The Traffic Conundrum

Ever wonder what causes traffic? I have to admit it's a pet peeve of mine and probably an undiscovered career path. I mean, there needs to be someone at the front of the traffic line, right? In a quest for knowledge, I set out to see what some of the reasons for traffic were. And the list includes:

1. Bottlenecks (when the road goes from three lanes to two and everybody wants in at the last absolute moment)

2. Traffic incidents (accidents, etc)

3. Rubbernecking (the folks who need to slow down and see the accident that isn't causing their side of the road traffic)

4. Construction (this one is okay, we need to go slow and be considerate of those who are working in very dangerous places)

5. Bad weather (also understandable, but if it's drizzling...c'mon people!)

6. Poor signaling time (or, in other words...those who can't really drive)

Those are the top ones according to a post on InfoPlease.com, but I have another one to add to the list:

7. A person balancing a watermelon on his head and juggling oranges.

Yes, it's true. This morning while I was happily moving along to work, I heard on 1010 WINS that the cause for traffic on the West Side Highway was a man who was balancing a watermelon on his head while juggling oranges. No accidents, no bad weather, just entertainment. Those who weren't already stuck in the jam were advised to take the Riverside Highway. The only thing I can say about that cause for traffic is: only in New York.

As an aside, however, has anyone else noticed the reduced congestion? Traffic really hasn't been very bad in my area lately and the only thing I can attribute this miracle to is the unfortunate fact that so many Americans are losing their jobs every day. If you don't have a job, there's no reason to take part in the morning and evening rush. I'm sure traffic stats will be impacted by the economy. As it stood not so long ago, fewer people were taking road trips and vacations, so what wouldn't traffic be impacted? Although I don't like traffic and wonder what on earth truly causes it, I'll happily wait an extra 15 minutes on my commute when the economy picks up and people are gainfully employed again.