Red Amber Green...

A typical autumn morning in Pendeford; mildew coated, fresh and cool. The sunlight reflected off the little droplets of water which hung from the hawthorn leaves. There was a white tinge to the grass as the mildew coated every blade. The mildew soaked my car so much that it had run down the windows and the side panels leaving a series of wet dots on the tarmac..

As I left my street and pulled onto the main road I was struck by the colour of the sky. The clouds were sparse and had a coating of autumn red pasted on the underside. The sky looked hot and cosy. The scene was reminiscent of Turner’s painting, The Fighting Temeraire where he captures two ships battling on the river Nile beneath a beautiful red and amber sky.

The island at the top of the road was coned off with traffic lights slowing the usual free flow of the traffic. These three way lights at this time in the morning will cause havoc. Nothing was moving ahead. Car horns were sounding and arms extended from car windows with clenched fists punching the side panel of their car door. I felt like one of the battling ships travelling slowly up the Nile; a veil of autumn red sky floating above, reflecting its colours on the shiny wet road ahead

I see a hint of green light reflecting off the surface of the cars in front, a sign that the traffic lights have changed; it’s my opportunity to move forward. If the cars in front are fast enough I might just get through in one attempt before they change back to red.

The lights hit amber just as my bonnet passes the line. Several cars continue to pass through even thought the lights will have changed to red a while ago. You can almost feel the anxiety in the drivers’ attitude. They thrust their cars forward, almost connecting with the bumper in front ensuring they don’t have a prolonged wait before their next green light opportunity.

There is a convoy of oncoming traffic queued up waiting for their turn; for their green light opportunity. They will have an anxious wait because a substantial amount of drivers behind me crossed the line on red. This no doubt will be the theme during the early morning chaos that these road works will cause.

As I drive toward the Vine Island I take a deep breath in amazement as the sky is alight with red and amber. I wanted to stop to capture this on my mobile phone camera; I would certainly use it as a desktop picture when I reached work. The traffic behind me is too heavy and my stopping would add to the frustration that everyone is already feeling.

There was a strange similarity between the morning sky and the traffic situation. The sky was a vibrant red and amber with the relaxing green foliage below, an amazing image and very calming. The traffic lights were also red and amber with a green light below that brought relief to the motorists who passed through them. What a great morning, what a great start.