I’ve started listening to radio again on the drive this month. I think there are only two benefits to listening to radio, one is to hear what new top 40 songs there are and the second is to get traffic reports. But like wearing a watch in high school, I think having access to traffic reports actually makes driving more stressful!
I’ve travelled my commute enough times that I have expected times for each section I have to drive, and if there isn’t a snow storm or an accident, my estimates are reasonably accurate. But the radio reports tend to make it seem like there a lot of traffic problems, even when there’s only more volume. I guess they are trying to make me feel better that I made it through “heavy traffic” and only ended up 10 minutes late; but really +/- 10 minutes is a typical deviation for the norm. It seems like traffic reports only like to declare a dichotomy, either the the traffic is light (i.e., non-rush-hour traffic), or it’s slow. Like the media, they can’t report no news.
In fact, I find that the COMPASS system is quicker at reporting problems than the radio. I’ve seen accident notices appear on the boards, and affect traffic; while the radio hasn’t even mentioned it yet. Can’t the traffic reporters just check online? I’m almost at a point where I think COMPASS can replace the radio.
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