A few evenings a month see me taking a different route home from
work, stopping at a local restaurant to pick up dinner before heading home.
It gives me an excuse to use the
expressway, rather than waiting at 20
or so
traffic lights on the way home.
So one particular evening, I was driving along when I saw cars trying
to take an off-ramp backed up several hundred yards into the right lane.
"Good thing that's not my exit", thought I, and put it out of my
head.
I was just past the point of no return when I realized, "Oh, dammit,
that was my exit." But I didn't worry, this was a full cloverleaf.
So instead of following this path to get from point X to point Y:
\\ Y\
//
\\
\//
\\
//\
\\__________//
/\\ ____ //\
/ \\/ \// \
| _\\ //_ |B
| / \\ // \ |a
| | \\// | |c
| | // |
|k
| | //\\ | |e
| \__// \\__/ |d
\ // \\ /Up!
\ //\____/\\ /
//________\\
//
\\
//
\\
//
\\
//
\\
X
I took three of the inner ramps, turning 810o as I went around this way instead:
\\
Y\ //
\\
\//
\\
//\
\\__________//
/\\ ____ //\
/ \\/ \//
\
| _\\ //_
|B
| / \\ // \
|a
| | \\//
| |c
| | //
| |k
| | //\\
| |e
| \__// \\__/ |d
\ // \\
/Up!
\ //\____/\\ /
//________\\
//
\\
//
\\
//
\\
//
\\
As I pulled off my third cloverleaf loop, I realized I had inadvertently
solved another problem: The traffic light where I had to turn left
to reach Y was only about fifty yards from my originally-indended ramp.
Having to cross three lanes of heavy traffic in 50 yards tends to increase
my stress level, not to mention that of my fellow motorists. By missing
my exit I gained another 200 yards to get over to the left. Just another of life's happy little accidents.