A. Because we get to listen to everyone complain about what we do!
I am a very lucky person in that I get to pursue my favorite hobby as a profession. I absolutely love transportation. I find how we get from Point A to Point B genuinely fascinating. I find it incredible how so much movement is accomplished relatively safely in the United States and Canada. Terms like green wave, Clearview, SPUI, and SHSP drive me wild! But just like you occasionally need a break from your favorite TV show or videogame, sometimes transportation folks need a break from that which they love most. In fact, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
When most people find out what I do and study they simply cannot wait to tell me how bad traffic is where they are from, what I should do to fix traffic, or enthusiastically share some very minor, regional (often agency specific) change to their local road network. I appreciate people trying to relate with what I do. In fact, I think it’s really cool that what I do is so universal. As soon as you leave your home, whether you walk or drive, you’re interacting with what I and people like me do. There aren’t too many professions that touch every single individual (and virtually every living thing) so much!
But there are a few things to consider.
First, most people have pretty limited experience with the transportation network. Furthermore, they only have their experience and the reported experiences of their friends to base their comments on. I hate to point fingers, but even a lot of transportation professionals are guilty of this lack of network experience. Basically, unless you’re a trucker you’re not going to tell me something I haven’t heard before or that will surprise me. My response is always some variation of: each agency sets different priorities and depending on the agency responsible for the area/road you’re telling me about, there will always be some things done exceptionally well and some things done exceptionally terrible. Unless you want to pay more in taxes, it is what it is.
Second, “fixing” traffic is a team sport. I cannot fix traffic alone. I do not have direct access to your tax dollars. Projects take time to develop, involve many people with many different backgrounds, and plans and priorities can change at any time. Furthermore, traffic is a moving target. Efforts to improve the network are just as often met with jeers as they are cheers. I get nagged at constantly over the “disaster” that is the Gateway Connector in Fairmont, West Virginia—even though research I performed independently lets me sleep quite soundly over the existence of the project.
Third, while I love transportation and am pretty good at what I do, I don’t catch every single detail of every single regional change. I put a lot of miles on my car each year and visit a lot of places that eventually start blending together. But I can say without reservation, it makes me indescribably happy to hear people enthusiastic and interested in their immediate transportation network. While I can’t “fix” your traffic situation, you can help! Your personal interest can be translated into letters and phone calls to your elected officials or local transportation agencies. Enough of this input will mobilize projects that I and others like me will be part of, and we will work diligently to do our absolute best to “fix” your transportation problem!
So if you run into me on a day off or grabbing dinner and I’m not taking your bait, try asking me about the book I’m reading (currently about two-thirds of the way through Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee!), what I ate for lunch, or about my cats (bonus: I have adorable pictures of them on my phone that I love to share!).
A design exception: I promise I will always enthusiastically answer any questions about transportation. While I don’t always want to hear complaints, I unconditionally love to teach people about the networks they can’t help but interact with.