A new post for a new road!

So one of our favorite pastimes here in the Beehive state is road construction. For some reason we just can't seem to get enough of those lovely orange cones, that loose asphalt all over the road (and cracking our windshields), and of course, our friendly neighborhood sign-holding guys. Quick aside - I'm still up in the air on whether that is the best job in the world or the worst job in the world. On the one hand, you get paid to stand and hold a sign. Your job qualifications are basically: 1. Remain mostly upright. That's it! On the other hand, you have to be outside, all day, in any weather, and you can't surf the internet when you get bored (and let's face the facts folks, that's a big job perk for sitting in a cubicle). Of course, with the near-ubiquity of web-enabled phones, the downsides are shrinking... something to consider for my next career.

Anyways, back to road construction. It seems that the Utah Dept. of Transportation (motto: You can turn an ox-cart around on these roads!) follows the 'just-not-quite-enough' philosophy of road construction. Case in point: the I-15 corridor through Salt Lake. Call me crazy, but I seem to remember a massive, horrendously expensive overhaul of that road about 10 years ago coinciding with those Olympics that were here. We got new lanes, fancy signage, bas-relief ski jumpers on all our bridges, the whole shebang. Now the whole mess is under construction again. Why? Well, it seems that all those new lanes are operating at full capacity already. Now, you or I, if asked to design the freeways around here, might assume that the area will continue to grow at a somewhat constant rate and... oh, I don't know, add more than one lane at a time. You know, just so you don't have to tear up the road every few years. You'd think that a little foresight would save us all a lot of commuting hassle. Of course, the same people who are in charge of roads are also trying to keep an under-used public transportation system in the black financially, so maybe they're a lot smarter than we all think. I wonder if they need more sign-holding guys?

Am I a bad driver?

For the past two weeks I have been reading a new book in my spare time. It's called "Traffic" (by Tom Vanderbilt) and its a sociological look at why we drive the way we do. I have found this book interesting, if only because it answers my question of what people actually do with a degree in sociology (write books apparently). Though the book raises a number of interesting points (like most bad traffic being caused by not treating other cars as people), one of the most telling points he's raised so far is a quote by some formula one driver (that's like NASCAR for europeans). Basically he says there are two things men won't admit they're bad at, one of which is driving (the other doesn't fit in with my blog...). As a man, I take umbrage at that statement. I would happily admit I were a bad driver, if I were. But I'm not. So I won't.

But hypothetically speaking, if I were a bad driver, would I know it? When I was in high school I was in an inordinate amount of close calls (at intersections, in parking lots, on the freeway etc) many of which were not crashes only due to my finely tuned reflexes and split-second timing (thank you Nintendo!). Of course, none of these were my fault. At the time, I chalked most of those up to the fact that other people were simply trying to put my car (a 1987 Chevy Nova that smelled like a skunk) out of its misery. Sort of an automobile mercy kill. In retrospect, however, I may be willing to admit that it's possible that I wasn't a great driver in high school (nah..).

Fortunately, now that I'm old and grown (and no longer driving a car with holes in it), I'm the epitome of a gentleman driver, and perfectly willing to admit it.

(p.s. of course the formula one driver didn't say anything about women being bad drivers - that just goes without saying!)