Hoping TransAlt.org (Transportation Alternatives in NYC) and Mayor de Blasio's office can fix this traffic/social problem'

 Way back in the 1980s at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie NY I took social psychology.  I designed experiments about assertiveness versus aggressiveness. The basic study which other students got some credit for participating in for less than an hour involved filling in pages of easy addition problems.

I wanted to see how long they would go (up to about 20 min I think...) when given simple instructions to do the pages...I wanted to see how long they would do it and then how they would request or demand that they stop if they found it too tedious. I can't recall all the results from about a dozen or more students (a decent amount of students..) but I think they were all more polite than annoyed...

Today in Brooklyn NY a very different kind of study took place almost on its own making. It involved a woman whose modern computerized car just 'quit working' while she was driving her two young children and dog down a street that buses also used in both directions. In Brooklyn (and likely other places) some buses go down one street and up another due to traffic routes, not only because a road is 'one way.'

The mother was in her car and when asked if she needed help, said she didn't know whether she should stay in her car or wait with her kids and dog on the sidewalk. The traffic around 3 pm was fairly heavy with school buses as well as other traffic moving along according to traffic lights at each end of the short block. Some 'long blocks' may be 2-3 times the length of a short block, so this situation could have been even more challenging than it was.

However there was a slightly wider box truck in front of a bus stop just across from where the car was stuck in the street and that made if very challenging for the large city bus to maneuver between it and her car. Traffic that would back up behind the broken vehicle would then need to back up. With about 5 or so cars needing to do so to allow the bus to pass, the confusion grew every few minutes as the traffic light changed or more cars lined up behind the bus and also had to wait to pass or for cars to come in their lane. No one was very happy with that situation.

A passerby suggested that the woman take leave of her car with her children and dog and wait on the sidewalk. She agreed and did so as the traffic allowed her to do so as she was 'double parked.' Cars and trucks would blow their horns not knowing (or maybe not caring or wanting to have figure things out) what the problem was and why there was a re-occuring delay.

The passerby took the intiative to block traffic from adding to the problem in the lane where the car was disabled. That allowed about 5 buses (city ones and school buses both large and small) to pass fairly easily, between the box truck and the downed car. The impromptu traffic director (the good Samaritan some would say, while others felt quite differently and discouraged or demanded that thhe person not stand in the street to block traffic down the street) then managed to get one large traffic cone to block the lane while still using hand signals to tell oncoming traffic to go Left or Right. 

When a large city bus wanted to go down the lane, it seemed like another challenge altogether. Waiting until the lane was clear however, the volunteer allowed the bus and a few of the cars right behind it to go through (since those vehicles pushed through, not seeing the volunteer until it was 'too late for them to turn' or insisting they be able to go right after the bus. After all, if a Bus could go through Why Couldn't they? They did not consider that there really was only one lane half way down the block and the juggling of which car would be go the short distance to the end of the block versus which of those cars would come up the single lane was something everyone was going to have to figure out on the fly. Plenty of honking horns and more maneuvering went on. 

As soon as possible, the volunteer asked a young woman to please call 911. The woman gave her the phone to dial so the volunteer reported the concern and requested immediate help from the police. Then came the questions to clarify that is was a street versus an  Avenue in Brooklyn where this problem occurred.

The 911 operator was wanting to know what the problem was in terms of the car not working..had there been an accident? The volunteer said no, we don't need an ambulance just some police to direct traffic, maybe at two intersections but one would be a good start. After a few minutes, all while dealing with the traffic light changing and some back ups in each direction with more horns honking, the 911 operator said she'd get someone to come check it out.

Some people passing by were amused or concerned about a person who was not a police officer or traffic officer directing traffic, especially closing off a road. "WHY did that person think it was Okay to do That?!" Some started filming on their cameras, as did the person directing traffic as time allowed for a brief moment when two men approached the volunteer. One said it was too dangerous (even with one cone and a second cone which about the 5th person who was asked responded to the request to get it for the volunteer.)

About 10 people out of a hundred refused to follow the person's directions and swore or insulted the person while driving around the person. One man insisted he be able to pass since 'he lived on that block.' When informed it was necessary to allow the traffic to come through and to please park elsewhere, he disagreed. He "HAD TO" park on HIS STREET by HIS Apartment.

 The volunteer asked him repeatedly to please clear the road and to talk things over with his mother or a teacher to consider why it might make sense to just do as he was asked in this situation.

