Traffic Guy

The Traffic Guy Hears...

... that Asbury is still stop-and-go and one lane in each direction between Dempster and Main.

... that that storm sure shook up everyone in town, with water, water everywhere. Some folks are calling this the storm of the century. Isn't this at least the second "storm of the century" we've had in the last few years? The floodwaters receded pretty quickly in most places, but TG would like to know from our readers: How is our sewer project working? Are basements dry or drier - assuming, of course, that one had electricity (in the house or borrowed) to keep the sump pumps operating.

... that our recent rainfall has been a windfall for fungus. Take a look at these:

... that things have settled down from the problems from the severed gas main at Simpson and Maple a couple of weeks ago. There was a nice ironic layer, in that the micro-disaster occurred near Fireman's Park, where, one might think, workers should be extra-careful, with the spirit of firemen looking on. On the other hand, maybe that's why it was only a micro- instead of a macro-.

... that, speaking of moisture, some folks got a noseful of muggy, fetid air in between rainstorms a few weeks ago, as a garbage truck in northwest Evanston was, as one resident put it, "leaking garbage water."

... that Evanston's squirrels are smarter than you might think. A reader sent in this photo, where the squirrel, torn tin can in mouth, is obviously hunting for a recycling bin.

... that the folks in Springfield were scheduled to vote after this paper went to press on a mass transit funding bill, Senate Bill 572, sponsored by none other than the chair of the House Committee on Mass Transit, State Representative Julie Hamos of Evanston. That committee already approved a transit funding and reform proposal, and the folks at the RTA say this bill would "implement recommendations for reform at the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) and the transit agencies and provide funds to address operating shortfalls at the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace. Funds are needed to avoid drastic fare hikes, service cuts and layoffs that are scheduled to occur in mid-September."

Late last month the RTA board of directors approved contingency plans for the transit system that would, according to the RTA "cut services, increase fares, cut jobs and defer capital investments and maintenance projects indefinitely. Without additional funding, those changes will take effect on Sept. 16. Transit officials say the so-called ‘doomsday' scenario would jeopardize the region's economy, lead to greater congestion on roads, degrade air quality and strand thousands who rely on public transit every day."

"If the bill does not pass, CTA has planned to cut bus lines 93, 200, 201, 205 and 206," said Alex Sproul, chairman of the Transportation Committee of the Evanston Chamber of Commerce. Approximately a million riders use these lines every year.

Here's a photo of a rally held last week in Chicago, supporting more funding for public transportation in the Chicago area.

... that these crews were not trimming trees last month, as some neighbors feared but installing fiber-optic cable. One crew member said the cable was "for the school."

... that TG goofed in using the note about Aug. 27 as moon/Mars night and understands that many of you are wondering how on Earth TG made such a colossal celestial error. Several of you kindly let TG in on the secret that that news - forwarded to TG from a generally reliable source - was actually four years old. TG apologizes to anyone who (as TG did) actually arose in the wee hours of Aug. 27, only to see a fairly ordinary midnight sky.

TG: I hope I'm not the only one to suggest that the Traffic Guy's guess about the appearance of Mars is totally off base. It will barely be any larger optically than
it usually is. How can you make an assertion like that? Where do you get your information? Whoo. Talk about a failing educational system. - Chuck Cole

TG: Since my son Nate's birthday is Aug. 27, we were excited to hear that Aug. 27 is "the day the whole world is waiting for"... until we started to do some research to find out where in the sky we would look to find Mars so close to Earth. I found this at Snopes.com, instead, which reveals that this news is not only inaccurate, but four years old. Boo hoo! http://www.snopes/com/
science/mars.asp.
Still a loyal reader. - Jennie Woodring

From TG: Thanks for the info and the vote of confidence.

TG: You recently posted this in your column:"... that Aug. 27 has been called "the day the whole world is waiting for: the planet Mars will come within 34.65 million miles of earth and will look to the naked eye as large as the full moon. At 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 27 earth could look like it has two moons; the next time Mars may come this close is in 2287."

I excitedly told several of my friends about this, and then after they didn't think it seemed true, I did some research and learned that it is false. I was rather embarrassed.
I guess I shouldn't believe everything I read! (Neither should you, since I suspect you
got the information from an e-mail forward).

Actually Mars was closest to Earth on Aug. 27, 2003 (4 years ago). And it was as large as the moon - through a telescope with a 75x lens. Here are some links that talk about this: http://www.space.com/
scienceastronomy/
mars_history_030826.html and
http://urbanlegends.about.com
/library/bl_mars_encounter.htm

On a different note, in the July 25 issue you wrote: "... that the Metra overpass at Emerson, Ridge and Green Bay appeared to be wrapped in beige cloth last week. Does anybody know why?"

This actually was wrapped earlier in the year. I can't recall exactly when, but I know that it has been that way for three or four months (I drive under the bridge every day).
I don't know "why" they wrapped it instead of painting it, but it does look better now than it did before. - David Brown

From TG: Thanks for all the info and the links. Had TG's brain been fully operational, it would have recalled this story in the July 30, 2003 RoundTable: "Mars Is ‘Dropping by' Earth's Neighborhood," by Sam Edelstein. The story begins thus: The Martians are approaching as you read this. On Aug. 28, planet Mars, our first superior (that is, with an orbit further away from the sun than earth's orbit) neighbor, will be the closest it has been in almost 60,000 years. Mars will be 34,646,418 miles away from Earth, according to space.com. ... In the next millennium, Mars will have a handful of close encounters with Earth, but don't plan on seeing the next one. It is estimated that the next occurrence will be in 2287. The RoundTable printed this photo of smiley-faced Mars with the caption:

In this picture taken by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft of a crater, Mars is obviously all smiles about being the closest that it has been to Earth in some 60,000 years. Credit: Malin Space Science Systems, MGS, NASA.

The Traffic Guy thinks ...

... that some bicycling folks are still not paying attention, seeming to have substituted rules of engagement for Rules of the Road. Last week a guy riding his bike and talking on his cell phone rear-ended the Mayor's car. It's non-thinking folks like that who give regular bicyclists a bad name.

... that the most dreaded and anticipated day of the year - the first day of school - has come and gone, and we all survived.

... that TG will miss the sidewalk art that lightened all our hearts this summer. Fortunately, some folks are using what appears to be an extremely strong and waterproof shaving cream for some of their concrete messages: