- July 30, 2026
Many of us drive through road construction at some point during the day. Some of us drive through it 10-20 times a day while traveling to clients. I don't know many people who wouldn't rather the Belle Terre work be done at night. And if you live close enough to hear the construction, I'd imagine most people would rather put on some music or white noise to sleep than deal with the traffic backups all day.
That's a better trade-off than slowing down the work we need completed in an already expensive county. It's frustrating to see miles of road blocked off when only 30 yards are actively being worked on, large equipment sitting unused for days or even weeks, and sometimes barely anyone working at all.
Much of the planning doesn't appear effective or efficient, something everyone in business understands. However, there’s been enough bemoaning about these poorly managed projects. The rest is up to us at the ballot box and expecting better from those responsible for our roadways.
That said, road construction isn't the only problem. Too many people ignore the rules of the road and drive, walk and bike incredibly selfishly.
I'm not talking about occasional human mistakes, and it certainly isn't limited to young people. I'm talking about consistent patterns of behavior that those of us on the road see all day, not an anecdote. Aggressive speeding, weaving through traffic and tailgating are patterns.
Rolling through stop signs and red lights as if they're optional, trying to "beat" the person who actually has the right of way, is a pattern. Consistently not using blinkers is a pattern. And then there are the phones. Little eyes are watching, many of them getting close to driving age themselves. It's hard to blame kids for copying what they constantly see adults doing.
I believe we should all periodically renew our licenses with an actual driving test. When our actions affect public safety, we owe it to one another to be alert behind the wheel. A refresher would benefit everyone. We also need to expand county transportation options for people who are no longer safe to drive, whether because of age or other circumstances.
Law enforcement often seems focused primarily on speeding, especially after I was run off the road in front of six of them on motorcycles Monday, July 20th, around 11 a.m., by someone not paying attention, and they continued to stare at their radar guns. The rest falls on us clearly. We all have a responsibility to think about the bigger picture and do what we can to reduce traffic, crashes and injuries.
A few friendly reminders:
Zipper merge: Belle Terre is backed up for miles because 90-95% of drivers merge into the left lane far too early. Then, when someone correctly uses the open lane until the merge point, people try to block them because they think they're "cutting." That's not how a zipper merge works. Yes, sometimes you'll have to let someone in front of you. No, you shouldn't stop in the middle of an open lane trying to force your way over.
Blinkers: Making everyone guess whether you're changing lanes or turning slows traffic and creates unnecessary risk. Signaling your intentions makes the road safer for everyone. There are many points that are congested and when drivers are waiting on other drivers who end up out of the way due to turning beforehand, it creates more back-up.
Rearview and side mirrors: They aren't enough! I was run off the road by someone who clearly did not look to his left before moving. Blind spots are real! My aunt taught me to glance left or right before changing lanes, and it has prevented me from doing what almost happened to me (on July 20).
Stop signs, red lights: Our cars must come to a complete stop, not a rolling stop, before the crosswalk. There are streets and spots that don't even have stop signs, and people with them run them to beat those that don't. Belle Terre Crossings Publix is a good example. That place is poorly planned, but the lane leading up to the light exiting the complex does not have a stop sign, and the people on the sides do, because no one but workers park there; the lane with no stop sign is where most people park, so it can't get congested. Yet I almost hit someone [recently] because they thought the stop sign was optional. In front of Target is bad too. Although the stop signs should be in front of the crosswalk, one isn't, but people blow through them trying to beat walkers or cars trying to get out of the lanes.
Check on your parents/grandparents: A lot of elderly people are driving around either aggressively or so slow and scared it creates a hazard. An old man in a little green car has been zipping around my neighborhood for years, including getting very close to my son getting off the bus. One older driver had all the time in the world to turn and waited until I was super close, cut me off, then went 10 under the speed limit, seemingly only in a hurry when it came to cutting people off. Another was so close to my rear I couldn't see his headlights, and after I turned, he proceeded to do it to the next car. These are patterns, not little mistakes.
Ride with, walk against: If you're walking, face oncoming traffic so you can see what's coming. When possible, step onto the grass or shoulder when a vehicle approaches so traffic can continue safely. Even if someone moves over, I give them as much space as I safely can. If another car is coming in the opposite direction, I slow down and stay in my lane. Walking in the roadway expecting cars to simply go around you is dangerous, especially coupled with work trucks parked in the street. Walking your dog with the dog on the traffic side while cars are approaching is dangerous. Cyclists should ride with traffic so vehicles behind them can slow appropriately rather than forcing dangerous head-on situations with oncoming traffic. The rules are there for safety and efficiency for everyone.
Crosswalks: Pressing the button does not stop all traffic, it just adds you to the rotation, so there's no need to press it over and over and get impatient by walking or biking anyway. An elderly man flipped me off when I gently reminded him he should wait for the light after almost getting pummeled by cars with the right of way that cannot stop on a dime. On the flipside, many drivers never look at whether a walker/biker has the right of way. They don't look at anyone at all, and act like they don't know how the light cycles work, trying to beat the walker or cyclist.
We're all trying to get to work, outings and home efficiently and safely. A little more patience, awareness and courtesy from everyone would go a long way. There's a balance, and too often we miss it, and those that act the most impatient in traffic cause more themselves. Safe, efficient driving requires working with other drivers, not against them.
Angela Raimondo is a Flagler County resident. She recently earned a degree in information systems management.