At one point an older man in a small car with the windows down was wanting to come down the closed lane.

When the volunteer waved for him to turn left or right, he seemed confused and then turned right, almost hitting a mother and her two children who were crossing the street with the walk signal. Thankfully she stopped but was alarmed. She said she felt the volunteer was to blame for 'directing him to turn that way.'

The volunteer said that he still should have watched out for pedestrians. The next moment that same car was driving down the 'closed lane'. The volunteer was able to chase him down and get his license number as well as inform him he almost hit someone. He said, "I did? Who? Where are they?" He was a bit older and even as he was waiting behind the disabled car seemed confused about what was going on. He did not offer any apology but drove off.

Some people driving by would call out loudly or repeatedly, "Why?! What's the problem?" or "Why Can't I Go Down There?!" Two men, the one who went down and parked his car on his street as well as another who had passed by and refused  a request to help in any way, approached the person very directly and said they thought it was dangerous, wrong and illegal to stop the flow of traffic down that street even with the disabled car and the tight squeeze between the car and the truck.

Only police could direct traffic and they said they were going to call the police. The volunteer said that was already done twenty minutes or more ago. Meanwhile the buses from across the street were allowed to go by but not the numerous cars after them since that would have caused a grid lock. 

Finally two policemen arrived and parked their vehicle behind the disbaled car once they were informed by the volunteer what the problem was. They said initially that is was not okay to block the traffic and that they would handle things. They did not want the cone left in place even while they went down to check out the car.

They parked behind the car and left their flashing lights on. The various cars trying to pass the now two cars that were double parked were again blowing their horns as they'd feel there was some unnecessary hold up. Another bus and a large truck came up through the narrow free lane before the box truck finally moved, allowing for a more reasonable way to pass the police car.

The mother and her two kids were getting help from the man who had insisted on parking on his street. He and the volunteer spoke briefly, with the volunteer offering an apology for not being very nice to him. He agreed the volunteer had been very rude to him. Then the volunteer offered that he might want to consider why he was unable to comply with an urgent request. He repeated as he had at the corner that he thought the volunteer was putting everyone in more of a risky situation than if not intervening. The other man had concurred, but did not really know what the issue was.

Speaking the matter over a bit more with the mother, she thanked the volunteer and apologized for not being able to help more with the traffic situation. She and others acknowledged it had made it much more reasonable to have the one lane primarily open for the buses in both directions that needed to pass. Supposedly a tow truck was en route but only after about a half hour of the breakdown. The police were considering getting one of their own if she had not gotten the call in by that time. 

Some other people had offered to try to nudge her car around the corner but that didn't work. The policemen looked under the hood, but to no avail. The mother had said a warning light had come on a bit earlier but she didn't think it meant something dire was about to happen.

Overall this would not have been a safe social psychology experiment to run since too many people would have been put at risk. The study however did occur as part of real life. About 300 hundred people were involved in the course of a half hour to 45 minutes when considering the people passing through the intersection from all four directions, on buses (kids and adults), and at least one dog and many pedestrians. Sadly the persons who almost got seriously hurt were the mom and two kids trying to cross the street with the signal and the volunteer who was harassed and verbally assaulted by about a dozen male drivers and a few female drivers.

Thankfully the mother got out safely from her disabled car with her kids and dog. They stayed on the side walk but the littlest fellow wanted to go in the road a few times. Ideally she could have set up camp in a gated section by the helpful fellow calling for the tow truck (who lived on that street.)

Had there not been a volunteer directing traffic, it is possible that everyone would have 'eventually' made it through the narrow pass, with people having to back up in both directions numerous times to manage sharing the one lane but also likely causing blocks in the intersections when backing up. As it was it seemed there were more than a few 'close calls' of people almost turning into others since they were not responsive to a clear signal from someone who was not a police officer to go Left or Right. 

 When asked if the volunteer had special training, the volunteer said yes to another citizen who asked. They the citizen said, "What kind of training?" For someone to see a problem of that kind and have a few ideas about how to address it is something more people could think about and help develop some basic strategies to pitch in and try to work together, not insist that there is only one solution which would be to 'let things happen as they will.' Someone said there are 'No Honking Laws' and that heavy fines could be levied.

