Flathead travel an adventure

Maybe it's my age. Or perhaps it's just that drivers are more in a hurry than they used to be.

I've spent most of my driving years on the mostly wide-open roads of Wyoming. I didn't have to worry very much about being tailgated or someone cutting in front of me to beat oncoming traffic. A little more than four years ago, I moved to Spokane from a town of 1,200 people in northern Wyoming.

Spokane and the attached communities has grown to more than 400,000 residents. With the Spokane River cutting through the north side of the downtown area, there are only three or four bridges over a 12-mile stretch to cross the river. You can imagine the traffic congestion that drivers face, especially during morning and late afternoon commutes to work or home. Interstate 90 can also get backed up for miles, as people drive to and from Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene.

YOU WOULDN'T THINK by the traffic in Columbia Falls that the town has only about 4,000 residents (3,645 in the 2000 census, according to the U.S. Census Bureau). Factored into the traffic flow is that Columbia Falls is the gateway to Glacier National Park, a very popular destination of vacationers.

I haven't seen bumper-to-bumper traffic on Highway 2 through town unless there is a wreck. But I am concerned about how many people drive from the junction of U.S. 2 and State Highway 40 through Columbia Falls and on to the Park, or vice versa.

First, a word about Highway 2 between Kalispell and Columbia Falls. From the north edge of Kalispell to the Highway 40 junction, the speed limit is 70 mph — 60 mph for trucks. I've driven to Kalispell several times in my first two weeks in Flathead County. My speed was between 60 and 70. At least once on my round-trip drive, someone going at least 80 has flown by. I'm sure there are tickets issued on that stretch of highway, but I haven't seen anyone who was pulled over. A speed of 70 is plenty fast to cover a stretch of only about 10 miles.

Who's responsible for clean-up of the debris in the turning lane on Highway 2 between Kalispell and the Highway 40 junction? There are parts of a shredded tire there, rocks and other trash. In fact, my windshield took on a flying rock during my Friday trip to Kalispell. That came from near the middle of the highway. Immediately, the crack went to 7 inches, then took a turn toward my visual field. No chance for a rock chip repair. I'll have to come up with the $100 deductible to get a new windshield.

I'VE OBSERVED MANY drivers, especially eastbound, who cruise into Columbia Falls. Many are not slowing to 45 mph and then 35 mph. Most of the speeders must be in a hurry to get to the Park or elsewhere. You can see by the list of issued speeding tickets in our newspaper that law enforcement is busy writing citations. No matter how fast they go, the Park will still be there when they arrive. So what if it takes an extra few minutes to get there?

Although I don't see too much of it in Columbia Falls, it really bothers me when people use the "turning" lane as a "merging" lane on a four-lane street or highway. In my opinion, that presents a potentially dangerous situation. If someone is driving along at 10 mph trying to merge, how can the lane be used by someone who wants to turn left — going in either direction? If there is too much traffic for them to turn left right away, they should either wait until they can get right into the proper lane of travel or take a different route.

We should all be defensive drivers, but sometimes we just can't avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And look out for pedestrians.

They often cross where there isn't a crosswalk. I'm guilty of that, but sometimes crosswalks don't exist near where you want to cross. Be courteous and yield to people standing at street corners waiting to cross the street. You could be on that corner some day.

Joe Sova is the editor of the Hungry Horse News.