Red Light, Green Light

On Tuesdays I get off work at 5:00, then fight rush hour traffic on the way home.  My trip takes between 40 to 50 minutes (compared to 30 minutes when traffic is light).  I'm on the highway for about 9 miles, then get off and wind my way on surface streets for another 6 miles.

Today I was walking away from the mall Customer Service desk when I got a call from my boss, who'd left a half hour earlier and takes the same highway I do.  He was calling to let me know he was stuck in a huge traffic jam; three of the four traffic lanes were closed because of a spill.   I thanked him for the heads up and started thinking about alternate routes to get home.

I called Hubby Tony to let him know there was a problem and I'd probably be late getting home. There are a couple of major roads that run roughly the same direction as the interstate--one to the north of the mall and one to the south. I decided to take the northern road, and pointed my car in that direction.

I figured a lot of other people would have ditched the highway, too, so I was pleasantly surprised when traffic moved at the speed limit for the first few miles.  After that, though, things bogged down and came to a halt. I'd stop for several minutes, then slowly move forward and halt again.  I suspected the problem was the traffic light a mile up the road.  Based on past experiences with this light I knew it would take quite a few green cycles until I could get through.

Normally the stop and go would be annoying, but I had my Kindle with me.  I pulled it out, turned it on, and happily passed the time between green lights reading.

I was almost disappointed when I got through the light.

Five years ago today: New Thing #278--The Rub