April 10

I probably pass a dozen of these signs on my commute daily. Every time I see them, with the pictograph of the running boy, I read "DRIVE SLOW," then mentally add "RUN FAST," to the sign. It's probably a subconscious desire on my part to run down pedestrians or something, since I've taken the Massachusetts tradition of offensive driving (the opposite of defensive driving) somewhat to heart over these past ten years.

I was hoping for something prettier, or more momentous, or even just noteworthy, to mark the occasion of my 100th photograph in my Photo of the Day series. I guess this will just have to do.

100/365 -

April 07

Here I present to you the scene yesterday at the corner of Huntington Avenue and Ruggles St. near Northeastern University.

Note the green light. I should have been rolling forward at this point, but I wouldn't have gotten very far. Look closely at the four layers of cars and how each layer is going in a different direction. In my experience, this is a uniquely Boston phenomenon, caused by unclear, ambiguous, or even nonexistent traffic markings. Boston drivers, of course, view traffic signs and markings as nothing more than suggestions, and treat them accordingly.

In a way, Boston drivers have a certain laissez-faire attitude to driving. You do your thing, they do theirs, and if nobody hits each other who gets hurt? It's that kind of driving that results in it taking me 45-50 minutes to drive the five miles to work on a good day.

97/365 -

March 16

There are a couple of things wrong with this sign.

Massachusetts law states that pedestrians have the right-of-way in an uncontrolled crosswalk. Still, they put up signs to remind drivers of this -- which is fine with me, by the way. While I drive to and from work, I do walk around in the city from time to time and appreciate everything that can be done to keep me from being run down in my perambulations. That having been said, somebody needs to proofread their signs before letting workers put them up.

Note that nowhere on this sign does it say what you're supposed to do when encountering somebody in the crosswalk. Common sense -- and looking around at signs that were done correctly -- tells you that you're supposed to stop, but common sense, as the old adage goes, is an uncommon thing.

Also, just what is a "pedestrain?" (That's a rhetorical question.)

Driving in Boston can be an adventure, as I commented here and here. An overtaxed road system is to blame for many mishaps, but having better signage around the city would make things a little easier.

75/365 -

February 11

In Boston, at almost any employer, a commuter running late has a built-in excuse if he uses public transportation. The commuter rail lines share rails with freight railroads, and some lines (like the Worcester line) have monumental delays because of unscheduled track work. The subway lines usually run well enough, except when they don't, and their cleanliness is at best unexceptional, at worst abyssmal. We have many new buses, but their schedules are at the mercy of Boston's notoriously bad traffic.

New Yorkers have their comprehensive, wide-ranging, 24-hour-a-day subway system that, while not perfect, was built with capacity and expansion in mind. Residents of other large cities in the world have similarly-efficient, if not necessarily pretty, systems. Boston has the T.

When I saw this clock tower at Forest Hills Station on the Orange Line while driving to work, I realized that it's not all the MBTA's fault. How can they be expected to keep the trains on time when they don't even know what the correct time is?

42/365 -

January 22

Here's a scene from my commute today -- the corner of the Riverway and Brookline Avenue in Boston. Note the car in front of me, which has stopped halfway into the next lane of oncoming traffic. Note that I couldn't go forward, even though I had the signal, from cross traffic blocking the intersection. All of the confusion here was accompanied by the discordant blaring of car and truck horns from drivers on both streets, pedestrians crossing the street against the lights, and other assorted mayhem.

With scenes like this, it's no wonder that Massachusetts drivers have earned -- deservedly -- the nickname "Massholes."

22/365 -