Getting There

A cold and windy 50-degree morning in Vallejo. Many cars and a few riders. I don’t know if my fellow riders are dazed or just rude. As I walk up to where the line begins several riders just walk right past me, getting into the cars that are lined up. I and the fellow right behind me look at each other and shrug. “Anarchy in the carpool line,” I say and we both laugh and get into a shiny new Toyota Corolla. Cozy warm inside and the lady driver gives us a pleasant greeting. We each give her $1. “We need the money for safe bridges,” she says. “Well, that’s the party line,” I comment. “I’d like to see the budgets for those safe bridges and over-runs.” No comment from either of my companions. Okay.

Off we go and this mild, very suburban and mellow looking plump lady hits the freeway at 70 plus mph! She’s driving like a maniac. As we hurtle down the 80 Freeway a small truck pulls out in front of us to join the carpool lane. The driver does not slow down until I gasp and then she tailgates the guy. Near Berkeley all the lanes are full and moving at about 45 mph, and I can breathe easier.

There are a number of stories carpoolers tell about drivers they wish they’d never been in a car with – check out ridenow.org, a great site that gives good information on car pooling in the bay area and has a great message board with listings of dangerous drivers, including car descriptions and license plate numbers. Our lady today should certainly be on that list. Unfortunately, when I’m in a hurry in the morning, and waiting in the carpool line, I just don’t pay attention to people’s license numbers, and even though I describe drivers and their cars in this blog, I seldom recognize anyone I’ve ever ridden with. Well, there are a few that stand out in my mind.

I like this quote from an unknown author: “It takes 8,460 bolts to assemble an automobile, and one nut to scatter it all over the road.” Avoid the nuts. Pay your toll, cross your fingers and be nice. CG

Filed under: Car Pooling, Car Pooling Etiquette, Casual Carpool Bay Area, Casual Carpooling, commute, casual car pool, Environment, Today's Commute, Tolls for car pools |