Pixellated across the GTA

Does anybody pay attention to the pixelboard signs across our major freeways?

Sometimes I wonder.

The other day I was eastbound on the 401. The sign just prior to the Express/Collector split indicated that the two right lanes in the Express were blocked.

There only are four lanes at that point, so surely it was going to be tough sailing through there.

So, why wasn't everybody merging over towards the Collectors?

I mean, not everyone is listening to Darryl Dahmer on 680 News all the time.

But surely everyone could see the sign that the road was going to be congested?

Apparently not.

As it turned out, by the time I passed that spot on the road (in the Collectors, needless to say) the crash had been cleared up and the delay wasn't that bad.

But no-one could have known that.

Speaking of Darryl Dahmer, I have flown with him while he is doing his traffic reports, and it is one of the more remarkable intellectual accomplishments I have ever personally witnessed. He is giving these amazingly detailed reports, to two radio stations alternately (AM and FM), he recaps everything he has said previously on the basis that you might not have heard ALL the previous reports (every ten minutes), he is communicating with at least five different information sources (Ministry of Transportation, Metro cops, OPP, TTC, the station coordinators), he finds and reads the correct commercial after each report, he does it all without a single "um" or "ah" - and he's flying an airplane solo in the busiest air space in Canada!

Amazing.

He told me that he sometimes sees the traffic flow change in real time - he announces a problem, and from above he can see cars change direction to avoid the problem.

Wonder why the pixelboard signs don't seem to have the same effect?

Comments

[John Frewen-Lord]

Doing all that AND flying an aircraft solo at the same time? As you have said Jim many times in the past, driving is a full time job. I would have thought flying (especially in Canada's busiest airspace) even more so. Hope he doesn't bring down an A380 while reporting on an accident south of Pearson.....

[Jim]

Hi John:

He is an absolute master at multi-tasking...

[Mike T.]

Jim, you ask "Wonder why the pixelboard signs don't seem to have the same effect?"

It's probably because all the young people are concentrating on "electronic devices as cell phones, iPods, mp3 players, etc" and the old people are juggling a Timmie's and whether their mutuals are ever going to be worth anything again.

[John Betmanis]

Jim, you already know the reason people pay no attention to the pixelboard signs; the information is not real-time, it's out-of-date. I make a game out of second guessing those signs and most of the time I'm right.

[Joe U]

Regarding your topic of the Pixel board use ...

2 years ago I was driving east-bound on the 401, a bit before the express / collector splits, in the summer, about 1 hour before sunset ( so, billboards were illuminated by the largest spotlight in the solar system, but still quite readable. )

At this particular time, the boards were announcing that traffic ahead was stopped, so when I had to come to a full stop about 700 meters further on, I wasn't actually surprised.

This was in direct contrast to at least two of the drivers immediately behind me, who created an 8-car, chain-reaction accident, which unfortunately included me.

Ironically one of the at-fault drivers was driving a Volvo, demonstrating that the most important piece of safety equipment is biological, not mechanical.

[Patrick]

Mr. Dahmer has already been involved in a mid-air collision while doing his daily rounds. When I was in flight school, we were warned over and over about that guy, then the collision happened (thankfully everyone made it down OK).

[Jim]

Hi:

As I understand it, Mr. Dahmer was totally exonerated by the investigation into that collision.

Jim Kenzie

[ldmackay]

The major difference is you made it down and able to continue with your life. What happens with those that are not in control and lose the essence of their own lives ATTRIBUTED TO OTHERS IN CONTROL. Truly a shame for those considered to be in control, Don't you think, or do you.I'm ashamed to think I'd be in the latter portion, but unforntunately those are the facts that would be most prevalant, were I in that situation.Living is better than dying, and unless you've had loved ones die, you have no prespective whatsoever. I personally lost my youngest son without any prior knowledge and he was my personal favourite amongst my three son's. That does not in any way negate my love for the other two in any way, he was the most controversial of them all and pushed my buttons daily to affirm my love for him.