If you drive on I-275 in the Bay area, you have by now noticed the new traffic alert signs suspended over the roadway. They display updates on traffic conditions, Amber Alerts and estimates for travel times to upcoming exits. These details — “54th Ave. exit, 3-5 minutes” — aren’t all that helpful, and a more accurate message oftentimes would be “If you can read this, you are stuck in a traffic jam.” However, if you’re anything like us, you view the sign’s time estimates as more of a challenge anyway. 8 to 10 minutes to the airport? Bullshit, we’ll be there in 6!
This article appears in Sep 10-16, 2008.
