I don't know how you do it. I really don't. Every day you folks climb into your SUV's, your hybrids, your smart cars and your sedans, complete with the knowledge, that in all likely hood you are going to be stuck in your automobile for an hour traveling at speeds that rival Andy Rooney getting out of bed. You do this. Every. Day. It's amazing to me. You leave the house knowing your ride is going to stink. It's like playing Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun. You know you are going to get shot. There's no chance you you find and empty chamber or an empty travel lane.
The trick, I imagine, is to try and make the trip as painless as possible. Like a trip to the dentist. You numb yourself with coffee instead of Novocain. You occupy your mind with the radio instead of an eight-month old people magazine. You try to block out the pain of the commute by planing your day, solving life's unsolvable problems or I'm sure in a lot of instances, just zoning out. You cope. You manage. You get through it.
I applaud you for this. I know I couldn't handle that day in, day out. The one benefit of working my schedule (alarm clock goes off at 3:11 AM) is that I never have to sit in traffic going to work. Aside from the occasional DUI checkpoint., my biggest obstacle heading to work is an oft mistimed light at the corner of Peachtree and Spring Streets. If for some reason I am forced to deal with traffic jams on the weekends or an evening trip Philips Arena, I implode. I am ill-equipped to deal with traffic jams. I am missing the "patience of my fellow commuter" gene.
It is for this reason that I take my job so seriously. I really want to help you avoid sitting in bumper-to-bumper delays. I put myself in your car and ask what would I want to know right now. What information would I want to hear? Trip times, incident alerts, alternate routes. These are the vital nuggets of info that could be the difference between getting to work on time, or missing that important meeting. My tool belt is full of resources to accomplish this: Captain Herb in the WSB Skycopter. Kim McCarthy in the Skyplane. Doug Turnbull -- a tornado on the telephones constantly talking to police dispatchers across north Georgia getting you the information first. Not to mention hundreds of DOT cameras and the ever important army of traffic troopers that call the traffic center every morning updating their commutes.
I have been reporting on Atlanta's traffic woes for over 13 years. On the radio (AM 750 and NOW 95.5 FM NewsTalk WSB, B.98.5FM), on television (Channel 2 Action News This Morning) and on the web (wsbradio.com). If it's happened on the roads of north Georgia, I've reported it. From giraffes to planes and everything in between I have tried to keep you clear of the backups.
I want this column to be an extension of my on air reports. I want you to ask me questions about traffic. I most certainly will ask you questions about traffic. We will discuss problems and solutions to the daily gridlock. If you see problems or issues I will address them. If you need a shoulder to cry on, mine will be available. I'm excited about this traffic column. It gives me yet another way to help you along your way. Feel free to email me anytime: Mark.Arum@coxradio.com -- And as always, please drive safely.
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