First things first.
Happy Mother's Day, Mom
After some early haircuts yesterday morning, we decided to stop and get some breakfast at the Abita Cafe in downtown Abita Springs, LA. Quite good. Recommended. Abita Springs is a quirky little town about 15 miles south of CrabAppleLane and we just love it. However, there was one quirk that everyone could do without and that was the traffic light. Northbound Hwy 59 traffic had to turn left in town at the light in order to continue northbound. These are all single-lane highways. The problem was that the southbound traffic was usually heavy at the light and only one or two northbound cars were able to make the turn and they were blocking all of the vehicles behind them. All of the southbound traffic was getting through but the heavier northbound traffic would get severely backed up. It was a nightmare, particularly after Katrina when all of the traffic in this area was doubled.
Cool sign - Abita Springs, LA - May 10, 2008
116 days until football season ...
Quote of the Day
I'll take any free ball I can get. I'll give it to my kid. Let him go play with it somewhere.
Greg Maddux, San Diego Padres
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "But if it helps to appease the fence fetishists out there, it's less objectionable than some other options. That's the best I can say about it at this time."
Personally I'm surprised there's not more accidents in/around the traffic circle--NOT that I'm complaining! Ironically, I took my Canadian friend to the Abita Cafe for brunch the day before yesterday. *L* (That's why I've been absent lately, btw. Busy playing tour guide. Things will return to normal later this week.) Your tomatoes are looking great!
First time I encountered these things was in Norway, where virtually every road crossing out in the country has them. I was terrified at first, partly because I didn't get what the signs were telling me. Then there were the (few) roundabouts I encountered in Australia, complicated by the fact I had to remember to go around them the wrong way. And now ... yeah, these are showing up more and more in California, too. People seem fine with them, and they seem to actually get traffic through intersections faster than the alternatives.
Thanks, Lana. I think the reason the circle in Abita is a success where the circles at the Huey P Long are failures is the single lane. The Huey P is a double and people get trapped in the inside lane. Someone is trying to get in when they're trying to get out.
They absolutely get traffic through the intersection faster, Dan. I think I'd like to see more of them.