The idea that people, particularly males in this case. would be able and willing to see a bigger picture than their own personal agenda may be worth exploring. Likely some practice and online videos could go through a set of What Ifs and reasons for being able and willing to 'stop on a dime', take note of a situation at hand, not be distracted by a cell phone or other multi-tasking, blaring music or speeding to cut a few minutes off of a drive. Speed is distance divided by time. I have written ideas about men and women taking turns driving on odd (men) and even (women) days on a post which I'll try to put the title of in the comments.

If one needs to be somewhere at a certain time, ideally enough planning would be done to not rush to get there 'at the last minute.' Even the fellow insisting he get to His House, said he had to get something, but he didn't need to be anywhere else even an hour later. He maybe had to use the bathroom or be home for his child to return from school.

Even then, ideally he would have a person who could provide back up or make sure to use the bathroom before going for a long drive. That is actually another whole topic to keep the city safe and sanitary, and maybe could be solved with something as simple as large empty yogurt containers (everyone having a few would make good sense.)

One for a friend or oneself if needing to use one more often than not. What would then be helfpul would be 'privacy stations' like telephone booths but darkened so someone could use the facility as in 'pee in their container' and cap it and take it with them to depository (and bathroom they can get themselves to, then dispose of the contents of their container.

Those could be carried in a bag as well and basically many vendors near the privacy stations which could have commodes in them but with a design to 'go and take it with you' or if another vendor truck to collect such things would be allowed that'd be even better. That is a very different topic but again likely would help decrease many person from speeding to get somewhere to do some peeing (or pooing.) Well that about covers the play by play, but mostly raises Many Questions about how everyone could tune into creating more situational awareness and timely interventions and responses.

If someone is putting themselves at undue risk that is a concern. That risk clearly could come from other people having a different opinion or feeling their rights are being impinged upon rather than safety of driving or walking being a challenge. How flexible can drivers be to look up and tune into concerns impacting the road that they know in theory they are sharing with others.

Why not keep the discussion going in a few key areas such as with police, good Samaritan laws and recommendations, social psychology and related fields and more. Preventing a problem early on is a key way to reducing bigger problems down the road or later in the game. There may be mystical or mathematical (think quantum physics and field theory) for each of the main players and the many dozens of 'supporting players' to have enacted this particular study or drama. We may as well learn something for it and get the credit particularly since we all survived that.

Everyone could consider learning their personality type numbe as described by The Wisdom of the Enneagram or other online programs. They share the case of a volunteer who tried to warn a few fellows in a pick up truck speeding toward him that The Bridge Was Out. Unfortunately they paid him no heed and stepped on it, meeting their end moments later. So it wasn't speed as much as the driver's personality that cost them their lives. 

A young boy of about 7 who was visiting NYC from Chicago with his parents heard the story of a person having a broken down car (yes, even a Mom with two kids.) When asked if he thinks he'd want to help or just let things be, he immediately said, "Help!" I told him that was very nice but given the many people who were mean and vicious he'd have to consider the risk and that it may not be legal to do so.

That's what needs clarifying. If a child were hurt or a person in the road, an accident and such had occurred, would the guidelines be different? I don't know what it would take to 'stop traffic for a good reason' or if anyone would know how to step up and do it even if it did 'need doing.' That's why more thought should be given during a basic time of calm.

What if the traffic lights go out? What if a large branch falls and no one can pass on a given block? Who would have the permission to notify others and yes, even 'direct traffic' to help drivers adjust to having to go Left or Right when they were planning on going straight (or whatever the case would be given which part of an intersection was blocked off? Thanks for taking a few minutes to Think This Kind of Thing Through plus ways to Be Kind. 

The volunteer contined with their errands, going shopping and seeing some friends at Old Navy. Lo and behold the tee shirts for kids (mostly girls clothing) had messages of 'cool being the new kind' and ways to create world peace (strong women make for a strong world), and some confidence builders like walk your own path and believe in yourself.

Often females need some self-esteem boosters and some males need to really think about how they may be using their 'male privilege' or status, power, vehicle on the road and even social stance to intimidate or insist on their own way whether among friends, family, or perfect strangers. Likely how they treat one, they treat all (even if with intermittent hostility.)

Justifying or ignoring such hot-headedness too often condones or endorses it, whether there was an slight or disagreement or not...and whether they take the time to consider where the other person was coming from and whether they were actually risking danger to help them rather than harm them.

