In honor of Toledo’s recent ranking as one of the 100 angriest cities, I thought it might be good for my blood pressure if I let loose on a few things that really make me angry. OK, maybe they really just irritate me a lot. But I see no sense in keeping all this frustration and irritation bottled up any longer. I refuse to contribute to the city’s anger ranking any more

Generally, I’m a happy person. Really, I am. But there are certain things that just get under my skin and make my blood boil. Take for example, bad drivers. Aside from being a city full of angry people, Toledo is also a city full of really bad drivers.

If some idiot going 80 mph is not running me off the expressway, then I’m stuck behind someone on Monroe Street who believes the posted speed limit is merely a suggestion and they’d rather go 20 mph. Look people, it’s quite simple really: go the speed limit. Too fast or too slow, either way it just really ticks me off. There’s no need to go faster and there is really no point in going slower.

That’s right, I said there’s no point in going slower. Unless of course you happen to be one of the Indy car racers who routinely drive through my neighborhood with a complete disregard for the posted 25 mph speed limit.

In case you neighborhood speeders don’t realize it, there are many children who live in my neighborhood and when you drive around with your radio blaring and your cell phone permanently stuck to your ear, all the while driving at least 35 to 40 mph, you are endangering everyone. Including my daughter. And that is unacceptable to me. And it makes me very, very angry.

So, drive the posted speed limit in neighborhoods. And while you’re at it, how about stopping at all those stop signs too. They are there for a reason.

While speedy neighborhood drivers are a nuisance and threat to everyone’s safety, as a parent there are other things that cause me to get a little crazy.

The worst offender in my book is businesses that refuse to provide necessary services to parents and their kids. I’m talking specifically about the lack of changing tables and other kid-related necessities at restaurants and certain coffee houses in the area.

While I have no concrete proof of it, I think that a particular world-famous coffee shop has a secret “no kid” policy. I think they have no high chairs and nowhere to change dirty diapers because they only want non-parents to come in and sip their fancy lattes. I was so furious upon discovering the lack of a changing table that I almost changed a very dirty diaper right in the middle of the store. I’m rather certain that would have made a point.

I believe my anger over this is justified. It’s difficult enough to be a parent without restaurants and coffee houses refusing to provide simple kid-friendly services. Really, all I’m asking for is clean, safe high chairs and a few changing tables. With all the over-priced coffee this particular business sells on a daily basis, I’m sure they can afford to accommodate parents and their kids.

My advice to restaurants and other food establishments is this: if you don’t want parents and their kids as patrons, post a sign on your door that says “No Kids Allowed.”

Those of us who are parents will get the message and we’ll go elsewhere, driving within the posted speed limit as we go.

E-mail Traci Curth at letters@toledofreepress.com

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 30th, 2006 at 12:00 am and is filed under TFP Version 1.
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