Five Most Aggravating Things About Cedar Rapids

I love Cedar Rapids, I really do. But given the chance, there are a few things I would change about this wonderful city I now call home. I try hard not to be negative, and if you think I am being unfair, by all means, call me out. But first, let's see how many of these pet peeves of mine you agree with regarding life in Cedar Rapids:

Traffic Cameras – According to Photoenforced.com Cedar Rapids has four speeding cameras and ten red light cameras that keep an eye on you. This past March, the Gazette reported a huge increase in tickets being issued. I was tagged twice in one month and dutifully paid the fines. It was actually painful to fork over the dough - especially after hearing tales of some who fought the system and received dismissals. The Gazette also reported that the Iowa DOT ordered the city to shut down or move some cameras, which has lead to disagreements and ultimately a lawsuit being filed. That case is still pending in the courts. As for me, I think I'll just slow down.

Downtown Parking Fines - Another thing I hate about Cedar Rapids are the parking fines. Yes I am a noob, and yes, they got me too. I parked in a "reserved" stall by mistake. Boom. $25 fine! It would have been cheaper for me to park at an expired meter and pay a $7.50 daily ticket for three days! Paying for parking should be a big city concession. Imagine if everywhere you went, they charged you to park like downtown does. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE downtown. But the downtown parking? Not so much.

Navigating the Streets – Maybe this town should be called the "Quad Cities" as it's taken me about four months to figure out the four 'quadrants" of Cedar Rapids. If the river ran perfectly north and south it might be a little easier to learn my way around town. Why not just make I-380 the East/West dividing line? And while you're at it, why not pick a street that actually runs East and West instead of 1st Ave. I am slowly getting better but I still haven't completely figured it all out.

Tailgating on Mt. Vernon Road - This one really bugs me. The speed limit is 35 mph, which I believe is more than fast enough considering the proximity of the sidewalks to the road. It really should be 30 mph for safety's sake, but forget that! And along with speeding on Mt. Vernon, the hot-dogs and hill-rods tailgate like crazy! I cringe as I see moms with little kids just a few feet away from cars whizzing by at 40 mph! Slow down for Pete's sake!

No Macy’s- OK this is really one of my wife's biggest complaints. And it's true across all of Iowa. There is. Not. One. Single. Macy's. Anywhere in Iowa. You'd have to travel to Peoria or Rockford to find the closest Macy's Store. In fact there are a LOT of retail shops and stores we don't have in CR, like Crate and Barrel, the Container Store, Williams Sonoma, Neiman Marcus, IKEA. But like I said, this is not really MY complaint. Actually I'm rather grateful they are not here. Too much temptation for the spouse. Come to think of it, I have nothing to complain about at all. I LOVE my life in Cedar Rapids!

[sources: Gazette, Photoenforced.com]