stop…. and then go
you may have noticed a large uptick in signal lights around the woodlands. they started installing them months ago and you would think that would help.
help, what – exactly?
well, help the flippin’ idiots that, once a signal light starts flashing red instead of going through the cycles, instantly forget how to drive.
i swear. on all. thats. holy.
the woodlands isn’t huge, relatively speaking. so unless you’re within about a three block radius of the mall when you’re out and about, there’s a pretty substantial chance that either you live around here or at least work around here. which, sensibly, would make you somewhat familar with the streets and intersections, as you likely drive either the same or similar routes on a regular basis. that being said, there’s an even greater chance that over the past so many months, you were fully aware that the same intersections you used to have to stop. and then go though became go-go-go-wait-for-it-okay, now stop and wait intersections.
my point – and i do have one – is this: if for weeks or months or years even you knew how to get through a four way stop just fine before they put the light in, how in god’s name did you so easily forget just weeks afterwards?!?!?
i was on my usual afternoon route to panther creek, via lake woodlands drive (because, let’s face it, anyone that’s tried once or more to go that way on the parkway knows better than to do it again if you don’t have to) and as i approached the newly installed light at the intersection with new trails, there it was… a line of cars backed all the way down to nearly lake front circle. my initial thought was ‘oh, no – there must be some horrible accident up the road. maybe someone hit a bike-riding child trying to get to northshore park!!’ but after finally getting past that point and seeing no emergency vehicles, i cleared the bend and realized the problem was far simpler; the light was flashing red.
and people forgot how to deal with a four way stop.
never mind that we all did just fine with it just weeks ago. never mind that we all still do it at several other soon-to-be signaled intersections. everyone was totally struggling with the whole stop. and then go issue. you could see them behind their flashy windshields – ‘oh, is it my turn? oh, wait, no – no, you go. oh, me? no, no, you go. okay i’ll go! no, wait! no, you can’t go now!’ bloody f#&$ing hell!! and finally, after nearly 20 minutes of this mess, as i was less than five cars back from the light, it magically righted itself and turned green.
and stayed green!
but then, lo and behold, the next three cars managed to suddenly and inexplicably remember what to do at a four way stop. so, instead of being able to finally just go go go!!! at the green light, i had to wait for everyone else to stop.
and then go.
geesh.
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