People at work: exercise patience
As winter wanes, and temperatures rise, the tempers of many drivers become aroused. Along with the onset of spring and our annual road construction projects, drivers will encounter dirt, dust, and delays. We all want good roads, but often dislike the price paid to get them — not only in dollars, but also in lost travel time and inconvenience.
This rite of spring for the road crews is one of those things we can’t change, so we might as well be ready to handle it.
The easiest way to handle the slowdowns is to avoid them altogether. The “Getting There” column in The Spokesman-Review on Mondays often reports where the roadwork will occur. I realize that old habits die hard, but if your normal route crosses a construction zone, simply pencil out an alternate course. Or, if you encounter an unexpected road repair team, and their project is large, avoid that route on your next trip.
Mainly though, resist the tendencies of anger and aggression that seem to occur with regularity around construction sites. Do you want one good reason to stay calm? Police agencies are engaging emphasis patrols in construction areas, and will be targeting drivers who show impatience and aggression through acts such as speed and road rage.
Need more reasons to relax? The law is all on the side of the road crews, as exemplified by RCW 46.61.215: “The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right of way to any authorized vehicle or pedestrian actually engaged in work upon a highway within any highway construction or maintenance area indicated by official traffic control devices.” And I think we are all aware by now of the “doubling” rule as set forth in section 3 of RCW 46.61.527: “A person found to have committed any infraction relating to speed restrictions in a roadway construction zone shall be assessed a monetary penalty equal to twice the penalty assessed under RCW 46.63.110. This penalty may not be waived, reduced, or suspended.”
There is a good reason for the strict policy. Many road workers are injured or killed annually by impatient drivers, hence the catch phrase posted on signs near roadwork: “Give ‘em A Brake.” Please do.
Even with prior planning, you are likely to encounter delays somewhere, such as near downtown, where much of I-90 will be resurfaced, and elsewhere, during a record number of projects that are planned for the summer.
The Washington State Department of Transportation has compiled some interesting work zone accident trivia — things that might help a driver determine focus. Here are some of its findings:
•The most likely time for a roadwork accident is daylight, clear or cloudy, on a Wednesday in August.
•Traffic flaggers are the workers most at risk.
•Speeding and inattentive driving are the main causes of work zone accidents (don’t rubberneck).
•The top three accident types are rear-enders, striking a person or fixed object, and sideswiping.
•Four out of five drivers in a recent survey said they slowed down when they entered work zones. However, radar speeds showed none of them actually did.
The DOT also has its own list of survival tips for motorists within work zones:
•Slow down, pay attention, and stay calm. Work zones aren’t there to personally inconvenience you. They’re there to improve the roads for everyone.
•Merge as soon as possible. Motorists can help maintain traffic flow and posted speeds by moving to the appropriate lane at first notice of an approaching work zone (to the chagrin of one reader who hates “premature single-filing”).
•Try an alternate route (I detailed that one above).
•Expect delays — plan for them and leave early to reach your destination on time.
Some work zones — like line painting, road patching, and mowing — are mobile. Just because you don’t see the workers immediately after you see the warning signs doesn’t mean they’re not out there. Observe the posted signs until you see the one that says “END ROAD WORK.”
As I noted last week, we are a bit spoiled by our fine roads. Compared to what our motoring counterparts encountered decades ago, we should rejoice. In 1924, the United States had 2.9 million miles of public roads, with nearly 423,000 miles paved. Today, we enjoy around 4 million miles of public roadway, and a whopping 2.4 million miles are paved!
Correction to April 29 Column
A sentence in the fourth paragraph of my April 29 column read, “This week, a young driver told me that she is now making her free left turn from a one-way to a two-way.” That last part should have read, “…from a two-way to a one-way.” The former is illegal, the latter is allowed. “Free” turns on red will be an ongoing subject for future columns.