How To Side-Step Traffic Jams During Rush Hour
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Ask anyone living in a big metropolitan area what the worst thing about living there is, and most certainly they'd say, "The traffic!" I myself live in a smaller urban area, and hate having to travel from one end of the city to the other, especially during rush hour. So what's the solution?Well, one thing to do is to ride your bike to work. But that's only if you're willing to arrive at work covered in perspiration. And what if you live 20 or even 30 miles away from your job? Bike riding is excellent exercise, but unless you have access to a shower, or don't mind the risk of being side swiped by cell-phone-talking, breakfast-sandwich-eating, makeup-putting, cigarette-lighting, mindless automobile operators, then maybe that's not the best solution.What about mass transit? New York has, arguably, the best mass transit system in the world. But a trip that takes 45 minutes by car can easily be stretched to a 2-hour nightmare on a bus. Even the subway system isn't a pleasant solution during the rush home, especially when you have to stand with your face in the armpit of a guy who's just coming off a double shift.The video below offers another, unconventional, solution to the bane of society we call traffic. Instead of relying on the almighty government to fix the problem, why not let private companies build and manage the roads we use to get from point A to point B?Sure, they'll charge us for it. And it might cost more than that grande moch-loco-chocalatte-ya-ya-ya cappuccino that we need on the way to the work. But what if it saved time, and actually saved you money in the long run?Imagine how much you'd save in gas costs because there's no stop and go traffic to deal with. Or because you get to where you need to be in 20 minutes instead of 45 minutes, you can close the deal that will ensure your next mortgage payment.Cities across the country are experimenting with the concept of privatizing many government "responsibilities," including the roadways. Some of the roads I use to commute from one city to another here in the great Sunshine State are managed by private companies. Yeah, I pay tolls, but I also don't sit in traffic on these roads. I use the express toll lanes where I don't have to stop at a toll booth, dig through my ashtray for spare change, or wait for the guy in front of me to do the same. It's worth it to me because I save time, and can get to where I need to go to stay productive.This video is hosted by Drew Carey. Yes, the comedian/game show host who also happens to be a libertarian. Carey also offers another solution to get to work on time, if you have the money for it, and aren't afraid of heights...take a helicopter! Yeah, that'll be the day.But seriously, why not? Could it work? There's a road in Tampa that seems to be doing it successfully. Hmmm...private companies doing things that only the government used to do. They said that FedEx couldn't compete with the US postal service when it first started. But when businesses want reliable and guaranteed shipping (especially overnight), who do they turn to? The US Post Office even decided that a private company would do a better job at printing postal stamps! That's right, in case you missed it, the postal department said it would save tens of millions of dollars if US postal stamp making were privatized...and so it did!What else could the private sector do better than government? Education, or perhaps even...gulp...healthcare?!? That's another discussion. For now, just watch the video (courtesy of reason.tv):-RY 
I'm glad I only live few miles from work.
If I have to go to the city [SF], I have to leave the house o-dark thirty in the wee hrs of the morning or right about lunch time. It's less traffic or no traffic at all. Or after 1900 hrs and spend the night there. I don't like waiting in SF traffic. The use of carpool lane is great but only if you have 3 or more people in your vehicle. Mon-Fri between 0700-1000 and 1500-1900 hrs. So, I try to avoid going to the city if I don't have to.
But if you visit me here in NorCal, I'll take you to the city.
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Why was it called "rush hour" when you know for a fact that you're not going anywhere anytime soon?!
And why is everybody trying to leave during "rush hour" when they know that they will be in a traffic?!
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