Nobody Reads Anymore, And It's Causing Traffic Jams

Alissa Grosso

The other night I went to visit a friend, and my journey to her house was delayed slightly due to the fact that certain drivers do not bother to read signs. This isn’t a new phenomenon, alas.

There are at least four different routes I can take to get to my friend’s house. I take the route that, for whatever reason, GPS never recommends. I think that it is the generally the quickest route, but there’s the very real possibility that you will encounter a delay along this route.

The most likely delays one will encounter are a truck stuck at the bridge or a tree that has fallen down across the road. You are probably thinking to yourself that these seem like pretty rare scenarios, but as someone who has been stuck in traffic jams on multiple occasions due to both such scenarios, let me say, they are not as rare as you would think. But one of them is entirely preventable if drivers, in particular truck drivers, would just read the one of the numerous signs that are posted along the road.

By now, anyone who is a local has probably deduced that the bridge I’m referring to is the Riegelsville Bridge, because anyone who is a local has at one time or another been stuck in a small traffic jam while a truck whose driver ignored all the warning signs is now stuck in a place in which it is exceedingly difficult for a large vehicicle to turn around.

An old photo of myself and my dog in front of that old bridge.

The bridge in question is old and narrow, and cannot handle the weight of large vehicles, which is why they are barred from using it. There are numerous signs warning them of this, but like I said in the title, nobody reads anymore. Not only is the bridge old, but the roads leading to the bridge are old. They were all built before the advent of the motor vehicles, certainly before anyone had even envisioned something as large and as cumbersome as a tractor trailer. That’s why on either side of the bridge the roads meet up with the bridge at roughly a 90 degree angle. It’s a weird choice, but they did things differently back then. To make matters more interesting both roads on either side of the bridge are beset by sharp turns that stymie the most wiley of GPS devices.

What all this means is that if a truck driver chooses to disgregard all the warning signs, they are then going to find themselves having to try to get their vehicle turned around on probably the most unfriendly-to-trucks stretch of road imaginable. This involves the bridge security guard having to stop traffic in both directions while the truck driver executes a series of little maneuvers not unlike that scene from Austin Powers.

So, yes, last night when I found myself stopped dead behind a line of cars, I knew exactly what was going on, even though I hadn’t yet gone around the first 90 degree turn that would bring the bridge into view. This wasn’t the first time, I had been stuck in one of these traffic jams, and despite the fact that at least on the Pennsylvania side of the bridge they have outlined two of their no trucks warning signs with a string of flashing lights, I know that it will not be the last time.

I made it to my friend’s house, eventually, and while I might pick on those truck drivers and their disregard for road signs, at least some of the blame falls on me because, have I learned my lesson? Will I finally take the advice of my GPS, and take the “long” way to my friend’s house the next time I visit? Almost certainly not. I prefer the short route. It’s more scenic and when there isn’t a stuck truck or a tree blocking the road it’s a pleasant trip. So, I will stubbornly take my chances.

— Alissa

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Weekly Inspiration

What I’m Reading: Final Cut by Charles Burns

What I’m Watching: Brothers

What I’m Listening to: “Crimson and Clover” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

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Find out more about my books at alissagrosso.com

Find out more about my art at alissacarin.com

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My apologies for the typos and such this post is almost certainly riddled with.