By Joan Whetzel
I
started a new job right before Christmas. The job is a little further from home
than I would have liked, but the pay is good and I really need to work. So, I
said yes when they offered. Well, I thought I’d found the perfect route, based
on the facts at hand. It didn’t take long to figure out I needed some
alternative routes.
The
facts at hand? Houston traffic is a nightmare after about 6:15 in the morning.
If I leave any time after that, I’d be late for work. Severe weather and
traffic accidents will alter drive times and traffic patterns, NOT in my favor.
I was originally scheduled to work 7:30 to 4:00, which means that leaving by
6:15 could get me to work in about 40 to 45 minutes. Leaving work at 4:00 could
get me home in about an hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. I figured I might add a little time after the holidays.
Yeah,
well, come January 2nd, reality set in. My estimates about the expected
extra drive time were way-ay-ay off! My morning commute jumped to 1-hour 15-minutes,
and I was almost late to work. If there had been an accident or weather-related
road conditions I WOULD have been late. My afternoon commute soared to 1½ - 2
hours. I quickly started trying some of the alternate routes I’d considered for
accidents and inclement weather.
I
have found my best alternates my morning and evening commutes that cut out a
decent amount of time. I also change my shift to 7:00 to 3:30, which shaved off
even more time. Yes, I have to leave a little earlier in the morning - 6:00
instead of 6:15 – but I don’t have to get up any earlier, so that’s just fine
with me. That 15-minute lead time allows me to take the freeway for part of the
trip, and I get to travel at posted speeds. Woohoo! I now get to work
in only 30 to 40 minutes. Leaving work at 3:30 has its perks too. I miss the
afternoon rush hour (which starts at 4:00ish) and make the drive home in just
under an hour.
The
only time even the alternate routes didn’t pan out was that week of Houston’s deep
freeze. But then most businesses closed down – including my job for a day and a
half. My biggest problem with that particular weather condition (other than
driving slower to avoid ice skating) was that I discovered my car does
not
like getting out of bed when the temps drop to freezing or below.
Especially, if the temperature stays below freezing for more than an hour (in
this case for over 72 hours straight).
Thankfully,
that’s not something I’ll usually encounter since the weather gods rarely wreak
such havoc. No, they prefer the heavy rain and flooding havoc. Now all I need
is another alternate route for when a heavy rain occurs overnight. Some of my
alternate routes – and my current routes – tend to have flooding problems.
Guess I’ll have to get up and leave earlier.
