Monday, April 28, 2008

#11: Non-Synchronized Traffic Lights

I really don't enjoy driving. Never have. Except maybe when the top's down on a convertible, on a gorgeous sunny day, miles of open road and no one else around. And...

No stoplights.

But let's face it, that's the exception rather than the norm.

The worst is driving on a stretch of road where the stoplights are not synchronized.

Depending on which route I take to work each day, I hit either 15 or 16 traffic lights. (Yes, I counted.) The frustrating part is that 8 of those are on the same stretch of highway. And every single one of those is less than a mile from the previous one. Less than a mile! So why oh why do I hit 5 of those lights red everyday? It's impossible to drive the posted speed limit and make the next light. Would it be too much to ask to be able to drive four or five miles without hitting a red light?

And there's one stretch where, if I push for 12-15 mph over the speed limit, I can make the next light. But guess what...that's where the traffic cops hang out. Tell me they don't know what's going on!

Sometimes I wonder if there's a guy sitting at a bunch of video monitors in a city office somewhere, watching us drivers...getting a kick out of tripping the lights just so we can't make the next one. Ha!

I suppose some people love the non-synchronized lights. Like the brake repair shops. They've gotta love all this start...stop...start...stop. Everytime we see a red light...they see green!

Let's be honest: Coordinating traffic can't be easy. But it seems to me that you should be able to drive the speed limit on major roads (highways, etc.) and make it through at least three lights without having to stop.

Non-synchronized Traffic Lights: You Suck

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I appreciate stoplights, and they can last as long as they want me to sit there, the bickering and fussiness coming from the backseat makes me bonkers.

Stoplights are my few moments where I can mentally retreat to my happy place.

If I'm really lucky I can find a song everyone will sing to, and then listen to it over and over again 10 or 50 times.

Hoover Maneuver said...

You're a glass is half full kinda person, aren't ya!

I dislike stoplights because I don't enjoy driving. I just want to get out of the car as quickly as possible. Could have something to do with the fact that I've gotten 4 speeding tickets in the last 8 years!

Dang. I need to slow down.

Anonymous said...

Well, I don't spend an outrageous amount of time in the car though.

But ultimately, yes, I am in fact a glass half full kinda person. Who enjoys complaining about things that suck - L.