THE GRIDLOCKSMITH: January 2010

GRIDLOCKSMITH: GATECRASHER!

Yes, friends, it's true. I crashed the party.

But, in my defense, I had been told that the event, "Feet First Caucus," was open to all. As it turned out, it was open to all attendees of the 89th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board. Had I successfully applied for "Media" participation, things would have been different. With a Media badge a person could have access to the whole shebang.

Fortunately for me, by the time I was approached with the query about my status, only a few minutes remained. This means I did get some pics, schmoozed a bit, and had a bite (cheese and crackers). They were quite polite, and seemed to understand my embarrassment over getting "bad information." No hard feelings. Perhaps, next time, I can be legit.

Since I had eaten a late lunch, I did not feel motivated to join the food line.Besides, as I was wearing my home-made sandwich board, and carried a sample tote bag and camera, my hands were already filled. Those who did patiently endure the line were rewarded...

...with a pretty nice spread of yummy treats.
The fancy stuff was gone by the time I made my way to the table,
but a variety of cheeses, crackers and bread remained.

Sorry, I did not catch the speaker's name,
but I do recognize the National Mall in Washington, D.C.,
and buildings that include the Capitol, in the background.

"Badges? We don't need no steenkeeng badges!"
Wait. Isn't that guy in the blue badge sweater, John Wetmore,
of Pedestrian Perils? Yup. Let's have tea, some time, eh?

Well, with my red baseball cap, coat and sandwich board, I'm sure that no one thought I was a deliberate crasher. I managed to spread the idea that "Road Peace" may be a step toward World Peace, met a few folks, and even had my picture taken by someone who seemed amused by something on my board.

After finishing my cheese and crackers, I departed without fanfare. My first encounter with a group of actual traffic engineers and other professionals could have been worse. Another deposit in the bank of stories of gridlocksmith misadventures has been made.

Morale Quotient (MQ) remains high.

Until next time, as ET would say, "Be Goood."

NETWORKING...

(Click to view in store)

(The following is the product of a writer who cares deeply about
traffic safety, and promoting kindness. Can you help?)

We expect folks like AAA and Government agencies to be enormous resources for traffic safety advocacy. Their work is acknowledged and appreciated.

Support and encouragement are needed by Grass Roots Traffic Safety Activists (GRTSAs). Can we each have a special link section for other GRTSAs to show that support and encouragement?

We might also engage in a dialog (Does such a forum exist, somewhere?) to share experiences and resources, as well as keeping each other informed. It is certainly not beyond the realm of possibility that we could get discounted office supplies, as well as other goods and services by shopping jointly. We can also be there for each other for letter writing campaigns or events that need volunteers. The ways in which we can team up are limited only by our imagination.

The value of our creativity, outside-the-box thinking and commitment should not be underestimated, nor under-appreciated. Working together, we can make much progress on the path to "Road Peace," a step on the road to "World Peace."

WORLDPEACEbegins by gridlocksmith
Browse other Gridlocksmith Bumper Stickers

SURPRISE! - "ROAD PEACE" in U.K.

"SURPRISE! SURPRISE! SURPRISE!"
-Gomer Pyle, USMC

(re-edited, March 10, 2010)
The new year is starting off with lots of surprises... for one, the term "road peace" has been thought of by others. In the U.K. there is a site called RoadPeace.org. It calls itself a "charity providing support for victims of road crashes and campaigning for justice, road safety and road danger reduction." You may want to check it out, especially if you have connections in the U.K.

Another surprise regarding "road peace" is the fact that the UN Road Safety Collaboration is also in the act.

Yet one more "road peace" piece is this piece from The Philipines.

Still more surprises... I found not one, but two activists in my area. Well, one led to the other, actually, but it feels wonderful to think that there can be allies close enough to entertain the idea of getting some "face time." The first is a television producer who focuses on pedestrian safety. In his response to my email, he sent a link to this blog by a visually impaired pedestrian.

Other great news: My brother, the talented nature photographer, gave permission for me to play with one of his photos. (It is one of my favorites, and can be seen on the site.) Soon, it will be available as poster, t-shirt, etc. It will look something like this...

The first time I saw the photo in the poster, above, I thought about the issue of child safety, and how kids get killed in the driveway, which is one of the big issues at kidsandcars.org. They also are very concerned about the tragedy of children being left in locked cars, where they die of heat stroke. Here is a touching story from The Washington Post.

Please, remember to check out the store... Among other things, you can find this key chain reminder-