Rant & Rave: Reader tired of ‘Lance Armstrong wannabes’ on Burke-Gilman

RANT to the Lance Armstrong wannabes on the Burke-Gilman Trail, particularly those who bike side by side at well over the posted speed limit. One lost control and smashed into my wife while she was taking an afternoon stroll. She was lucky she wasn’t hurt, but I see close calls every day. If you’re going to ride like that, go for it on the open road, not on a shared trail with children, pets and walkers.

RAVE to the heroic person who jumped out of their pickup on I-5 southbound at Northgate to help me when my engine died. This angel stopped the heavy traffic flowing around us on both sides so that I could slowly coast backward, across the lane, to the shoulder. I was a sitting duck and they were fearless. Thank you!

RANT to bank customer service systems. We wait five minutes to an hour for a customer representative to arrive. Before their arrival, we answer automated voice questions about our name, birthday, address and more. Then, right after we get a real person on the other side, the real person asks the same questions again! What is the point of the automated voice questions right before the real person?

RAVE to the opticians at Issaquah Vision! They are always happy to see their customers and seem to love what they do. Their customer service is above and beyond.

RANT to people who don’t know that car headlights are ADJUSTABLE and often need readjustment to be aimed at the road and not an oncoming driver’s eyes.

RAVE to all of us who care about the Earth!

RANT to traffic light timing. Why is it that we sit at a red light while the light a block ahead is green, only to turn red seconds later after the light I await turns green? A lot of damage is done to our environment by idling. Stop, go, stop. The many stopped cars just sit and idle awaiting the signal change. I thought we were trying to reduce wasted energy. Perhaps our traffic engineers can address this practice, or wait for AI to do their job for them.     

RANT AND RAVE Rant to the increased speeding through the extremely tight, windy Perkins Way corridor through Lake Forest Park, as well as the increased “cut-throughs” used by large vehicles that are damaging the roadway and what little shoulder exists. Rave to the dog walkers and bicyclists who brave the unsafe conditions to enjoy the corridor’s stunning beauty.   

RANT AND RAVE Rave to all the Eastsiders who I saw paying for their ride on the first day of light rail services the other day, even though no one was checking if they had paid or not. Rant to all the Seattle residents who never pay, which I see all the time.

RANT AND RAVE Rave to Snohomish County Parks & Recreation for fixing the zip line at Esperance Park. You made our 8-year-old’s day. Rant to the adults for breaking it (twice). Leave it for the kids!