Opinion
 

Highway habits can be revealing

By Sarah Ohmer

As you pass Lot 10, you may notice a traffic light at no apparent intersection. You probably notice it a lot more now that it actually turns red on its own. Back in the day, the light would only change at pedestrians' will. You had trouble crossing the street, no cars paid attention, and usually speeded up at the sight of your presence on the sidewalk. So you pushed a big red button. The light was unusually slow, and it would turn red after the traffic coincidentally cleared the way. It still served as an entertaining toy for pedestrians to annoy cars that drove by too fast.

The first time I saw this light on Wheeler Street, I was surprised to see such a construction to help pedestrians cross a street. Couldn't they make their way across a two-way street on their own? Wouldn't cars slow down for pedestrians? 

Then I put the traffic light in the Houstonian psychosocial context, and its existence made sense. On Houston roads, the rules consist of cars against all, and non-cars out. In their metal and glass bottles, no one pays attention to their entourage, remembers to slow down for others or prioritizes anyone other than themselves. Houstonians don't waste a minute when they drive, except on their cell phones. Although they know they're bound to drive into traffic that will eventually slow them down, they try to gain as many millimeters by the second as they can.

You can't be a pedestrian and expect to survive in H-town. The "H" stands for "highway," like in that saying, "it's my way or the highway," with an "on" instead of an "or." So someone at UH Parking and Transportation must have made the connection between the H-culture, the exponential increase of cars on campus, and the overflow of students from Lot 10 to campus. That must be why there is a traffic light in the middle of Wheeler.

Why would people walk down the street to the intersection to cross safely? It figured it was time for pedestrians to get their right of way, right away, considering drivers would not deflate their egos. Only a red light would alter obnoxious drivers' and satisfy lazy pedestrians' behavior. We are witnessing the dawn of a new era in Houston, where a color shines from a post to remind students to brake for their classmates. There is no need to pay attention to others anymore. The problem is solved, and the mechanical programming goes on.

I am not sure if any other cultural context would produce the same cognitive reasoning. I hope this H-culture does not spread too quickly. Many traffic lights adorn Wheeler, but only one serve a psychosocial purpose. The University features the first pedestrian traffic solution that illustrates how mechanic college life has become. Go ahead, grumble as you wait in Wheeler jams. Or sit back, be grateful for your air conditioning and your speakers and the University that makes passive behavior a conformity. 

Ohmer, a columnist for The Daily Cougar, 
can be reached at ouistitie@hotmail.com.