SEPTEMBER 18, 2007 @ 2:55PM - SB 405 at Studebaker Road Off-Ramp

Here's a shout out to those hard working people at JjK Roll Offs. These guys provide those huge roll off garbage containers you see at major construction sites.

In order to get these huge steel multi-ton receipticals to and from the sites and the garbage dumps, rather large diesel tractor trucks are required to muscle them from here to there.

Oh sure, they take up extra space on the freeways, drive slower than the rest of traffic, and usually have a vile stench about them. But it's the subtle things that make these trucking giants the 'welcome' traffic additions they are.

JjK Roll Offs, if you would be so kind as to check the California Vehicle Code and it's passage concerning commercial trucks and their loads. TO give you the thunbnail sketch of the code; YOU HAVE TO COVER YOUR TRUCK BINS WITH A TARP TO KEEP THE CRAP IN THE BIN YOU ARE HAULING FROM BLOWING OUT AND INTO TRAFFIC!

Today one of your trucks was cruising SB down the 405 Freeway just before the Studebaker off-ramp. Large cardboard boxes (more than a couple, more like dozens) were flying out of the top of the bin being transported, and into traffic and the path of the drivers following your truck. This un-expected rain parade of cardboard was causing all the cars behind it to take drastic action to avoid hitting the boxes. One driver in a Nissan Pathfinder looked to have gotten the attention of your truck driver to alert him as to his problem, but there seemed to be a communication error; your driver just smiled and continued on.

So, JjK Roll Offs doing business in Torrance CA, I hope that one day a CHP officer actually witnesses one of your trucks dumping trash into traffic, causing a major accident which after a legal trial, you business is found liable and is closed down forever.

It doesn't pay to be a Highway A-hole Jjk Roll Offs.

JULY 23, 2007 @ 6:10 am - SB 101 Balboa Ave

Today we actually had a summer thunderstorm pass through the LA area. It made the air hot and humid as the day wore on. But, it was the morning effect of the storm that caused the Highway A-holes to bloom.

Whenever it rains here after a long dry spell two things happen; 1. The roads have less traction due to the road oil coming out of the crevices and floating to the surface, and 2. People forget how to drive on a slick road.

Slow down you A-holes! For the last 5 months we have had near 0 precipitation. You have all seemed to have forgotten how to drive safely in the rain. I mean c'mon now, all you have to remember is to slow down and keep an extra car length or two between you and the car ahead of you. And don't worry about what's going on behind you unlike what this bozo did.

I was in the number 5 lane puttering along in the rain about 15 mph. All traffic was moving fairly well. Just as I passed the Balboa on-ramp the car ahead of me, a 1995'ish silver Nissan Altima, decided to pull half way out of his lane to the right so that now he was driving half-way in the slow land and half-way on the on-ramp merge lane.

I've seen this before. This action usually means that someone was merging into traffic from the Balboa on-ramp and the chump driving the Altima wasn't about to let the black Honda Prelude pass him to merge. What the Altima didn't realize, was that a newer white Ford F250 truck saw the Altima move to the right, and figured I guess that he was pulling over. The F250 began to merge from lane 4 next to the Altima into the space the Altima half-way occupied now in lane 5 - the slow lane.

Horns blasted, people were yelling, brake lights lit up like a streak of Christmas lights. The F250 appeared to have taken control of the lane and was motoring on. The Altima was now completely on the right side shoulder, and the Honda Prelude was right behind the Altima - both stopped.

JULY 17, 2007 @ 11:51am - NB Sepulveda Blvd at Washington Pl, Arco Gas Station

I had to get off the freeway this morning to pick up some gas. As I was approaching the entry driveway, a young man in his early 20's, shirtless with stringy blonde hair, was attempting to exit the gas station. His 4-door late 80's tan colored Buick was partially blocking the driveway to the extent that no one else could enter as well as exit the station until he pulled out into traffic.

Even though traffic was light, he was not making any move to merge into traffic, deciding to sit where he was for some reason. I was not blocking him from getting out, nor was anyone ahead of him trying to exit. Moments later what light traffic there was had gone completely clear, sans me and two other cars that wanted to turn into the station's driveway. Even though I was patient waiting for the Buick to merge on out of the driveway and onto NB Sepulveda Blvd, the two cars behind me were not so patient. The tapped their horns... just a little tap each. This the kid in the Buick did not like.

He started yelling in our general direction, sticking his naked arms out to his sides in a crucifixion style pose. He just continued to sit there. I decided I would go around the block and use the driveway on the other side of the station. By the time I came around and pulled into the station, the guy in the Buick was gone, but there was a thick blue haze of smoke hanging around the pumps. One of the cars that were behind me, silver Nissan 280 Zx, was starting to pump its gas. I asked the driver of the Zx where our friend went. He said that the guy in the Buick stomped on the gas squealing his tires as he pulled onto Sepulveda a few moments after I left to go around. He went on to say that a few seconds after that, a Culver City Police cruiser sped past the station in an obvious attempt to catch the speed exhibitionist.

Finally a cop around when you need one. It figures it would be in Culver City.