Let It Blow, Let It Blow, Let It Blow

The desert is landlocked by poorly planned road systems and premature over-building to capitalize on the discretionary income of retirees fleeing the snows of colder climes. When road conditions are ideal, it is arduous to make the journey from one side of the freeway to the other; when weather conditions deteriorate, it is impossible.

The wind blows through the pass between two high mountains ranges, the sand stirs up, swirls in little devil winds, and then roars across the desert floor like an out-of-control freight train late for a delivery. The geographical configuration exacerbates the wind and the sand phenomenon and creates a blizzard of hazard for travelers, closing roads and taking the paint off vehicles.

The precious few roads from one side of the interstate to the other intersect the path of the blinding sandstorms following the path of an old river bed. It is nigh unto impossible to cross an over-pass when the winds are fierce enough to close the roads commuters depend on.

Today, two of the three local overpasses were closed: the dense cloud of sand could be seen for miles, making any kind of travel on the covered roads both dangerous and foolhearty. The result of those closures led to total gridlock on the third overpass, especially where the lights are out of sync and the frustrated drivers must drive miles out of their way to get back home.

At the bottom of one overpass, I waited in the middle lane, not moving through far too many light cycles, before I figured out the problem. The lane to the right of me only continues through the light, where it suddenly merges with the middle lane, my lane. The drivers behind me kept swerving into the right lane, and then had to force their way back into the middle lane when their lane abruptly ended.

The result was traffic moving on my left and traffic moving on my right, but the middle lane completely at a stand-still.

Therefore, I opted for a turn-off when there was a brief break in the traffic to my left, figuring that I would circle around the gas station and get onto the overpass from the other direction at the signal. That was a good plan--except there was so much traffic that I could not get over to the left-turn lane. When I finally was able to safely edge into the turn lane, I noticed that the right-turn only lane and the straight ahead lanes were filled to capacity, but knowing that the straight ahead lane terminates at a gas station on the other side of the light, I knew what was coming when it was finally my turn to turn left onto the overpass: all those "straight ahead" cars were making U-turns and coming back to the overpass and into my turning lane!

I understand road rage; today, I experienced it. I wanted nothing more than to plow into those damned drivers who thought their destination more important than mine. Repeatedly, I tried to make my left turn through the signal and onto the overpass, but the traffic was so backed up that I was now stranded at the beginning of the intersection, unable to proceed. The traffic I had been part of was coming through the intersection and blocking it during their turn at the green light, so when I got the green, I couldn't move into the intersection. The straight ahead drivers were blowing through the light and turning left onto the overpass illegally, cutting off those of us waiting in the left-turn lane. The cars that U-turned at the gas station were sneaking onto the overpass with each signal change, regardless of whose turn it was to proceed. And there we all sat!

Finally, I just said to hell with it and started my turn when the light glowed green. I honked at the car trying to cut me off from the lane to my right--the straight ahead to the gas station lane--and prayed that he'd back off his illegal left-hand turn and let me through the intersection. I held my ground for the line of cars turning right in front of me from the U-turn crowd, and finally made my way across the overpass and headed home.

The wind is still blowing, and it's supposed to continue to blow until the weekend. The gusts are anywhere from about 20 mph to well over 50 mph, with no decrease in sight. We all know what happens when the wind blows and the roads are closed, so why aren't there traffic control officers deployed at key intersections to help the traffic flow more smoothly?