And I’m not talking about the presidents!

So much has happened since my October column, I had a tough time deciding on what to share.

Among my choices were 1) The epic fails of the Democrats at the polls on Election Day; the University of Michigan Wolverines and the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame;  2) The opening of the new One World Trade Center, and the closing of Bill Cosby’s career; 3) A very cold and snowy mid-November; 4) Another Executive Order handed down by President Obama;  5) The (forced?) resignation of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and 6) The Ferguson riots.  It has been a very busy and tumultuous month.

So, there I was sitting at the stop light at Grant and Lincoln on Niles’ west side when the idea for this column hit me like a semi truck!  We now have a green arrow for left turns at the intersection!

Because I drive back and forth to work in Berrien Springs every day, I usually cross the Main Street Bridge to get to Front Street and M-139.  Now that the bridge is closed, I had been dreading the drive to work because the US 31 expressway is frankly out of my way and slick in the winter months.  But to my great surprise, I am finding the drivers of Niles to be exceptionally courteous and thoughtful.  EVERY DAY!

Having spent more than 35 years driving in Washington DC, I have witnessed drivers passing school buses, fire trucks and ambulances.  I have seen drivers disrespectfully honk and get in the way of funeral cortèges.  I have seen too many highway atrocities to list.

But what I have seen so far are local drivers who let people turn in front of them from Second Street west onto the Broadway Bridge.  This could be a big bottleneck, but drivers are letting people turn in front of them.  They also are doing it when cars need to turn onto Parkway, Market and State streets.  A moment of courtesy makes a minute of kindness, or something along those lines.

Speaking of lines, the most heartening sight I have witnessed was while I was headed west on Grant at St. Joseph Avenue in extremely heavy traffic at about 4:30 p.m.  I saw in the distance a speeding ambulance pass over the Grant Street viaduct headed for certain gridlock and Lakeland Hospital.  Almost on cue, every car began pulling as closely to the curb as they could get, creating a perfect middle lane, allowing the ambulance to pass without even the need to slow down.  It was like the parting of the Red Sea!

The closure of the Main Street Bridge is an epic inconvenience, but not nearly as epic as the wonderful way Niles drivers are adapting to the increased traffic.

Thank you and God bless you!  And God bless the left turn arrow at Grant and Lincoln!
A native of Niles, Jack Strayer moved back home in 2009 after living and working in Washington DC since 1976. Strayer has served as a congressional staffer, state legislative press secretary, federal registered lobbyist and Vice President of the National Center for Policy Analysis. He is a nationally recognized expert on federal health policy reform and led the fight for the enactment of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).