I’ve been musing / puzzling over the fact that I can pull out of my driveway at rush hour much faster than I ever could.
I treat William Howard Taft Road as an ocean – the sound ebbs and flows. Sunday mornings are blessed – I can hear church bells from St. Rose down on Eastern / Riverside, and from St. Francis DeSales at the top of the hill. And I’m used to being able to pull out on to the street during the middle of the day easily. But at rush hour, pulling out – or pulling in – can take up to 5 minutes. I’ve actually timed it.
Not now. The sound is quieter, the cars are fewer, there’s lots of time to pull out – no need to rush. Or to pull out across the lane coming up the hill, blocking it while I wait for a break in the down hill traffic.
Could it be the high unemployment figures? Could it be the bicyclists and walkers I see on the streets (though not so many on Taft)? Could it be the new traffic light pattern at the bottom of the hill? But if the number of cars were the same, I wouldn’t expect much difference from that. UC’s enrollment has gone up, and its employment numbers are still high (much of the eastside and Mt Washingon go past my house to get to UC), so I doubt if there’s any change caused by higher ed.
Tis a puzzlement.