Traffic Jam
October 3rd, 2011Do you ever wonder about what causes those Traffic Jams - What causes Traffic to seize up - sometimes suddenly, sometimes gently - but still, why does the traffic
stop? On a parkway - speed limit 55 - and we’re stopped. 5-miles per hour, stop, gently inching up….. nobody likes it. So why does it happen?
I drew at a Party up in Cortlandt Manor last weekend.
maps.google.com says it takes about 1 1/2 hours. But as usual, I left myself FOUR HOURS for travel. To make sure I can arrive early and relaxed. To allow for the Unlikely, doesn’t usually happen, that I might get lost. And mostly to allow for the Probably will happen at least once - getting stuck in traffic.
And as usual, getting on to the Hutchinson River Parkway and at the beginning of the Hutchinson River Parkway, the Hutchinson River Parkway, so beautiful, named after Anne Hutchinson, with the very big high-arched bridge that we drive under, the beautiful scenery….. As usual, there I was. Stuck. What should take 10 minutes of travel…… I don’t even count any more. I just go slowly. Stop. Like I just felt like waking up early to sit around or something.
Ooops - So many words and thoughts here. I feel like taking break from all this uncomfortable Thinking. Here are some pictures - grabbed from a few parties. My Caricatures:
back to my soap-box - -
This time, I thought about all those Parking Tickets that the police give out. Speeding tickets. Whatever other things they’re involved in. I’m sure it’s all important, keeps us safe and keeps our world moving along cleanly - even though we don’t like it if we’re the ones who are ‘cut back’, we don’t like it if we’re the ones who are reminded of The Limits. And sometimes seems unnecessary. Sometimes is Seems (I could be wrong), but it Seems like nobody would have been badly affected if I was allowed to park
There.
This time, I thought that it would be a good use, a good thing for some police car(s) to do, to coordinate with each other, to Find Out What Is Causing This Traffic Jam.
Sometimes, it’s a very unfortunate situation. Sometimes it’s caused by a car accident that occludes the road, a jack-knifed tractor-trailer, or something like that. A few years ago, I think I was even involved in stopped traffic on the Wantagh Parkway in which a friend later told me that there had been an escaped Bear from the Bronx Zoo? Could that have been?
Anyway, Sometimes there’s a bona-fide reason Why. Why are so many people Stopped. But I imagine that most of the time that’s not the case. I don’t know what it is that is causing the stopped traffic. I’ve even, oh, this is ridiculous, but I’ve even toyed with the idea that our government officials might be purposely driving slowly together at the ‘front’ of the line to keep the proletariat in it’s place…. Oh, that’s silly. But what is it? Perhaps some nervous helpless person driving back and forth between the lanes at 10 miles per hour? And that person Always goes on Route 695 passing Pelham Manor on the way to the Hutchinson River Parkway? And there are more of them out there - that there are people who are afraid to step on the gas pedal. Always. Yeow, my guesses seem unrealistic. But I can’t come up with anything else. Why does it happen???
Wouldn’t it be a good idea, actually a Good reason for government finally - to coordinate police-cars with their police-radios - to have them get on the Parkway to check out the situation - to Find what’s causing the Traffic Jam - so they could either be Helpful if someone is having trouble or they could give out tickets if someone is being rude? Wouldn’t that be a good reason to police the area? Couldn’t they use helicopters to help with this type of police-work?
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