The Problem With Construction

... is the people who run it.

Why do I say this? Two examples come to mind:

Firstly, a few years ago when they were revamping the Lion's Gate Bridge. I was playing hockey that night, and on the way back over the 2nd Narrows I hit a massive traffic backlog... because some genius had decided that this would be a good time to close two lanes on the 2nd Narrows. I mean, it makes sense, right? We're closing 1 of 2 routes to the North Shore entirely - why not close down 2 out of 3 lanes on the other route?

Then - yesterday. Heading down Capilano Road at 8:30am, and lo and behold - traffic backed up past the highway. Why? Because someone (likely the same genius as before) decided that rather than wait for the rush hour to die down and THEN schedule the repair... instead, let's start it DURING the rush hour and see how royally we can screw up the traffic.

Oh, I know - someone's probably going to come back at this with a whole host of reasons that it actually makes the most sense. But seriously - all it takes is getting caught in one of them once and you will do everything in your power to ensure that it doesn't happen again. Which leads me to the question that, I'm sure, will remain unanswered: how many of these decision-making prodigies actually use the routes that they're making the decision on? Or are they deciding on the ebb and flow of traffic with absolutely no context or personal experience?

The next time you're confronted with a decision, ask yourself on what you're going to be basing it. Truthfully, if I knew that the person who decided to close the Lion's Gate or schedule lane repair in the middle of rush hour was going to be sitting there beside me in their own car... I'd probably be far more patient. However, if they live and work somewhere on the North Shore, and never need to go over the bridges during rush hour, and therefore made a decision that negatively impacts a lot of people - but not themselves - then that's when I begin to take issue.

Bottom line? It isn't easy - but put yourself in other people's shoes... consider how it would affect you if the results of your decision directly impacted your life. It's called empathy - and it's one of the most underused tools in a the back pockets of our society's leaders. Don't let it sit idle in yours.

~Guy