Weather: Freezing (with snow)

It's pretty cold, this start of February, and I had to walk home in it...


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Bleugh. Mind you, I normally like walking through the cold, but it was particularly "snowy-and-blowy" this evening, and the police had closed down one of the highway entrances. This meant that everyone was parked in the streets from 5PM, waiting for some forward movement in any direction. Such gridlock makes me happy and frustrated. Happy because I don't drive, and it provides me with a good dose of schadenfreude - especially since I have to suffer first-hand the biting wind and billowing snow. It makes me frustrated with the whole stupidity of the system:

1. Why not allow people to work from home?
2. Why not allow for flexible work hours?
3. Why even feel the need to buy a house BFE?
4. Why not have a reasonable lightrail system?

The first option - allowing people to work at home - would mean fewer cars on the road on any day (regardless of weather) during rush hour. It also allows for the possibility (for those jobs that allow it) to have workers not come in to work if the forecast shows inclement weather, or to leave the office early (making up the time in the evening) if there is an incoming severe weather front.

The second option -allowing flexible work hours - would mean that the "rush hour" would be less severe, as people leave work anywhere between (for example) 3PM and 7PM, instead of peaking out at 5PM. Another benefit of this option would be to allow parents to schedule their work hours to coincide with school hours, meaning that parents with jobs allowing for greater flexibility wouldn't have to pay for as much after-school daycare. Put together with the first option (telecommuting), this option could dramatically reduce the impact of a 5PM rush hour. A further benefit would be garnered by small local businesses that might need to keep "traditional" 9-5 hours. Owners of these businesses would see more activity, since workers that are allowed flexible work hours won't have a complete overlap of working times. This would allow such a worker to go to businesses either soon after opening (if that person chooses to work from 10-6) or before closing (if that person chooses to work from 8-4).

The third option - not buying a home BFE - is not something that employers can really do much about, but it would mean shorter commutes for all workers. Shorter commutes will likely mean that people would be less-inclined to drive in to work (especially if they live near a bus line or within walking distance), further dropping the number of vehicles on the road come the general end-of-the-day.

The fourth option - having a decent light rail system - is not something that most employers can also do much about. (Apparently, the light rail system in Cleveland, OH was built by the president of a major company, ensuring that the layout of the transport system had the company headquarters as its hub.) However, a light rail system is superior to a bus system. A light rail train system can be built to have either exclusive train lanes or to share the road with cars. In the former case, these exclusive lanes can be used as a route for emergency vehicles traveling during a high-traffic period, but otherwise it will allow trains the ability to travel unimpeded by other surface traffic conditions. In the latter case, the train can easily take up the entire width of a lane that less road-crowding would take place, allowing for a slightly smoother (if still quite slow) commute.

Okay, my rant's done.