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ReprintsDriving 'green,' Detroit style
June 12, 2009 - 12:01 am ET
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That doesn't happen much any more here in Detroit. Not enough Detroiters left working to slow traffic much, let alone stop it up.
OK, so it took a real fluke to recreate a good old-fashioned traffic jam. An armored car lost its load on southbound I-75, spraying thousands of bills across all lanes of the main artery into downtown Detroit (for the non-Motown crowd, that's the Chrysler Freeway near the Ford Freeway. For conspiracy fans, the cash spill was on a direct line between General Motors and Chrysler headquarters).
Taxpayers may be propping up GM and Chrysler these days, but believe me, these days, in Detroit, cash -- actual green, folding money -- can draw a crowd. A big one. It took nine police cars to keep onlookers from hopping the fence while the armored-car guys ran around stuffing blowing bills into big plastic bags.
And instantly, we had a traffic jam again. Stop and go. Without construction cones. All the way from central Detroit out to the suburbs. I had 45 extra minutes to ponder when Detroit rush hours were last this jammed up.
Too long.
Lately, the road is full-speed all the way. I have days when my garage to the office run is a mile-a-minute even counting time on local roads.
I'm not eager to lengthen my commute. But it would be nice to have a little more company.
