new buses

Saw these the other day on my way to work - it's apparently a new bus design for the D.C. city buses.

You can see the current bus design here. These buses look a little like the D.C. Circulator especially with the partial solid-red color scheme, but are more rounded.

Zebra Crossing

Zebra Crossing
Originally uploaded by Happysmurfday

I want to stop for the people waiting at the crosswalks. Really, I do. But D.C. makes this simple act so hard.

One of the enduring mysteries to me as an American abroad in New Zealand was the actions of traffic. Drivers actually seemed to regard the road regulations as laws rather than suggestions. Merging was smooth, cars simply flowed around traffic circles, even two cars meeting on a one-lane mountain road generally flowed a quick, polite protocol, with one or the other backing up to a wide spot in the road so both could proceed.

But by far the most amazing act of all was the simplicity with which I, as a person on foot, could cross a street. If there was no dedicated pedestrian light, a crosswalk was in place at an intuitive place.

These were no simple lanes drawn across the tarmac to delineate a suggested path from one side to the other. These were full-blown crossings, with broad zebra stripes across the road and bright orange orbs atop black-and-white poles to draw drivers' attention to the fact of the crossing's existence.

I have no idea what the penalty might have been for ignoring all these decorative signals. It never entered anyone's discussion. Unlike many other possible low-level transgressions, the casual cost-benefit analysis of risk/reward for continuing full speed through a crosswalk simple did not seem to enter anyone's mind. If there was someone about to walk, cars stopped. The equation seemed inviolable.

Quite the contrast to the situation for those attempting to cross a D.C. road. Getting to the other side is in theory and in law, just as easy as it is for those in New Zealand. In reality, however, it's not. It's not just that the crosswalks are ignored by drivers, although they are. It's that even if you, as a driver, feel generous to your fellow man unencumbered by a metal conveyance and inclined to stop for those about to cross, the very design of the streets and signs hinders your ability to do so.

In DC, if they really want you to pay attention to a crosswalk, you get this in the middle of the street. Of course, these are almost always placed in the center of a four-lane road. Therefore, if there is any traffic on the road with you and you happen to be in the inside lane, you can't possibly see if there is a pedestrian waiting to utilize the crossing. If you're driving in the outside lane, you don't get the benefit of the mid-street sign and often can't see the poorly-marked crosswalk until it's too late to stop.

Not that I really believe DC drivers would be any better at stopping for pedestrians if they had New Zealand-style bright, attention-grabbing orange signs warning them. Somehow, the down-under traffic courtesy will remain a mystery.

ice

There are many reasons I like living in the District instead of the Maryland or Virginia suburbs. This is just one more.

From the story:

Corinne Geller of the Virginia State Police said Tuesday night that there were sheets of ice on highway ramps, and they'd have to wait until salt trucks de-ice them before vehicles could pass. They said allowing the vehicles to travel on the ramps would endanger the lives of motorists.

That meant that many Virginia drivers were stuck along the roadway for about nine hours.

News4 reported that many drivers were stuck in the Springfield Mixing Bowl from about 3 p.m. on Tuesday until about midnight.
(emphasis mine)

I heard on the radio one Virginia school bus with students was stuck in traffic until about 11:30 p.m.

I've had some frustrating traffic experiences out here. It took nearly two and a half hours to drive the 35 miles to BWI airport one afternoon, about twice as long as I'd expected. I thought that was bad enough. I can't imagine being parked on an interstate for nine hours, with my blood sugar crashing because of a missed dinner and knowing I'd have to return the other direction in seven hours or so to make work the next day.

(I drove into town for our pub quiz last night. It took me about 15 minutes to get home. And yes, my alcohol consumption was light enough for me to safely drive.)