The movement of vehicles thru an area or along a route...

This book came for me at work yesterday...

Since we live a cool 15-20 minutes from my work, I really don't experience what can pass as TRAFFIC on a daily basis. Especially since I spent the majority of the summer bike commuting...my bike view of traffic is a lot different. Overall, driving is not my favorite activity, I just see it as a necessary means to get someplace in the least amount of time, if at all possible.

Commuting by bike is so great because I will generally take a least driven route to get past the mess at the I-5 and I-205 @ 134th Street interchange. With the opening of the new bridge over Salmon Creek my route doesn't even pass thru the I-5/I-205 area anymore. During my bike travels I have discovered that motorists are not necessarily happy drivers or that good either or too cautious. There have been too many instances of people speeding up to get past me just to jam on the brakes to make a turn somewhere OR others that drive very slowly behind me until I get past where they want to go or the driver behind them becomes very impatient. Both practices that I hate equally. Just drive your car - that's all I can say. Yes, cars move faster depending on the driver so please people, just drive as you were taught in Driver's Education. What is it that makes people drive so differently, while seemingly "obeying" the same traffic laws? In my world, a red light equals STOP...not "oop, I can still make it since it was yellow when I saw it 5 blocks back..."

Anyway, when driving thru Salmon Creek and all the lights between the two interstates can get hairy at times and from point to point the distance between the onramp to I-5 and the offramp from I-205 is less than half a mile and there are 6 traffic lights from point to point which gives opportunity for motorists to make all sorts of interesting moves while driving. The big green signes over the intersections give plenty of warning if you don't really know where you are going.

Okay, so I am a little driving nazi, I really do not enjoy driving that much. I tend to plan my route ahead of time, leave WAY before I need to and try to enjoy the trip, but really, who enjoys driving? Two out of three isn't bad I guess.

How did I find this book? In a very unlikely place actually, Bicycling magazine! The new Editor in Chief included this in her letter as a recommended read for anyone who rides a bike. I am still working my way thru the Prologue, but I am already enjoying what I read. Should be interesting!