Instead of focusing on fake
Most days I take the same on-ramp at the same highway intersection. On this particular day, I was greeted by a giant orange sign that warned me of a “Flagman Ahead.” There wasn’t. In fact, the area looked like construction was going to begin because of the machinery parked all over, but there were no workers in sight. Perhaps they were just “staging” the job site, but shouldn’t they have waited to put the “Flagman Ahead” sign up until it really applied? It was almost two weeks before a flagman was on-site, and by that time probably everyone was ignoring the sign.
The actions—or inactions—of the construction people created doubt and eventually misdirection. Many drivers may have thought the sign meant nothing, but, essentially, it was a lack of trust. Despite the bold statement on the bright-orange sign, what drivers were being told didn’t match reality. It took me a few days to remember to slow down as I ramped on, and even longer to actually see and respect the flagman.
