Associated Press – July 21, 2007:
California highways have been shut down by wildfires, mudslides, earthquakes and police chases. Add one more hazard to the list: road rage.
Drivers inconvenienced by a road-widening project subjected construction workers to so much abuse — including death threats, BB gun shootings, even a flying burrito — that the state revoked a rush-hour window and shut down the highway altogether.
Now drivers who relied on California Highway 138 are being forced to take a detour that costs them at least a half-hour a day and businesses along the road are suffering.
The first sign things were going to turn ugly was after the transportation department allowed drivers to use the highway only during rush hour last summer, with traffic flowing in one direction at a time and creeping along behind escort vehicles.
One person called and said he would climb a water tower and shoot workers. Next came angry exchanges, with one driver tossing a burrito at a construction worker. Vandals tore down barricades and construction equipment was stolen, and authorities threatened to shut down the highway.
Last September, Charles Fenn was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon on allegations that he clipped a flagman with his vehicle on his way home to Wrightwood.
In November, an elderly woman struck another construction worker who was badly injured and has not returned to his job.
Earlier this year, another worker felt a stinging sensation on the back of her leg. When she looked down, she found a BB pellet on the ground, Kasinga said.
Just give California their guns back so they can go blow off some steam on the range. Blowing shit up is a great tension release.
I have often fantasized about getting my hands on whomever “plans” road construction projects.
Step 1. Close road or cut it down from 4 lanes to 1. Line up lots of orange barrels / cones and lots of concrete dividers.
Step 2. Do nothing for 6 months to a year.
Step 3. Park lots of rented heavy equipment on closed portion of road. Let it sit there without moving for 6 months to a year.
Step 4. Start of actual work. Put 3-4 guys on the 5 miles of closed road. No more than 2 of the guys should ever be working at the same time. If the 2 non-working guys get bored they can close down the one open lane from time to time and see how long it takes traffic to reach the horizon.
Step 5. Close the road entirely. Set up a detour. Detour signs should lead people around the countryside for 10-20 miles and then disappear. If project is in an urban area detour signs should lead traffic into the worst ghetto in town and then disappear.
Step 6. By this time there should be another project ready for step 1. Perhaps the project you are finishing is already scheduled for widening again. Remember if road construction projects are properly managed no employee should ever have to work on a total of more than 3-4 projects in his entire career!
Did you know that the best study available on road rage says that 80% of drivers are angry most or all of the time while driving? It doesn’t take too much to push ’em over the edge. Personally, I try to be grateful for something, anything — it cheers me up.
#2, BdgBill: You got that right.
How about the fact that Road Rage is becoming more & more rampant?
Yet nearly 1/6 th the population is now over 60, just about everywhere in NA meaning less people traveling to work.
It sure doesn’t seem like it (less cars) at rush hour.
It’s as if the shift to a non-industrial, all-service, industry in NA means more high paid, versus factory workers taking buses, that think their personal time wasted driving is detrimental to their pocketbook.
I notice it more now, driving a hybrid and conscientiously not wasting energy. The Road Ragers seem to do 0-20 Mph & brake completely every two feet in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
#2 & 3, BdgBill and B. Dog
Sounds like you two guys are part of the problem. I wonder if either of you are related to our lovable GlobalWarmer? How upset do you get when your doctor’s appointment gets pushed back because he is at the hospital with a patient? Do you take extra Paxil when Teletubbies is preempted by a Presidential statement?
Honestly guys, relax. It is much faster and safer for the construction crew to close the road entirely. When the road is half open they must be extra careful not to disturb the used roadway, especially when traffic is on it. If they don’t go fast enough for you, then use another effen road.
#5 – how little you really know me. I get mad a stupid drivers but even then, no road rage. Congestion due to roads not having enough lanes is politicians fault not the other drivers. Congestion due to construction is something that just is. That’s why you have a radio and/or CD player – just kick back and listen.
#2 is certainly on to something though. Most projects I’ve observed take a lot longer than you think they should (not being a civil engineer).
