Rochester Should Copy Florida in Dealing with Slow-Poke Drivers

One of my driving pet peeves isn't those people who blow by you going way faster than you are, but are instead the drivers who insist on driving way slower. Which is why I think Rochester should follow Florida's lead when it comes to slow-poke drivers.

According to this story by former Rochester journalist Mary McGuire (who now reports for WFLA, the CBS affiliate in Tampa, Florida), the Florida Highway Patrol is cracking down on drivers who don't drive fast enough.

Authorities in Florida note that the Tampa area is deluged with many out-of-town visitors this time of year who hit the area for spring break. That means many drivers aren't familiar with area freeways and interstates, and often end up impeding traffic by driving too slowly. And, Mary's story says, now those slow-poke drivers could soon get a ticket.

"Driving too slow isn’t just really annoying for everyone else around you- it’s also dangerous. So, to keep motorists safe and moving along, the Florida Highway Patrol is warning drivers that they could be fined if they don’t obey the minimum speed limit," the story says.

I think the Minnesota State Patrol and Rochester police should do the same thing here. The Med City also has a lot of out-of-town visitors who aren't familiar with our area roads and highways, and often end up slowly plodding along Highway-52 at speeds way less than the 60 mile per hour limit.

One area in particular that seems to attract slow-poke drivers is the Highway-52 northbound ramp from Civic Center Drive. It seems I always end up behind someone who won't accelerate up to highway speed coming off the ramp while in the right lane (the lane that soon turns into an exit lane for Elton Hills Drive). This makes trying to get around them on the left difficult, because traffic in the middle and left lanes of northbound Highway-52 is already traveling at highway speeds, and, thanks to the pokey driver in front of me, I can't get going fast enough to merge in.

Things would flow much more smoothly if drivers would accelerate up to highway speed once they get off the ramp to match the speed at which traffic on Highway-52 is already traveling. (I'm not talking about having to speed faster than the limit, mind you, I'm just asking for folks to drive the posted limit of 60 miles an hour.)

Perhaps the threat of a ticket for going too slow-- as police in Florida are now doing-- might be a good thing here in southeast Minnesota, too!