Wednesday, July 30, 2008

MIDNIGHT PLUS SEVERAL HOURS, WAITING TO GET HOME

Well, once more the California Highway Patrol has demonstrated its complete lack of interest in serving the humble motorist. As of Tuesday night Hwy 76 was closed again for interminable hours, as it always seems to be whenever a big rig crashes near the intersection of the highway and Rincon Ranch Road, which seems to happen A LOT!

There was apparently a death, and a spill of fuel that required hours of cleanup by Haz-Mat.

So, like hundreds of other people, I'm waiting to get the word to be allowed to go home on the only way in or out that doesn't involve driving several hours out of the way. Finally, about 1:30 a.m. I call the CHP dispatch office and am told by a dispatcher that traffic is being allowed through one lane at a time. I drive from my office to the intersection of Valley Center Road and Hwy 76 where a bored looking, typically arrogant CHP officer tells me that no dispatcher EVER told me that traffic was being allowed through. "I don't know who told you that, but it wasn't one of our dispatchers." Strange, I tell him, but I'm pretty sure I dialed 1-858-637-3800. "I can understand your concern," he says, clearly NOT understanding my concern.

I return to my office and call the dispatch number and am told that well, the information was put up incorrectly and that they have to keep track of lots of information, sorry about that, blah, blah, blah. Meanwhile, I've driven about 15 miles out of my way based on their faulty information!

Oh well, par for the course when your dealing with the CHP and CalTrans and other agencies who routinely shut down Hwy 76 and then don't bother to talk to each other, and don't give the slightest damn about residents who are inconvenienced by their total lack of communication.

Let me make it clear. I don't begrudge the CHP keeping a road closed to conduct a death investigation and to clean up a mess as long as necessary. What I DO begrudge is the "public be damned" attitude of your typical CHP officer when dealing with the people who pay his salary.

I've seen this happen time and time again during the last year as a result of the wildfires and the resulting dangers posed by mudslides. The needs of residents who must use those roads to go to home and work are treated with a cavalier disregard bordering on contempt. It doesn't just happen to me. It happens to hundreds of people almost every time there is an accident. This time it happened to me. Next time it'll happen to you—and the attitude of the CHP will be "We're overworked, so naturally we get our facts messed up sometimes. Get over it!"

Yeah, right!