More than vehicles cause travel delays

Traffic is probably the most commonly understood reason for a delay on the road. Next is some sort of weather that makes traveling impossible or slow. Neither is too common when you get a little bit out of town and you are on a high, flat desert. That is not to say, however, that there aren’t other things that get between a vehicle and its destination.

Vehicles are scarce, and the average automobile doesn’t cause much trouble as long as it stays on the proper operating surface. And even that isn’t much of a problem for anyone other than the strayed car because, by definition, getting stuck like that means that they left the road and are probably out-of-the-way in the bar-ditch.

Despite the rarity of traffic, there is an increase in the potential variety of size and width. I’m not sure how many cars it takes to clog up a freeway, but it only takes one grain-combine with a 30-foot header attached to hog nearly any road.

Then we have livestock which requires more numbers, but is just as capable of getting in the way. Further, even if there aren’t enough to make it impossible to proceed along your intended route, there’s a matter of proper etiquette that takes priority in all but those cases where it’s pretty close to an emergency if you were to delay. If you can see where they got out, or you know where they belong, putting them back in is the most neighborly thing you can do. Call the responsible party if you know to whom they belong, or stop by the next house, or flag down the next tractor or pickup that looks like it belongs. Somebody needs to know that their livelihood is misplacing themselves so that they can remedy the situation.

Now that that’s been said, I guess I’ll admit to being a little wrong. Traffic is still part of the problem, even when it’s not exactly what it might always be called.

Audra Brown has been late because of cattle far more often than because of cars in the road. Contact her at: [email protected]