Warning Signs

Big cities are full of warnings. Whether we hear them from friends or in urban legends, we know not to go to certain areas after dark and we learn not to use public transportation on game day. Some warnings are far more serious than others, as the consequences of ignoring them can span from embarrassment to jail to death.

Live in the city long enough and we become experts at which warnings need heeding and which don’t, and we can laugh at those who don’t know the difference.

This happened to me today when I watched a rookie truck driver cause a massive traffic jam on North Avenue, having ignored an obvious warning sign.

Unmovable North Avenue traffic on a weekday afternoon is rare. As soon as I stepped outside, I saw stationary taillights lined up at least a half-mile in front of my apartment. Realizing I could walk faster than traffic moved, I soon caught up with the North Avenue bus at the site of the traffic jam. There, just past the Kennedy Expressway, a semi-truck was stuck under the Metra overpass. The top of the truck grated the iron rafters of the bridge, hopelessly ignorant of that yellow sign warning of a twelve foot, six inch clearance.

It was a mess, as traffic exiting the expressway fed into the bottleneck. A group of CTA workers huddled in the choked lanes, deciding what to do. A young woman walking by shouted at them in a thick accent, “Ever think of lettin’ the fuckin’ air outta the fuckin’ tires?”

“Ever think of watchin’ your fuckin’ mouth?”

I continued walking and noticed that the driver was still seat-belted in the truck. He seemed either unaware of the mess or didn’t want to face it. Such a silly situation, I thought, for the warning sign had been so blatantly clear. What kind of person sees that and moves forward anyway? What must that driver’s thought process have been like? That bridge looks mighty low. There's a good chance I could get stuck, and anger a lot of people. But I will go there anyway because I can’t seem to stop myself.

At some time or another, we are all like that truck driver. We press forth when the warning signs are painfully clear. It might not even be ignorance; it might just be an urge to press our luck. Most of the time though, we already know luck has nothing to do with it, and we go ahead anyway. For the driver, going under that bridge was the fastest way from point A to point B and he was too impatient to take the longer, but ultimately more successful route. For the rest of us, it is likely impatience and unruly curiosity that get us in trouble. The only time we’re lucky is when the incident passes as quickly as it began and we annoy as few people as possible.

In Chicago, there are many warnings and even more chances for us to ignore them. Thankfully, we get wiser. After some time, our mistakes damage fewer and take less time to fix. Only then can we discern which warnings deserve heeding and which don’t. Knowing that is the difference between being stupid and taking a risk that may just pay off in the end. Let’s just hope we recognize the moments when they appear.