The

Undeniable

Ruth

®

…and the Ruth shall set you free!

  • How to Make Phoenix Safer for Pedestrians – Stop Being Stupid

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    Ruth Carter

    I recently participated in a phone survey about pedestrian safety in Phoenix. As someone who regularly walks and jogs in my neighborhood, pedestrian safety is an everyday concern. According to the AZ DOT Crash Facts, there were 1,575 car-pedestrian accidents in Arizona in 2012 that resulted in 1,354 injuries and 131 deaths. I prefer not to be the next statistic.

    In general, I feel like Phoenix is a fairly safe place to be a pedestrian, however, the survey questions had little to do with factors that contribute to risks to pedestrians. They asked whether the sidewalks were wide enough (yes), whether there’s adequate lighting (most of the time), if the walk signals at intersections are long enough (yes), and whether emergency vehicles respond to accidents swiftly enough (this has nothing to do with things that cause pedestrian accidents).

    They survey person didn’t ask about the two main factors that I think contribute to car-pedestrian accidents: stupid pedestrians and stupid drivers.

    jaywalking by ^ Missi ^ from Flickr (Creative Commons License)
    jaywalking by ^ Missi ^ from Flickr (Creative Commons License)

    Stupid Pedestrians
    One of the biggest risks to pedestrian safety I see every day is jaywalking. I’m not talking about people walking their dogs in the neighborhood and crossing in the middle of the block. I’m talking about people crossing 6-lane streets where the speed limit is 40 mph during peak driving times. I live near such a street and I see this all the time, even with a crosswalk located a few hundred feet away and an underpass available.

    The worst is when I see a parent jaywalking with their kids. I’ve seen jaywalking parents in the suicide lane pushing a baby stroller with one hand and their other hand is holding the hand of their toddler. It’s one thing to be cavalier about your own safety, but don’t put your kids at risk. It’s because of this that my first question when I hear about a car-pedestrian accident is whether the person was jaywalking.

    And another thing, if you walk when it’s dark out, especially in neighborhoods that don’t have that many street lights, please wear something that makes you more visible. When I go jogging before sunrise, I wear a reflective belt and sometimes a headlamp. You can’t expect people not to hit you if you can’t be seen.

    Stop Hammertime by Rich Anderson from Flickr (Creative Commons License)
    Stop Hammertime by Rich Anderson from Flickr (Creative Commons License)

    Stupid Drivers
    The number one threat to my safety as a pedestrian is drivers making right-hand turns at intersections – especially ones that have a traffic signal. A lot of them don’t stop behind the crosswalk and they don’t look for pedestrians trying to cross the street. I’ve been almost hit twice in one trip across an intersection. I had the walk signal and cars at both corners weren’t paying attention to the fact that I was there. I know I’m small but I’m not invisible.

    I also worry about walking my dog Rosie in crosswalks. I made the mistake of not staying right by her side once and a car starting turning after I was out of his way but she wasn’t. That scared the crap out of me.

    The other set of stupid drivers are the ones who don’t know how to stop at stop signs. A lot of neighborhoods don’t have the white line on the ground next to the stop sign and so when drivers stop at the stop sign, the front of their car is about 4 feet in front of the stop sign, which puts them right in the middle of where pedestrians walk when they cross the street. This is less of an issue when I’m walking but it’s big issue when I’m running. I like it when drivers don’t plow into me during morning exercise. It’s because of these people that I got my reflective belt.

    I agree that pedestrian safety is an issue in Phoenix that could be easily improved, but it’s less of a city issue and more of a stupid people problem. One of the things I frequently say when I cross the street is, “Thank you for not hitting me.” It sounds funny, but given the number of close calls I’ve had, it’s true.

  • Minimalism Project Update – One Year Later

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    Ruth Carter

    I went to SXSW last year and one of the best presentations I went to was on business and minimalism. I wanted to minimize my life and this gave me the motivation I needed. By the end of the hour, I’d broken down the major areas of my house where I keep my into a list of areas I could tackle in a week’s time with the goal of having the entire house cleaned out over the course of about six months. (I <3 The Minimalists.) It felt really good to fill my entire trunk and backseat with unwanted stuff and drop it off at Goodwill.

    Part of the "Donate" Pile from Last Year's Clean Out
    Part of the “Donate” Pile from Last Year’s Clean Out

    My minimalism project was a huge success. I got rid of so much stuff that was cluttering up my life. I felt much more clear-headed as I decreased the amount of stuff around me. I also made it a point not to bring more stuff into the house. The hardest part of that is managing the amount of paper that comes into my life – business cards, flyers, receipts, etc. I try to get things put away or thrown away as fast as possible. I still get piles of paper around that I need to be better about filing or getting rid of faster.

