21 July, 2007

News You Can Use: People Are Friggin' Idiots 

A highway in southern California has had to be shut down due to road work rage.

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The first sign things were going to turn ugly was after the transportation department allowed drivers to use the highway only during rush hour last summer, with traffic flowing in one direction at a time and creeping along behind escort vehicles.

One person called and said he would climb a water tower and shoot workers. Next came angry exchanges, with one driver tossing a burrito at a construction worker. Vandals tore down barricades and construction equipment was stolen, and authorities threatened to shut down the highway.
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You'd think that if CalTrans was threatening to shut down the highway altogether that people would get a clue and dial back the road rage a bit. You'd be wrong:

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Last September, Charles Fenn was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon on allegations that he clipped a flagman with his vehicle on his way home to Wrightwood. When authorities finally caught up with him at his house, they noticed he had shaved off his mustache, said CHP Officer Jeff Perez.

"I'm the victim," Fenn maintained in a brief phone interview, declining to comment further. His criminal case is pending and he's been sued by the flagman. Fenn has he pleaded not guilty.
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I got news for you, Charlie: When you're in a construction zone, it is incumbent upon YOU to maintain control of your vehicle so that you don't run down (or clip) a construction worker. END OF STORY!

After another worker was shot in the leg by a BB gun--and citing the need to expand the construction zone--the state followed up on its threat to shut down the highway until the project is complete.

Thankfully, not everyone who has been seriously inconvenienced by the project has felt compelled to behave like an utter asshat:

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Samantha Frager, 18, said she used to commute to her job at a Mexican restaurant in Wrightwood from nearby Phelan and had to leave about 30 minutes early because of construction delays.

"It's been more of an irritation, a hassle, more than anything," said Frager, who now lives in Wrightwood but had to pick up a second job so she could pay her rent.

Tony Albers had to tack on an extra 10 to 15 minutes to his 60 mile commute to a heating and air conditioner distributorship near Los Angeles. He worries about safety on a two-lane road that serves as an alternate route this summer.

"The extra drivers make it dangerous," said Albers, 41. "In the end it's going to be worth having these delays to have a better highway."
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Testimony to how much easier it is to get your work done when PEOPLE LEAVE YOU THE FUCK ALONE SO YOU CAN DO YOUR JOB, the contractor working on this project expects to have it completed on September 11--two weeks ahead of schedule.

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   ~~ victoria on 11:05 AM ~~    2 comments

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