Rain is the new Ice

We've had a spot of rain over the last two days and it seems to scare Houston drivers nearly as much as Dr. Frank-hyped ice storms. Last night traffic was an infernal mess as people tried their darnedest not to modify their driving styles to the conditions. The Westpark Tollway was stacked up like IHOP's Paul Bunyan flapjack plate.

This morning everyone must had been hiding under their blankets because the roads were deserted. A near record minimum commute time was recorded. Thanks you big babies.

Icy Weather Driving Tip

Houston has no real road clearing ability whether the weather turns wintry. If there's ice, you are left to fend for yourself relying only on your reflexes and luck that no bonehead wipes you out. Since it's a dog eat dog situation out there at the best of times, I'd like to share a little Houston driving tip not in the hopes that it will save injury or death, but rather than it will keep my insurance premiums from spiking do to an avalanche of claims.

People hate the Houston bike lanes. I can't quantify the amount of whining I've heard about them. "The lanes are too narrow now." "Bikes belong on the sidewalk." "Only _____ (insert derogatory name here) ride bikes." "How much money was wasted building that?" Heck even bikers hate the bike lanes due to the way they were built. They are too narrow, riddled with potholes and garbage because they are never cleaned. That is where we can turn a sow's ear into a silk purse. When the roads get icy just drive in the bike lanes. There's plenty of traction to be found on the crushed cement, gravel, sand and broken glass. All the nails and screws lying there will serve to automatically create studded tires for you free of charge. Just watch out for the occasional cinderblock and you'll be laughing on the way to the office as you speed past regular law abiding commuters.

Great Ice Storm of 2007, part deux

Well some ice did arrive Wednesday morning and no roofs collapsed under the weight, power lines weren't brought down by fallen tree branches and no one got frostbite. However, people did manage to wreck there cars.

It seems Houston drivers have a proficiency for creating auto accidents whether dry, wet or frozen. They have the ability to abandon the rules taught in drivers education courses about 3 seconds after walking out the door. They speed, change lanes quickly and follow much too close to the car in front, add in some mildly slick conditions and you get numerous 10+ car pileups. It's so predictable that I have friends who start a betting pool for the number of crashes involving 5 or more cars every time the weather looks a little sketchy. It simply boggles the mind that this type of behavior behind the wheel never gets modified through experience. Perhaps cars are just too safe these days and give drivers a sense of invulnerability.

So until we get some real herd thinning-type weather, I salute your bravado speeding pickup truck driver.

The Great Ice Storm of 2007

Dear Lord there was panic in the streets, hundreds of thousands of people stranded in their unheated, powerless homes with no hope of rescue or relief.

Well not really. Here's the only documented evidence of ice in the Houston metro area

If the local Houston news could manage to ratchet up their weather scaremongering hype machine anymore it would rip a whole in the fabric of time and space. One channel was giving out evacuation shelter information. Do they seriously think that a little frost is the end of the world?