On Wednesday, it took me an hour to get to work. Three weeks ago, it took me an hour and ten minutes. That's right. I could have driven home to my parents house in Bellville or Butler in the time that it took me to get 28 miles. As soon as I realize traffic is backed up, I always turn on the radio and start scanning stations until I hear a traffic update.When traffic isn't moving at all, I always expect to hear about some horrible, three car pile up. And sometimes, I do. On other days, when there are no accidents to report, I end up hearing the traffic reporter on the radio say, "traffic due to sun glare delays."
Yes, you read that right.
Sun. Glare. Delays. I know. It makes absolutely no sense to me either! I understand when traffic is delayed because there's an accident or because it's raining or snowing. None of these situations make me happy, but at least they make sense. However, the sun shining, which is such a rare and beautiful thing in Cleveland, just doesn't make sense for such significant delays in traffic
Maybe it is because the sun is so rare in Cleveland. After all, the lack of sunshine is one of the reasons Cleveland is ranked as one of the most miserable cities to live in (according to national studies - not me). Cleveland ranks number 47 on the list of 101 cities with the lowest average sunshine amount (see full list here). "Dismal weather" and high commuting times are just two of the factors that have won Cleveland the prestigious award of most miserable city, an award I don't agree with, by the way. I can't argue with the statistics on unemployment, crime and weather, but I really do enjoy living NEAR a big city with so much to do - near, not in, being the clarifying word! Even if our sports teams don't win championships and titles, it's still fun to go to the games and cheer them on!
I have completely digressed. Back to the sun glare delays. When you're driving East on your morning commute, brace yourself and mentally prepare for the fact that you might actually witness the sun shining. If you should encounter such a situation, please follow these steps carefully: put on your sunglasses, put the visor in your car down and drive. If we all work together, I am confident that we can rid this city of unnecessary delays in traffic due to the sun.
We may not have very many days left to witness these rare sun sightings, so please, let's just embrace the time we have with the sun and it's warmth.
Yes, you read that right.
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| okroads.com |
Maybe it is because the sun is so rare in Cleveland. After all, the lack of sunshine is one of the reasons Cleveland is ranked as one of the most miserable cities to live in (according to national studies - not me). Cleveland ranks number 47 on the list of 101 cities with the lowest average sunshine amount (see full list here). "Dismal weather" and high commuting times are just two of the factors that have won Cleveland the prestigious award of most miserable city, an award I don't agree with, by the way. I can't argue with the statistics on unemployment, crime and weather, but I really do enjoy living NEAR a big city with so much to do - near, not in, being the clarifying word! Even if our sports teams don't win championships and titles, it's still fun to go to the games and cheer them on!
I have completely digressed. Back to the sun glare delays. When you're driving East on your morning commute, brace yourself and mentally prepare for the fact that you might actually witness the sun shining. If you should encounter such a situation, please follow these steps carefully: put on your sunglasses, put the visor in your car down and drive. If we all work together, I am confident that we can rid this city of unnecessary delays in traffic due to the sun.
We may not have very many days left to witness these rare sun sightings, so please, let's just embrace the time we have with the sun and it's warmth.
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