Road Rage!

  I ran into a bit of "Road Rage" yesterday.
  MINE!
  It all started out innocently enough as I got
ready to take my weekly Monday drive to
Scranton.  I do a program with Judge Tom
Munley on ECTV at Noon.
   I usually leave at 11 which gives me plenty
of time to get to the "Electric City", park,
then walk about a block to the studios.
   Knowing they've been doing a lot of work
on Interstate 81 I decided to make sure the
way was clear by checking a few of the
PennDot Traffic cameras along my route.
    It's nice to be able to see the highway
where you'll be driving to make sure there
are no delays.  
    The good news is that traffic was moving
right along in each of the pictures I checked.
    The bad news is that PennDot must have
been showing reruns!
    When I actually reached the Interstate I
ran into a line of traffic that made the
highway look like a parking lot from
somewhere near Moosic all the way north
to Scranton.
     Of course the State Police set up two of
their cars with lights flashing to warn
drivers about the impending traffic jam.
    But the cruisers were set up some
distance AFTER the last exit one could
have taken to try to avoid the mess!
     A few smart drivers ignored the
sign that prohibited the use of U-Turn
ramps to escape the congestion. I was
not one of them.
     I did break free at the Airport Exit
but that only lead me to the funeral-like
procession of cars that had avoided the
Interstate miles before me.
     Time waits for no man and that's
especially true of TV time! I walked
onto our set some 15 minutes late and
I only arrived that soon by risking a
ticket in a 30 minute parking spot very
near the studio!
    I know the Interstate and many other
area roads are in desperate need of
repairs.
    But somebody should be giving more
thought to traffic control in and around
the work zones.
    They used to do it quite effectively
with a cop and a whistle stationed at just
the right spot!
     Happy motoring and here's hoping
all of your NEWS is good