The newest in an ongoing series of Quotes I’ve collected. To see previous posts in the series, click here.
There used to be a sign on the Trans Canada Highway, near Fredericton, New Brunswick, that said
Fredericton: New Brunswick’s Drive By Capital
and man, I wish I had a photo of it. But it didn’t stay up very long. I only saw it once, in fact, in the days before I had a camera with me all the time.
A bit of context for those who have never driven through Canada. The original Trans Canada, which runs about 7,800km between the east and west coasts of the country, was built in the 1950s. It was single lane, and it tended to meander a lot – one of those roads where it was maddening getting stuck behind a camper because it could be forever before there’d be a straight enough section with little enough oncoming traffic to get past it.
Over the years, provinces have upgraded their sections of the highway, so it’s mostly freeway now. (Mostly.) And when New Brunswick upgraded its section, it set a route that bypasses its cities. I mean, there are exits for the cities, of course, but you can’t see the cities at all from the highway itself.
It actually makes for a gorgeous drive, pretty much the whole way between Edmunston and Moncton. Seriously, if you have the opportunity to drive it, you should. Especially in October when the leaves are turning. It’s stunning in October.
Anyway, back to the highway sign. I assume Fredericton was trying to be clever about the fact it can’t be seen from the Trans Canada, but … How on earth did it get through all the levels of approval it would have required without anyone pointing out that people would automatically think “drive by shooting.”
Or perhaps a better question is, how many people deliberately didn’t point it out, just for shits and giggles?
The View From the Handbasket 