Jun
29
VDOT: Making Slow Traffic Slower
Filed under traffic, signs at 4:07 pm | Leave a Comment
I left work around 2:00 pm on Friday afternoon, which unfortunately is well after the start of rush hour on Fridays during the summer in Northern Virginia. One particular stretch of the drive home that’s always particularly enjoyable is the backup where the highway “merges” 2 car pool lanes and 1 on-ramp into an already full 3 lanes of traffic. There’s nothing quite like inching along in a 2 mile backup on hot asphalt in 98 degree weather.
Occasionally traffic will ease up a bit after that merge, but on Friday the congestion remained and we plodded along. I wasn’t too surprised, as anything can cause traffic to slow down around here (e.g., a parked car on the side of the road, a new sign, rain, sun, clouds). This day, however, the additional slowdown was caused by our beloved VDOT. On one of the electronic overhead signs, usually reserved for useless and out-dated traffic information, they had a flashing message alerting us that we were under an Ozone warning, and encouraging us to reduce traffic by carpooling. As soon as I passed under the sign, traffic sped up and cleared out all the way to my exit.
VDOT claims to have “numerous initiatives to preserve the environment while keeping Virginia moving.” And yet they caused tens-of-thousands of cars to idle on the highway for 30 minutes longer than usual because of a pointless sign. How is that helping the environment or keeping traffic moving? It seems to me it’s doing quite the opposite. Nice work, VDOT.
Apr
26
you know traffic is bad when …
Filed under Washington D.C., traffic at 9:28 pm | Leave a Comment
You know traffic around here is bad when …
(1) … the local news radio station has a tag line that ends, “where the traffic only gets worse.”
(2) … your 22 month old son recognizes anytime the car is approaching the highway and instinctively yells, “Other way! I want other way!” while pointing in every direction but straight ahead. Seriously, he does it every time.
Jan
26
a walking miracle
Filed under traffic, travel, friends at 3:40 pm | 2 Comments
My family was in town the week of Thanksgiving last year. My dad was invited to preach at our church, so the family that was still in town came to our church to worship. After the service we piled in our cars and headed towards I-95. There was a significant line to get on the highway, and traffic appeared to be moving very slowly. We moaned, and made the usual snide remarks about traffic.
The next day at work I received a phone call explaining the reason for the traffic backup. A good friend of ours that I met at work was in a car accident on I-95, and it was his accident causing the backup we experienced. He and his family were on the way to church when a car swerved into their lane, causing them to loose control. Their car rolled numerous times while crossing all lanes of traffic. His wife and boys only suffered minor bruises, but he scraped his forehead on the pavement as they were rolling and broke his neck in three places. Had his neck bent in a different direction, he could have been paralyzed or killed instantly.
This week he returned to work full time, barely 8 weeks later, not even wearing a neck brace or having had any surgery. His neck is almost fully healed, and his hair is even growing back where his head kissed the pavement. I’ve heard him describe himself as a walking miracle, and to hear the stories of God’s protection during the accident and His provision afterward, it’s plain to see why.
It’s great to have you back in the saddle, Curtis. Keep preaching it, brother!