We hope your commute isn't so bad that you tell people, "It sucks."
But given how often somebody, somewhere, says just that, a group called Transportation for America is trying to tap into drivers' rage to get Congress to rethink transportation funding.
Your frustration, and the need to vent it, is the fuel on which the group's lobbying effort — called "My commute sucks, and I'm not going to take it anymore" — runs.
Anyone can log on to mycommutesucks.org and "let it all out." Then people can sign a petition to be sent to Congress.
It's one of the shorter petitions out there, reading only: "Dear Congress, My commute sucks and it's not getting any better. Stop pouring billions into a broken system. Transportation shouldn't be an expensive, dirty burden. Fix it, clean it, make it work!"
People are also reading…
The goal is to get Congress to "make smart transportation investments," which means bringing accountability into the transportation-funding realm.
The point of the site is for commuters to make their own suggestions about fixing, cleaning and bettering the transportation system — a wish I haven't seen fulfilled much on the site.
Recently the site included a spate of complaints about the Chicago area, but there are complaints from across the nation about the hours people spend idling in stagnant traffic.
Here's an example of the tone captured on the site: "There is nothing worse than the alarm going off in the early-morning hours only to lay (sic) there and think of what a grueling trip you have ahead of you and how your stress levels are going to go from a 2 to a 10, and that's before you get into work," submitted by someone identified only as Angela.
Not everyone who logs on to the site is there to bellyache. Some have looked a little more inwardly for solutions and have suggested that gripers do something besides signing a petition. One person said the bike commute is a pleasure; others point out that living 50 miles away from a job can only mean an obviously horrendous commute.
Gripes can get attention, for sure, and knowing the problem is the first step in finding a solution (Problem-solving 101). But it's also a wonder that some of these people haven't considered changing part of their lifestyle, if possible.
Why do people live dozens of miles from their workplace? I think the answer has less to do with transportation (the perceived problem) and more to do with housing costs, pay rates and education systems.
There's a bigger picture here, and a miserable commute is just the tip of the flat tire.
How should Congress (or anyone else) go about the task of fixing it, cleaning it up and making it work?
Road Q
Question: "Why is there a 'No turn on red' posting (heading north) at Orange Grove (Road) and Skyline (Drive)? It is a seemingly wide and safe intersection with visibility for miles when looking toward the west for oncoming traffic. The next intersection at Campbell and Skyline does not have such restrictions, and it is a seemingly busier and more dangerous (less visibility) intersection. Sometimes if we know the reasoning, we can appreciate and respect the restrictions!" Karen Nelson wrote.
Answer: The Pima County Department of Transportation doesn't allow right turns from red at any intersections with double right-turn lanes, said Priscilla Cornelio, director of the department. The vehicle in the left-most right-turn lane can block visibility for the one in the right-most right-turn lane. The county does the same at dual left-turn intersections, she said.
There was an average of one crash every three months when turns were allowed on red there, Cornelio said. Since the restriction was put in place, there have been no right-turn-on-red collisions, she said.
