Stupid Traffic Anecdote of the Day

Near my house, there's an intersection where cars can turn onto Route 7, which is a very busy road. There's a stoplight at the intersection, and a sign that tells people "No Turn on Red" with the additional explanation "When Pedestrians are Present." There are rarely, if ever, any pedestrians.

I pull up to the light behind a guy in a Civic with Virginia plates, who's behind a Jetta (which apparently has DC plates reading "Taxation without Representation", the mocking cry of every DC resident). The light is red, but there's no traffic on Route 7. The Jetta guy sits there, waiting for a green light. I honk my horn, wondering if he's asleep. So does the guy in the Civic.

Jetta Guy gets out of his car and walks back to the Civic, pointing at the sign. Best of all, he looks like an aging hippie, with a bandana headscarf and a ponytail.

"See that sign? It says 'No Turn on Red', jerk!"

Civic Guy roll down the window. "Did you happen to read the second sign, BELOW that sign?"

Jetta Guy stops and looks at it. "Oh." He turns and starts walking back to his car, without even an apology.

Civic Guy shouts back, "I see your license plate says 'No Taxation Without Representation' on it."

Jetta Guy turns around. "Yeah, it does."

Civic Guy: "Did you ever stop and think that maybe Congress doesn't want to give representation to people who are too dumb to read street signs?"

After I turned, I noted that Jetta Guy had a Kerry-Edwards bumper sticker. Somehow, that fits.