FROGGER
Ever play the game FROGGER? Remember the frogs trying to get across the lanes in the road or creeks and other obstacles, while trying to avoid becoming roadkill? They play real life Frogger here everyday to get across the streets. Unfortunately, the consequences can be just as dire as the fate of the cartoon characters.
For the last year, a new road has been open that I traverse daily to and from my home to get to work. Fortunately I don’t drive, but have a company driver chauffeuring me. The ride takes about thirty minutes down a daredevil stretch of highway. The froggers dare to cross anywhere and at any time. It is dangerous enough to see how the drivers switch back and forth from lane to lane, but the froggers make it even more hair-raising! And believe me, it is hair-raising enough without added excitement!
You see this new road has these concrete dividers that are typically used for dividing new construction in the US. Here it is the common divider right down the road. So froggers race across the three to four lanes of one direction’s traffic to get to the middle divider. Then they have to climb the ~40” barrier before they start the next race across another three to four lanes of traffic. You often see pedestrians perched on the dividers like roosters, as they await a gap to try make their run for it.(01)xw.jpg)
Sadly, this is still a better road than we used the first year to get to my home. Construction was too great to use the new road, so we traveled a more commercial route that is six lanes across. Only this had no divider, so the froggers were frozen like statues in between oncoming traffic, or even between lanes. Every time we commenced to pass a buss or truck, I feared a frogger would be standing in the lane up right where we elected to pull out to pass.
I’ve seen far too many sheets draped across froggers that didn’t make it. I am not used to seeing such sights.
The government is trying to make the new highway safer. In the last few months they have been building footbridge after footbridge along the route. Soon, every half mile, may have a footbridge. Only that doesn’t stop many from still playing Frogger. Often you see ‘em even playing frogger directly under a footbridge! They are a little more stupid than daring!
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