Ok, some national poll just came out that listed Atlanta as the number one city for bad traffic. Which is really nothing new to me. As an Atlanta native (yes, there are a few of us still around), I am quite used to dealing with traffic snarls. Half a decade ago there was urban sprawl, and now there is a resurgence to move back into the city. Either way, at any given point in time in the past decade, I guarantee that there has been construction on at least one major highway in our fair city. And there's always an accident on one highway that causes a trickle down effect and snags up other arteries as well. I always try to leave a little early when I go someplace, just in case. Prudence suggests it. What gets me is all these idiot drivers out there who think they are the only ones on the road. We are all stuck in the same traffic. No one is going anywhere. But by birth right, they are evidently allowed to circumnavigate the mess. Case in point. Yesterday evening there was an accident that had three lanes closed on GA 400 south. So one person decides they are going to drive down the emergency lane, I assume to get to the next exit, which is over a mile down the highway. And like cattle, cars started pulling off, one after the other, and doing the same thing. I sat there getting more and more ticked off. What emergency did these people have? I didn't see anyone in any of the vehicles that passed that looked like they were in the throes of childbirth or spurting blood from a dismembered appendage. So I decided to exact my own personal traffic justice. When there was a gap in the flow of those who were so blatantly disobeying the law, I edged my vehicle into the emergency lane just enough as to impede anyone from passing without going four-wheeling in the median. Evil, I know. But someone needed to make a stand. I mean, I was headed to the same exit. And if I was going to wait in traffic to get there, then by God, so was everyone else. As you can imagine, this did not go over well with those behind me. The guy in the car immediately behind me decided to lay on his horn. My response, I just turned up the radio and blocked it out. Nothing like listening to the soundtrack from 'The Lion King' at full volume. Who knew I could make my car vibrate like that. Eventually, there were several cars behind me, all agitated I am sure at the fact that I was not allowing them to pass. We inched along with other traffic, slowly making our way towards the freedom that the exit promised. Funny thing, cars in the next lane over would pass, and I swear that every one of them looked over at me and waved or gave a thumbs up. The fear that someone behind was going to pull out a bazooka and kill me for my act of defiance was soon surpassed by the outpouring of support I had received from my fellow law-abiding citizens. And the powers that be must have looked favorably on my action as well. For when we finally reached the exit, I was able to catch the light at just the right time, able to leave those that I had so cunningly snared waiting at the red light!!!! I didn't have to actually see any of them drive past me and pop a finger up or try to run me off the road. I made it home safely, and lived to face another day.
Friday traffic is always fun. Maybe I'll get in the center lane this evening and do 55...
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