Pop Quiz!

OK kids, what's wrong with the following image?



If you answered "the car crossing the white line into the other merge lane", you're correct!!!

Meanwhile, look closely. You will see that had he stayed in the correct lane (to the right) and merged correctly within his traffic pattern (only one lane remained), he would have approached the bridge at least 4 or 5 cars ahead of where he ultimately wound up. In our lane he had about two merges to go before the helix.

Silly commuter!

I Walk the Line

Sometimes, stereotypes exist for a reason. I've come to believe that Escalades have to be avoided at all costs. Their drivers are incompetent, oblivious and obnoxious.

She's thinking about it...

Tries to get in...

But eventually, remains in the correct lane. Notice how she actually comes out ahead of the game by merging appropriately??

Say "Cheese"!

There I was, minding my own business....napping fitfully in the passenger seat (I made sure to be awake for our journey through the tolls and onto the GWB, of course). Traffic was blissfully light, so I was most definitely not on my game, as I assumed I'd have no feed for the fodder. To my right, I see an SUV merging behind us, across the thick white line (we've discussed this kids). What's amusing about this is that she definitely didn't do herself any favors - she would have made it around the helix before us had she remained in the correct merging pattern. Instead she traded a 3 to 1 lane merge for a 4 to 1 lane merge. Brilliant.

We merge, and continue along on our way. And then I see it. Black Audi. Hanging behind, not keeping up with traffic. Tada! We have a reader! Naturally, I attempt to catch her in the act.




As I shoot off a few pictures, she catches me! Looks at me like I'm nuts. I smiled.




Later, we wound up two cars behind her on the West Side Hwy. She was on the phone.

I would have liked for her to confront me, and ask me (verbally) wtf I was doing. That way I would have the opportunity to tell her that as long as people do stupid shit while they're driving, I'll be the stupid idiot behind the camera, recording it.

It's going to be a good day :)

Must See TV

This morning's commute was fairly low-key. Lots of traffic (ah, gotta love the U.N.), but less rampant stupidity than usual. In typical Volvo fashion, we had one driver create her own lane:

And of course, when better to catch up on NBC's new night-time TV line up than while driving to work?

...however, today's zipper status was code green, and the white line was breached only by a motorcyclist (who needs to learn to pick up his feet!).

~Stay tuned for last weekend's supplementary post~

Smoke Inhalation

The above pictured bumper stickers were on the back of a Toyota Prius driven by a woman wearing a respirator. Yes, that's right, a respirator. We're talking a half-face blue poly face piece with pink/purple filtration units. Something like this:

Never a dull moment....

(I should also point out that the above mentioned Prius was later guilty of failing the zipper-merge test...the face mask must have obscured her view of the enormous white line in the pavement).

Today we're also giving a shout out to the red Volvo 850 (with the scraped off parking violation sticker) that was overheating as it went across the bridge. We let you cut in front of us, thinking that you were going to pull into the disabled vehicle lane. Instead, you remained oblivious to your impending break-down and ambled along your way.

Do us all a favor and pull over the next time smoke billows out from beneath the hood of your car.

"Zippity Do Da"

The following is a Public Service Announcement to my fellow PIP to GWB commuters:

It's called MERGING.

That huge white line painted between the 3rd and 4th lane is there for a reason. The 4 lanes to the left merge into one lane; the three to the right follow suit. The resulting two lanes proceed like happy little worker ants around the PIP helix, pausing only to merge in the same fashion at the base of the bridge before continuing on their daily commute.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.