Hard to beat the construction season

[Ed62]

The day before yesterday, I took my daughter's kids home after watching them for the day. When I came home from her house, I jumped on US-30. Immediately after I got on, there was nothing to see but brake lights. This is a four lane highway, two on each side, plus turn lanes. But one lane was closed. This only affected the east bound traffic. West bound was completely open. Needless to say, it took quite a while to get home.

Yesterday when I took them home, I found they had moved the cones, and the westbound traffic was piled up. Eastbound was not affected now. When I finally got to my daughter's house, I spent about two hours with her before I came home. After those two hours, and on the way home, I found they had the westbound open, and the eastbound was again down to one lane. Guess I'm a born loser.

Ed

[cabinetman]

That's the same luck as standing in a long line at the grocery store. The long line next to you seems to be moving faster. So, you switch lines. As soon as you do that, your line stops dead, and the one you were in moves on through.
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[Ed62]

That's the same luck as standing in a long line at the grocery store. The long line next to you seems to be moving faster. So, you switch lines. As soon as you do that, your line stops dead, and the one you were in moves on through.
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That reminds me of the time during Christmas shopping season when I got in the shortest line that seemed to have stopped when I got in it. I turned to the guy and his wife who got in line in back of me, and said "If you ever see me in line again, do yourself a favor, and don't get behind me. I'm 65 years old, and have never been in the right line yet".

Ed

[crokett]

Statistically it is more likely that one of the other lanes will be moving faster than yours, since assuming 3 lanes, there is only a 1 in 3 chance you got the faster one. The odds get smaller the more lanes there are. With 2 lanes, your chances are 50/50.

[Richard in Smithville]

When I get into traffic that is stop and go, I usually stick to the lane I'm already in. Unless the lane is blocked, it will get me as far as I'm going just as easy and with out the hassle of switching lanes every two minutes.

[lago]

I do the same as Richard. I stick to one lane and watch some cars go past. A few minutes later, I am going past them. Why change lanes frequently and risk having an accident. I don't think you save that much time by switching lanes frequently.

Just my thoughts.

Ken

[phi1l]

The day before yesterday, I took my daughter's kids home after watching them for the day. When I came home from her house, I jumped on US-30. Immediately after I got on, there was nothing to see but brake lights. This is a four lane highway, two on each side, plus turn lanes. But one lane was closed. This only affected the east bound traffic. West bound was completely open. Needless to say, it took quite a while to get home.

Yesterday when I took them home, I found they had moved the cones, and the westbound traffic was piled up. Eastbound was not affected now. When I finally got to my daughter's house, I spent about two hours with her before I came home. After those two hours, and on the way home, I found they had the westbound open, and the eastbound was again down to one lane. Guess I'm a born loser.

Ed

Ed, you should send them your schedule ahead of time so they don't have to guess which lanes to have closed, otherwise you could ge tout of sync with them & get to where you want to go in way too little time.

[BobSch]

And don't trust any signs the highway crew puts out. They've been working on a road near us. They've had a "left lane closed" sign up through the whole job, even though they change the lane they're working on several times a day.

[Eagan]

"Eve of Contruction" by Johnny D

The music is Eve of Destruction, predictably.


The Eastbound lane
It isn't movin'

Horns are blarin'
Road-rage brewin'

I'm rollin' down a hill
Those cops are hopin'

I'll go by speedin' more -- they'll use those guns they're totin'

And e-ven them am-bu-lances are in slow-motion


And signs
Tell me,
'mor-row, to-mor-row, to-mor-row,
De-lays will then,
Prove now that we've
Been on the eve
Of construction!


Don't they understand
Why I'm drivin' today?

Can't they smell the beer that I'm belchin' away?

If the pedal is pushed,
I can't ac-cel-er-ate!

There's no exit to take!
There's no way to escape!

Take a look around my car -- I'm stuck in hot new tar!


And I'm
Crawl-ing,
Slow-er, and slow-er, and slow-er,
And then,
My friend,
(Now) My S.U.V.
Is stopped indeed
By construction!


Yeah, my blood's so mad
Feels like coagulatin'

I'm sittin' here
Just highway-hatin'

Truck-cans twistin' goo, they flow their asphalt-ation

(And) Hands full o'semaphore "Don't Pass" flag-u-lations

(I'm) Watching alone, with sick fascination,
Some jack-hammer dude smiling with elation,
From pneumatic tube pogo-masturbation!


And they
Tell me
"Hold it, now hold it, now hold it --- "
I'm at wit's end!
('Cause) For miles I see
Insanity
Of construction!


Think of all the slate,
There is in red granite ---

--- then take a look around ---
They're blasting half the planet!

(Ah) You may leave home,
To highway drag-race,

But here on this road,
It's a snail-slow pace!

The soundin' o'the horns!
The rage in each face!

You can't hurry ahead,
You won't leave your place!

Flip the birdie free-ly,
At ev'ry hard-hat-head-case!


And blue
Lights scream,
"Over! Pull over! Pull over! PULL OVER!"
And then,
My friend,
They'll ticket me -- for wrongful speed near construction!

Oh yeah, they'll ticket me,
Here on the scene,
Of construction!