Nowhere to Run
There is only one thing more annoying than being stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on my way into work. And that's being stuck in bumber-to-bumper traffic for no reason.
Did you know that half of all traffic jams are caused by drivers who tap their breaks? You didn't? That's probably because I made it up. But I would be willing to bet I'm not far off. All it takes is one tapper to slow down an entire highway.
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On my way into work this morning, the I-96/Southfield interchange was backed up. Both the east and westbound directions merge onto the Southfield Freeway via one ramp, so it's not uncommon to ride your brakes.
When I finally made my way onto the freeway, we were still tapping the brakes. It appeared we were looking at an accident. And I was being surprisingly calm. Green Day's "American Idiot" album was playing on my CD player and I resigned myself to the fact I had no way out.
But when I reached the source of the backup, I nearly flipped my lid.
I saw flashing lights up ahead. As I got closer, I could see a handful of police cars, an ambulance, and Detroit's Homeland Security Mobile Command Center parked in front of a house. Okay, that would explain why we were moving at a snail's pace, if not for the fact that they were on the other side of the embankment!
I'm not talking about a simple concrete divider, people. I'm talking about a grassy hill separating the freeway from the service drive, which runs along the neighborhood where the police vehicles were congregating.
Nothing on the actual freeway, except for drivers who are easily distracted by the pretty flashing lights.
It was smooth sailing once we passed the scene.