    Embracing minimalism helped me let go of the idea that stuff has meaning. Memories have meaning. Stuff is stuff. An item may be a visual reminder of a memory or an idea, but it doesn’t replace it. I still have the memory or the idea without the thing it’s attached to. I realized I fully learned this lesson last year when I lost my bear necklace while I was traveling. I’d worn this necklace almost every day for over 16 years. I had it when I left the hotel in Washington DC, but three airports, two airplanes, and two shuttle vans later, it was gone. I filed missing item reports with all the airports and the airline but they didn’t find it. About five years ago, I misplaced this necklace for a few hours and I was devastated until I found it. It was gone forever and I was ok with it. It was just a thing. I’m not worse off because I don’t have it; I wasn’t even sad, and I didn’t replace it with another necklace.

    Various Club Cards I Don't Need
    Various Club Cards I Don’t Need

    I’m pleased with the progress I’ve made in minimizing my life but there’s still work to be done. I think it’s time to take the minimalism project to the next level. I’ve been feeling like my world is still too cluttered and I’m noticing areas of the house that may have been overlooked in last year’s clean-out – like the little desk in my bedroom where I found my address book from undergrad and a stack of loyalty cards where most of the businesses have since changed their rewards program.

    I think my new guiding principle will be, “If I was doing a clean out to get ready to move, would this item make the cut?” If the answer is “No,” it’s an item that needs to be thrown away or given away. I won’t do a systematic approach like I did last year, but I want make a conscious effort to clean out my life every time I clean up the house.

  • Getting Back on the Horse…err, I mean Bike

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    Ruth Carter

    I love riding my bike. I love that when I’m biking or running the rest of the world just disappears. It’s just me and the road and the wind in my face. I love the feeling of my muscles propelling me down the road. If you haven’t tried them, the Phoenix canals are an awesome place to work out. They’re well-maintained and you can go for miles without having to worry about being hit by cars.

    With my leg injuries last year, I was doing all my cardio on my bike. I was riding 13 miles, 3 times a week, and doing an extra long 18-mile ride on the weekend. I was riding so much I was ready to get a pair of padded-butt shorts and starting to look for a 50 or 100-mile charity bike ride to inspire me to up my training.

    And then the accident happened.

    Day After my Bike Accident - Look Where my Head Crashed into my Helmet
    Day After my Bike Accident – Look Where my Head Crashed into my Helmet

    I tracked my friend while he was doing his first half Ironman and I felt so lazy in comparison vegging at home. So I suited up and headed out for a 13-mile ride. It was a gorgeous sunny October afternoon. I was still tired from Ignite Phoenix a few days before and a full Saturday of events but it felt good to feel my quad muscles working beneath me. I was about 2 miles from getting back home when I headed through an underpass. A skateboarder was ahead of me, right in the middle of the path so I couldn’t safely pass him. I went to ring my bell to alert him of my presence and somehow my hand slipped over it. I was on the downward ramp and picking up speed so I slammed on my brakes to avoid colliding with him.

    The good news is my brakes work great. My bike stopped on a dime.
    The bad news is I didn’t.

    I went over my handlebars and I slammed into the ground, my legs tangled up in my bike frame. My helmet protected my head, but the fall rattled it pretty hard. The skateboarder heard me crash and came back to see if I was OK. I sat up and did a quick head-to-toe injury check – both knees were scraped up along with both wrists and my left elbow.

    Singing at Christmas Service - Check out my Elbow Scars
    Singing at Christmas Service – Check out my Elbow Scars

    I walked home, threw away my ripped shirt, and took a shower and gently scrubbed the dirt out of my wounds. I wasn’t sure I didn’t have a concussion or a broken elbow so I rested without pain meds until the next day. I slathered my wounds with antibiotic ointment for weeks until they healed, and now I’m left with scars on my wrists and elbows that vary in color from light pink to dark purple depending on how cold I am. I hate my scars.

    Since the accident, I’ve barely ridden my bike. I have ridden along the canal but now I slow down on the underpass ramps instead of flying under the streets. I told myself I wasn’t riding because it was cold in the winter, but now that excuse is gone. I think part of me is still really nervous about riding. I’d never had a bad accident like that before. The only thing that comes close is getting hurt in gymnastics but they have you back out working your skills again as soon as it’s safe. With this, there’s no coach telling me have to do it and encouraging me every step of the way.

    Last week I shared my list of cool stuff I want to do this spring. I think I need to add “regularly riding my bike” to the list. It will be a nice supplement to my new running regimen. And I still think I’d like to do some type of charity bike ride so if anyone knows of one in the Phoenix area, perhaps in the fall, please let me know!