The Blinking Light

  

Back in the last century (I say that a lot don't I?), before I was married, I worked for a corporation in Newark.  And now I'm back in Newark.  No matter what century it is or was, I (almost) always took public transportation (that would be NJ Transit) to get to my destination.  

Before I got my first position in Newark, I really hadn't taken public transportation.  But I did it for the 3 or so years that I worked there.  Back then, as now, there were two local buses, and there was one express.  Only then the express that I took was only a block away from my home. This bus, which no longer exists, came down the highway approximately 18 miles before picking me up at the corner and then continuing on and then getting on another highway taking me directly to Penn Station.  It did 3 direct runs to Penn Station in the morning and 3 direct runs from Penn Station in the afternoon/evening. It was very convenient to catch in the morning.  Taking it back  was not quite so easy.  

It had nothing to do with the bus itself.  It had everything to do with where it left me off.  It, reasonably, dropped me off at the stop on the other side of the highway.  And that meant I had to get across the street.  Easy enough to do, but there was no traffic light.  There WAS a light about 1/4 mile to the south and another about 1/2 of a mile north.  But there was no light at the corner.  And getting across the street could be a challenge.

Now when this intersection had originally been created (I don't know when that was...before my time!) I'm betting a light wouldn't have been necessary.  There probably wasn't a lot of traffic.  That has changed over the years.  It has changed A LOT.  Traffic has gotten even crazier since.  (Okay, there was a pause during the pandemic when I could have stood in the middle of the road in the morning and not gotten hit or seen an entire car.)  It's so crazy that during the winter months, when the sun fades away quickly, I try NOT to take the bus that drops me off closer to the house so that  I can avoid crossing the highway.  (I'll admit I'm lucky that there is another local bus that I can take which isn't too much further of a walk to pick up.)  It's dangerous.

It was dangerous back in the 1990s.  It's even more so now.  

So I was thrilled when I heard a light would FINALLY be coming in.  It was the result of a Starbucks wanting to fill a long vacant building (formerly a bank).  No one (at least no one I knew) was thrilled that a Starbucks was coming to the neighborhood (at the time we had 3 independent coffee houses in our town), I WAS thrilled that a traffic light was FINALLY coming in.

Then the Starbucks plan fell through.  (Or at least that's what I heard.)  I thought all was lost.

Thankfully I was wrong.  Slowly but surely I could see that SOMETHING was being installed.  Weeks went by.  I think months went by.  FINALLY a traffic light appeared.

Yes it will probably cause traffic issues.  Although there were issues there even beforehand.  It's a busy stretch of road.  

The traffic light has been up for about a month.  It has not been functional however.  It's just there.  The actual lights are covered.  Nothing was turned on.  So crossing the street has continued to be a danger.

Then on Monday the lights were uncovered.  HURRAH!  The lights started blinking. The highway facing light flashed yellow, the other "side" blinked red.  And that's what has continued.  

Do cars slow down at the blinking yellow light?  Heck no.  Does anyone seem to care?  No.  Was crossing the highway/road just as difficult today as it has been?  Yes!

Hopefully soon the traffic light will stop blinking and be fully functional.  MAYBE then I'll be able to get across the street without taking my life in my hand.  Maybe.  Fingers crossed.