01 November 2006

A daily commuter's thoughts

I have just driven home from work ... running late today and I hit the "rush hour" traffic. Now, I realize that we (being a city of only 1 million) have no where close to the congestion that large cities have. But ... I do believe in four major truths about rush hour traffic.

#1 - Posted speed limits are merely a 'suggestion' to most drivers, or worse yet .. a starting point.
#2 - Most people do not think about getting in their proper lane until the very last minute. This is especially true if you need to change 2 or 3 lanes. If this bothers you, they are
more than
willing to extend their finger in your direction and talk loudly about your parentage, or lack of same.
#3 - Talking on the cell phone, eating, and applying make-up are much preferable to actually paying attention to your driving or the traffic situations around you.
#4 - Red lights are not important, they merely let you know that some asshole may pull out in front of you from the lanes to your left or right (that actually have the right of way). Shame on them.

Am I bitter? No, .... but I do feel more fear on Tucson's streets than I felt in Vietnam. I relish the fact that, usually, I miss the traffic this time of day. The people who (nationwide) spend part of each day in these traffic maelstroms have my sympathy and my respect ... unless they are the ones who are guilty of the aforementioned faux pas' .. or one of the few that I didn't mention.

Later !

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