#6, iGW
Your claim of innocence so contradicts the persona you have so carefully emoted to in the past. That would be the greedy, selfish, center of the world, uncaring, egocentric, pompous, puppy killing armpit. If you are really just a pussy cat, I apologize for all those nasty things I thought about you.
#7 – I can’t type fast enough to refute all that. To try and be brief. You see me through the liberal filter and therefore come to those conclusions. My view of the liberal filter is that liberals think it’s not possible to earn wealth – you must have cheated someone else to get it and therefore don’t deserve to keep it. (I know, that’s over the top but it’s what I perceive when I hear ’em speak.)
I say I want a “big”, house, yard, car,etc. I’ve never said I don’t want everyone to have that too, to the best of their ability to earn it. I don’t believe I’ve ever said anything about trampling anyone else in my pursuits. If simply wanting to hold on to what I’ve rightfully earned is greedy then there’s no point in further discussion.
I’m really surprised you’d think I would suffer road rage. Since I want to see everyone being self sufficient and driving themselves around, we’re currently stuck with dense cities, congestion is natural and expected and raging against it is like raging against the weather. The solution is to do away with dense cities. If we could take all major cities and increase their footprint 5-10 fold and then build a metric shitload of roads, congestion goes away since everyone is more spread out.
(BTW: I have 3 dogs and two cats and love ’em all, so puppy killing is out of the question. 😉 )
PS. Pompous I can accept since I use it to counter balance the self-righteousness of many libs. And I’ve been known to be an armpit from time to time, sometimes even on purpose.
Have a nice day – hopefully not sitting in traffic!
#2—Bravo. How else can the average voter/constituent show his displeasure at the mismanagement of the local road works? Does not excuse criminal behavior, but does explain it.
Such public works need to be “intensified” to limit delays as much as possible. Competency might even engender public good will?
#8, iGW,
Very well put defense. Since you think I’m a liberal, why not send some of those hard earned bucks my way. I promise to think of you on my way to the bank.
;-).
#9, bobbo,
Once again you are showing your ignorance. You are very quick to blame the construction worker yet have no idea of highway construction. I am not an expert, in fact, far from one. Yet I recognize just how easy it is for the ignorant to blame that which they do not understand. Sort like a religious experience.
If the highway construction is so annoying to your way of life, either learn to live with it OR take another route.
#1 – which is why i play halo 2 on xbox
Bobo –
How does the average flagman/person have any control over any given construction project?
Blaming the messenger is infantile behavior.
Road Rage – HELL YA! Line cutters cause it. inconsiderate jerks cause it. Public works cause it (with their sheer stupidity). But does that really surprise anyone? Next time you are out driving (and for some, that may be RIGHT NOW!), ask yourself why you DIDN’T let that person in front of you or why you went out of your way to cause someone else a problem or “teach him/her a lesson,” in other words. It’s EVERYWHERE!
My advice: just keep away from EVERYONE and BE the biggest “pussy” on the road and we won’t have this road rage situation. Then again, maybe temperament tests should be given at the DMV! But is the DMV REALLY the best qualified to give any more “tests”?!
It is clear there are not a lot of people here who build roads for a living. #2 all of your complaints can be chaulked up to rules. federal state local. The EPA,OHSA ect. The guys who you assume are not working are actually there by law to keep an eye on you so you do not run over the men who are working. The reason sites are shut down are varyed from someone seeing a rare bird nesting to finding some old human bones. Yes I spent seven years building a road that could have been built in two but for various rules and the stop work orders. The old saying “you make a lot of rules you spend all your time enforcing them” goes double here.
My goodness. Didn’t realize THIS thread would provoke a response.
At post #9 I said shooting the construction crew was CRIMINAL. I thought that would be understood as not supporting such activities?
But I went further and offered SOLUTIONS! Yes, the supervisors of the jobs should fully research the project with the GOAL of seeing the job gets done ASAP! A complete survey with the goal of fast completion should turn up obvious potential job delays and those should be fixed before the project starts.
Good example might be when an earthquake/fire takes down an overpass. Usually f\ixed in a few months as it is focused on. Meanwhile, installing a sidewalk in the subburbs takes 3 years? Lack of focus because there is no pressure to do it right.