Editor:
Yesterday, while trying to drive though Santa Monica, I found myself trapped in streets and intersections clogged with cars. This drama was heightened by cyclists dashing though stop signs and red lights and, to add a touch of excitement, jaywalking pedestrians.
As I was waiting for an intersection to clear, I said to myself, "This cannot be real." City Hall told us that traffic in Santa Monica has improved by 18.6 percent. I was so happy that it was not better by only 18.5 percent or worse, 18.4 percent. So, I mused, if traffic in Santa Monica is 18.6-percent better, then why am I stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic? It must just be an illusion. I must not really be caught in bad traffic; yes, that's it — it's all an illusion! After all, City Hall tells us traffic is 18.6-percent better and if City Hall says it, it must be true. Right?
Yes, that's it, what is really happening isn't really happening; it's all must be an illusion.
Don Wagner
Santa Monica
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 26, 2015. Read the original PDF.