

when they're behind the wheel.

[Jennifer Gaynor of Fayetteville

is a college student on summer break from UGA.]