Traffic Report

—1) I’m headed west yesterday (Wednesday, October 28, 2009) on the New York State Thruway, Interstate-90, the toll superhighway from New York City to Buffalo and the Pennsylvania state line near Erie, via Albany.
It more-or-less parallels the Erie Canal and the New York Central railroad, although unlike them it bypasses Rochester.
Supposedly the reason it did was because Rochester was Democratic when the Thruway was considered, in a state that was Republican at that time.
I’m headed from the Canandaigua YMCA to the Funky-Food-Store to pick up a case of Arrowhead Mills® Puffed Rice cereal I special-ordered.
The “Funky-Food-Store” is Lori’s Natural Foods in deepest, darkest Henrietta. They specialize in natural foods; e.g. salt-free. (Arrowhead Mills® Puffed Rice is salt-free.)
I’m on the added-lane segment between Exits 44 and 45, Canandaigua and Victor.
Normally the Thruway is two lanes in each direction, but one additional lane was added here to each side because it’s part of the heavily-traveled route between Rochester and Canandaigua.
I’ve gravitated to the middle-lane, doing about 65, the speed-limit.
I usually use the right-most lane, but a double-bottom dump-truck and semi are in it doing about 60.
I usually avoid the left-most lane (the additional lane) because it disappears at the exit.
I’m passed by a gray Hyundai in that lane doing about 75.
It has a Christian fish on its trunklid, and a bumper-sticker; something about “If Rapture occurs, this car will be unpiloted.”
The semi angles left to pass the dump-truck, so I fall in behind the Hyundai — merge left to the left-most lane.
The semi, giving up, moves back behind the dump-truck, and right about there a fourth lane is added, an exit-lane for Exit 45.
A dark-green Subaru Forester rockets by in that lane, passing the two trucks on the right.
Suddenly the gray Hyundai sweeps across three lanes of traffic, his right-turn signal on, headed for the exit.
Whoa! Mr. Hyundai does a giant swerve back into traffic — I guess he didn’t see (or even look for) the Subaru.
We proceed west a long way; the Hyundai in traffic with his right-turn signal on.
I guess the Subaru is laying back in fear and trembling, lest Mr. Hyundai make another crazy move.
By now I can see it on the Hyundai: “Bush-Cheney 2004” on the left side of the trunk-lid, and another bumper-sticker saying “Bambi makes good hamburger.”

—2) I’m headed back home from Lori’s, Interstate-390 south to the Rush Exit.
The Rush Exit is where I-390 crosses under Route 15; also Route 251 to Scottsville.
The exit onto Route 15 is protected by a traffic-light, but the ramp onto 390 isn’t.
There also is a ramp from 251, but it crosses Route 15 at a stop-sign.
I proceed south on 15, approaching that ramp.
A white full-size Chevy pickup is at that stop-sign, but I can’t see its driver — he’s in shadow, and it’s rainy.
He pulls right out in front of me — did he see me at all?
I hit the brakes, throwing everything in the back forward.
Completely stopped myself, I see the other driver. He’s looking the other way.
Um, hell-oooo; knock-knock. Anybody home?
I just saved your flabby butt from an accident; me T-boning your pickup.

Today (Thursday, October 29, 2009).
—3) Another trip into Rochester. We are returning home on 15A. We’re approaching the Honeoye Falls Five Points road, which crosses into Monroe St. into Honeoye Falls.
I need to turn left onto Monroe St. toward Honeoye Falls.
I’ve been followed since Rush by a glowering intimidator in a white Ford Ranger pickup.
I flick on my left-turn signal and begin slowing for Monroe St.
Suddenly, PRAAMMMP!
Well HEX-KYOOZE ME, dude, for delaying your arrival at the donut-table.
I can’t just move into the opposing lane so you can pass.
Or turn left at 89 bazilyun miles-an-hour.
—4) Another trip, this one toward Fairport.
Into Pittsford on the main north-south drag; hafta turn right onto Route 31 east.
I pull into the right-turn lane at 31, and notice a “no right-on-red” sign.
Makes sense, that corner is relatively blind.
A lady in a beige Honda minivan is behind me; she tootles her horn.
Disregard; I wasn’t sure it was even her.
But then, more insistently: PRAAMMMP!
I point skyward over my car; “Didja see the sign? ‘No right-on-red.’ I’m sorry I’m a pest. but I’d like to obey the law.”

I could go on-and-on with various phenomenal avoidances; e.g. the Cadillac that cut me off at the Pittsford Post-Office, and the Civic that cut me off on Marsh Road.
To me, driving is a social compact, and that compact seems to be unraveling.
As we used to say at Transit, expect anything!

• “Deepest, darkest Henrietta” is a rather effusive and obnoxious suburb south of Rochester.
• Route 15, a two-lane, used to be the main road into Rochester from the south, before Interstate-390. Route 15A paralleled it to the east across Western New York. 15 and 15A are north-south; 251 is east-west, and goes through “Scottsville,” NY, a fairly large rural town. It also goes through Rush.
• “Rush” is a small rural town nearby, about 10 miles away. The “Rush Exit” on I-390 is near it.
• A “glowering intimidator” is a tailgater, named after Dale Earnhardt, deceased, the so-called “intimidator” of NASCAR fame, who used to tailgate race-leaders and bump them at speed until they let him pass.
• “Transit” equals Regional Transit Service, the transit-bus operator in Rochester, NY, where I drove transit-bus for 16&1/2 years (1977-1993).