Departure Time: 7:16
Arrival Time: 8:06
Weather as I call it: Mostly sunny...but cool...some places were in the 40s today.
Paper Guy: Blue V-neck sweater vest...with a white collared shirt underneath
Shady Gas Price: $2.69 That's crazy
Yelled at other drivers: No
Feared for my life: No
------------------------------Happy fun observance:I saw a woman walking and reading a book at the same time. She was walking on the sidewalk in front of the Museum of Science. As they say in my household, that takes skillz.
Awful sad observance:So, most days I join the crawl to Storrow Drive via Route 28 (A/K/A Monsignor O'Brien HWY). There is a light at Leverett Circle that holds traffic up somewhat. As an aesthetic improvement to the area, they have taken down the elevated pedestrian bridges...so now people have to cross the street using crosswalks at street level. This improvement to the look of Leverett Circle does not, unfortunately, work well with car traffic. In many past posts, I have complained about this area. It's probably the most time consuming part of my ride.
Since the Big Dig tunnel closure, there has been a state police presence in the circle. They are there, I think, to make sure traffic moves smoothly as the circle could quickly turn into a major jam for people who are taking Storrow East instead of the Pike East to get to Logan through the Callahan tunnel (phew). Some state police officers I feel have been very helpful in getting traffic a-going, especially when they take an active role in directing cars to turn right on red when there are no pedestrians in the crosswalk. Other mornings, I have seen officers who do not take an active role in moving traffic along...and I feel they are more of a hindrance than a help.
Today, there was an officer who was taking an active role in directing traffic. Cars seemed to be moving just fine...not the fastest traffic flow I have ever experienced...but certainly not the slowest. I got closer to the intersection (it really isn't a circle anymore...it really is an intersection) steadily with each light cycle. When I got to the point where I knew my entry onto Storrow Drive was imminent, I noticed a small red pickup truck in front of me. It was a commercial vehicle (at least that’s what the plate said) for the home cleaning company "Maid 4 You" based in the Boston area.
Once the light turned green, traffic started moving...and the state police officer reinforced what our action should be by waving us on. A few cars went through until the red truck stopped to discuss something with the officer. At first I thought the driver was lost and was asking for directions. I was a little annoyed for the stoppage, but I forced my feeling away thinking I should be more compassionate for the lost. As the stoppage continued, you could see the officer's expression turning from surprise to anger. As the truck pulled away, the officer shouted something at the truck. I didn't hear what was shouted since I had my window rolled up but I did read a few words off the officer's lips. Let's put it this way: the phrase "have a wonderful day" wasn't used.
What the hell happened? It's not every day I see somebody piss off a Statey. Here are your choices:
• Did the guy in the pickup truck express his displeasure about the traffic direction?• Did the guy in the pickup truck make a rude comment about the mismanagement of the Big Dig?or
• Did the guy in the pickup truck make a sexist remark because the officer was a woman? (Hee hee, I left that part out)
You decide. I say boycott this company...or contact them to let them know their employees behavior isn't cool. Their drivers shouldn't be holding up traffic to mess with police officers. Even if you don't do anything, she took a long look at his license plate as he drove off...I'm thinking there will be some payback.
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