The assumptions can flare up very quickly if there is any hint of a race or gentrification issue...'our street or area versus the new people's or worse the rich corporate take over.' All that came up in brief interludes with some people flying past in a rage or even coming up close to the volunteer. Is That was they volunteered for? What motivated the volunteer to stay versus not back down or allow more risk to more people to mount even while being terribly misunderstood in her concern and approach.

With no timely response from the police Or Other Citizens..what do readers and others think would make sense in such situations?IF one cannot think about it even as a theoretical question, that may be a form of dissociation or distancing from possibilities. Some people do not like to consider what Could Have Happened or even What Did Happen (on many levels.)

Finally the volunteer left without giving their name to the Mother though at one point the volunteer offered to do so. The Mom was tapped out and just trying to handle getting that tow truck there which was going to run her $125 in cash to have it taken to her garage. That's another tip of the post..carry that much in case you need a tow or get Triple A, as in AAA for road side help and tows. Maybe learn basic mechanics and what all those silly warning lights mean (and which ones to pay attention to.)

The volunteer found a friend to wait in line so some items from one store could be bought while another errand was done. Some of the others she met next was a kind woman who guided her to 'come with me' to get an elevator to get out of Barclay Center to get toward the Verizon Wireless Store, the same one a few items were purchased from since they had date in their computer regarding the purchase.

Another Verizon site which was independently run from the corporate one could not be of much help, other than to suggest taking the #2 Subway from downtown Brooklyn NY to Barclay Center. The first corporate one had said any item could be returned within 14 days of purchase with the receipt...however the receipt then said there could be a $35 restocking fee for any wireless device. Thankfully that was not required and a refund was given in full to the card it was charged on. Most things are worth checking out on amazon.com for good pricing. An extra tip is to consider Computer Overhaul as a good resource for computers that are nicely revamped by good folks, that's from someone who has dealt with them successfully a few times and is savvy about such things, even pricey computers.

When in the elevator an older woman sang the volunteer and her guide (and a mom with another little one) a gospel song about Jesus forgiving all sins. They all parted with friendly remarks, much as they entered and holding the doors for each other. That's fairly typical for the volunteer's experience in the city...with plenty of men being polite but not all.

 Others  were shouting such things about Jesus saving right outside of the elevator.  Then Jehovah Witnesses, who offer www.jw.org around the world were also standing quietly in pairs as they often do. One woman was eagerly handing out Daily Breads with that message that Jesus saves.

Then another fellow was offering a Japanese healing treatment, Johrei ('the practice of revolutionizing medical science')  which conveyed sunshine energy.  Mokichi Okada ( Meishu: 1882-1965) is the revered founder of an organization based in Brooklyn NY. From a pamphlet handed out,  the MO Utopia Project refers to a new, genuine civilization of super-religion and super-science based on insights shared by Meishu after he had a divine revelation in June 1931.The universal truth they are working toward is as follows: "All faiths bcome one. Humans returns to their natural state and recognize the truth. Goodness wins. Health, wealth and peace are externally established. All people are one family. The world of happiness appears." There's more to learn and explore through their center in Brooklyn NY.

With reminders of people taking time to encourage kindness (even if in a challenging way at times) the volunteer felt much was packed into the last few afternoon hours of the day. Then someone shared that this kind of topic might be one for Transporation Alternatives at transalt.org so that will be one place to share the post..and see if we can't get more people on board with the idea of living intentionally And kindly on one's street and in one's home and in the big, shared world too.

Seeing about 15 kids share Kiddieville space with places to jump, run and climb reminded me we are all young at heart and need to share our space. Maybe if we tap more into that childlike sense of adventure and possibilty we can dream a better world into being. Edgar Cayce and others suggest we really are summoning specific kinds of experiences to sharpen our spiritual understanding and inne sense of values through the relationships and actions we are pursuing.

Hope I can 'see what's in store' a bit more before committing to the 'come what may' of getting involved. Maybe that's part of the take away for all of us. Programs like YNAB You Need a Budget is all about giving each dollar a job, a path and seeing where that's taking one toward one's financial goals.

The idea of having more team plans as well as ones for each person to enact in regular and for special cases would also be a big plus. More community police and social work training and support could help grown many ranks of voluntary helpful citizens with a council or otherwise  non-profit group of people to help maintain a lot of positive efforts and education across the life spectrum. Likely everyone would soon know the best options for doing something, or not engaging..and fewer accidents would result from many efforts to tune into those signals, offer help when it's reasonable and safe to do so, and as usually, much Much More!