Signs of the time....

   I recently had the opportunity to spend a week in New Jersey. Jersey is not new territory for me. I lived there in my early years, graduated from high school at one of the area schools and after attending college out-of-state, moved about a bit until finally settling down in Maine. But every once and a while I find myself navigating the roads and highways of the Garden State. Each time becomes just a bit more challenging and sometimes exciting.

   ( I want to add here that the recent fire at the Jersey shore was a terrible event and I feel very sorry for the people there. I have fond memories of walking the boardwalk, playing the games and eating the seashore food delights. It truly has been a difficult year for the area, first the hurricane and now the fire.)

   There are two things that I noticed this trip. The trees seemed extra tall compared to what I remember. More significant was the amount of traffic on the roads, in some cases almost always bumper to bumper. Many of the locations I had to visit were only a few miles from where I was staying, but drivers in Jersey don't base travel on miles, they use a measure of time and often it can take nearly an hour to travel just 15 miles. Life in New Jersey seem to be dictated by the amount of traffic someone faces each time they get into the car. I can not imagine going to work each day, knowing I might spend an hour in the car before I get to the office.

   To assist people in their travel, the highway department has installed road signs, hundred of them. Some are the standard metal ones, common to most of us who drive, no matter where we live. A newer version are the electronic ones that flash warnings and alerts that can change at a second's notice with the flip of a switch at some DOT office some where. What caught my attention this trip where the message on the signs and how no one really cares. Metal or electronic, here are a few of my favorites.

   YIELD. Whether it is the old fashion yellow sign stuck in the ground or the flashing electronic one, I am not sure drivers have a clue as to what it means. From my driver ed class days, I thought I remember that it was to mean Yield Right of Way. But therein is the dilemma...who has the right of way? The answer is simple. Me! (I yield to... no one!) Perhaps the Yield sign has outlived its understanding.

   MERGE AHEAD. This one scares me a bit. Traveling at 75-80 mph and coming up on a Merge sign doesn't leave a great deal of time to plan. Merge left or right? Maybe the police car that just passed me with lights flashing and siren blaring will be able to tell me in a couple of minutes.

   SLOW TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT. This one is probably one of my favorites. Often paired with MOVE OVER, IT'S THE LAW! I think the intention here is to provide some space where someone can travel at a more reasonable rate of speed. A highway with eight lanes, four in each direction does not offer a slow lane and if you happen to be stuck in lane three and want to move to the 'right'...well good luck. You can try to use your blinker to signal your intention to those behind you, but it might be safer to stay where you are, close your eyes and just go with the flow. (There goes that police car again.)

   MAINTAIN CURRENT SPEED. (This one usually flashes on one of the electronic sign boards.) Truthfully, I have no idea what the intended message is here. Three drivers, one traveling at 55 mph, one at 65 mph and the third at 80. And maintaining your current speed is suppose to do what, create less traffic problems?

    EXIT RAMP LEFT. Aren't all exit ramps suppose to be on the right, especially when you have just maneuvered you way into the right lane for the last three miles, assuming you would be exiting to the right! Thank goodness to the GPS system in the car.”Recalculating.” I am waiting for the directions to say...”Turn around and go home!”

   Speaking of turning...NO U TURN. It's Rt. 4, almost rush hour. I can not believe the driver in the blue BMW just did a U-TURN at that stop light which is clearly marked NO TURNS. Wonder what his car insurance bills look like?

   STOP. Regardless of whether it is a busy intersection or a back country road, the word 'stop' is gradually working its way out of the English language. We just don't have time to 'stop' anymore, and this doesn't always apply to just driving either. We are a nation that feels  it has to be on the move. If we are not moving, then something must be wrong. Right?

   The trip to New Jersey was a success, seeing friends and family and completing a bit of work along the way. But it also reminded me that sometimes the road signs along the highway apply to more than just our driving, they might apply to life too.