I find myself having the same boring thoughts again and again.
I find myself having the same thoughts
again and again. It probably happens a lot, but I notice it most when
driving. Here are the top three:
Recurrent thought number 1: On my way
to work there is a traffic policeman or police woman at a
cross-roads. (I like to emphasise the fact that in the West we have
female traffic police, it seems a good indicator/measure of our
civilization. End of aside.) Anyway. Back to the cross-roads. The
cross-roads have automatic traffic lights, but during the rush hour
the police person takes over. Presumably to ease the traffic. But my
reccurrent thought is (and I just can't stop thinking it): Surely
the traffic police person is the last person in the world who should
be in charge at the traffic lights. Why?
because they have no overall vision of the traffic flow. They can see
maybe 500 meters in 4 directions, but beyond that nothing. Traffic
control needs a more global overview surely?
Recurrent thought number 2: When
exiting from a junction with a small angle to the main road which way
should I indicate? I want to tell the drivers behind me on the
main road that I'm moving into their flow (left hand indicator) but
in theory, because I'm turning right, I should put the right hand
indicator on. In pictures:
This is appears as only a problem when
the angle is shallow from the main road to the secondary road.
Recurrent thought number 3: I go
swimming regularly and then go to the supermarket. And every time I
take the route from the swimming pool to the supermarket I think: I
wonder if this is the best route, there is another route I know that
may save petrol and pollution. And I never look this up on Google
maps but as regular as the plot of a Midsomer Murders episode I ask myself the same question.
The interesting thing is not the thought itself (as you may have noticed) but the fact that they occur again and again. It is partially geographical, the same scene/place gives rise to the same thought. Must be something evolutioary...
The interesting thing is not the thought itself (as you may have noticed) but the fact that they occur again and again. It is partially geographical, the same scene/place gives rise to the same thought. Must be something evolutioary...
But! Aha! I've just done it! Both routes,
according to Google maps, take 10 minutes but the one I use is 6.8km
whereas the other is 6.0km. I'll carry on using the 6.8km one
though, because it is the pretty way. Maybe the thought will go away now.
Now! I've looked at the image I drew
for this blog post and see that I must simply indicate right. Maybe that thought will go away...
So, even though my readers are in
single figures, writing a blog can clear a mind...
Hmmm...even though I can
feel space clearing in my brain there is still the
traffic-police-person thought which will assail me every morning.
And what about when you see a small
person who refuses to regulate their car seat upwards so that they
can really to see where they are
going? Buggar. Another recurrent pointless thought has just been
born.
The traffic police person probably isn't there to optimize the flow of traffic overall, so much as they are there to prevent traffic violations at the interesction, which are more likely at rush hour because more people drive then and are more likely to violate regulations because they are frustrated and in a hurry.
ReplyDeleteAs for the small people who are sitting low in cars -- They can't sit up higher, because if they do their feet won't reach the pedals. Cars are designed for the average male body. Average females have to move the seat too close to the steering wheel (it's uncomfortable and increases the odds of being injured or killed by the air bag) in order to read the pedals. Short people have the option of installing pedal extenders, but most probably won't do that, either because they share the car with a taller person, or because they are used to driving this way and don't see it as a problem.
In this case the traffic policeman is controlling the traffic lights, which is idiotic because of his limited visual range.
ReplyDeleteAs for the small people in cars... I had not thought of that! You've managed to stop one of my reccurrent boring thoughts by pointing out my error. :)