Rush hour
People drive to work in the morning. That's cool, I can understand. I mean, cars are convenient, and taking you from one place to another is what they were designed for. That, and carrying things so you don't have to. I could argue that they're destroying our planet, but really that's almost a non-issue. Within 5 years hybrid cars and plant-based fuel will hopefully have made in-roads and we'll be moving to support ourselves on renewable resources, so I won't drop the Environment card here.

Rush hour though, is just beyond me. I'm sure you could explain the concepts and reasons and arguments behind it all, but I'll probably just stare blankly. Why on earth would anyone subject themselves to driving to work/school/wherever every day without fail? Not only is there the environment angle I already tossed out, but you have the road rage from having to deal with all those other idiot/maniac drivers, the construction, the accidents, the delays, the photo radar, etc. Why?

Consider the alternatives: you can take the bus, the train (most cities have a subway or other light-rail system), walk, ride a bike, carpool, and so on. There are so many other ways that don't clog up the roads with needless vehicles! That they aren't used just sets my teeth on edge, not because they simply aren't used, but because of the excuses.

"I live too far away."
"I don't want to be trapped in someone else's schedule."
"The bus doesn't go near my house."
"The train is full of dirty people I don't like. They smell."
"Public transit is for poor people who can't afford a car."

Seriously, I've heard most of these when challenged on the issue of traffic. I suppose I might have to relent if you live out on an acreage, or if you work very strange hours like 13:00 to 22:00. I accept that some folk simply can't avoid commuting, but I refuse to believe that the traffic could not be tiered or halved simply by talking with a co-worker and agreeing to pay for gas if you can get a ride. To say that you don't want to be stuck on someone else's schedule is flawed from the get-go, because simply by having a job, you're already doing just that. If what's really being said is "I want to reserve my ability to leave at any time," or "I want to be able to run errands during the day," that's a bit different. In that case, you can still carpool, but it may take a bit more doing to find someone who agrees to be flexible that way. (Maybe it's the thought of actively having to look for someone to carpool with that causes people to reject it?) To say that "bus people are dirty," or that "public transit is for the unprivileged" is just plain elitist bullshit and you're a bad person for saying so. Suck it up and accept the fact that other people are in fact people, just like you. Don't like them? Don't talk to them, or bring music and wall yourself off from the outside world. If riding the bus bores you, bring a book (and if you don't read, you should, you uncultured peon) or get an electric gizmo-doodad to play games or do some work (if you're of the workaholic persuasion, which is another mindset so totally alien to me that I recoil in considering it).

I think the biggest problem facing commuters is critical mass. Nobody is going to give up their vehicle unless they have sufficient reason to do so, which means nobody is going to do it period. The air doesn't burn when we inhale, and not spending an extra ten minutes on the bus is enough for everyone to hurry into their Jeeps and stop-and-go their way home. Me, I'll stick to enjoying my music, reading my book while I laugh at you all on the bus, weighed down in my seat by the extra money I save, and counter-balanced by the lightness of heart that comes from not contributing to a problem.

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* They of course cannot be quantified, for various reasons, but I'll talk about that some other time.  ¶ 8:13 a.m.