Obscuring The Views -- New `Blinders' On Highway Make Driving Less Pleasant

I have noticed that my daily commute, southbound on Interstate 5 in the morning, northbound in the evening, has changed recently. Apparently all these years I have been in imminent danger of being blinded by the headlights of oncoming traffic, of losing control of my car, and smashing into either the cement divider, or the innocent drivers in the next lane. I had no idea!

I am, of course, referring to the recent installation of rows of green "blinders" on the top of the cement freeway dividers, along the ship canal and on north. I don't know what to call the green vertically mounted rectangles which now obscure my view of the water and mountains, but they work, just like blinders on a horse! Truly the one redeeming feature of those commutes has been the glimpses of the water and mountains at sunrise and sunset. Now I will keep my eyes forward and on the road. However, my attention will still wander in annoyance and frustration at this new ugliness.

Maybe this barrier, and the added unpleasantness to the drive, is not such a bad thing. After all, if we can make those commutes a little more miserable, and remove those last glimpses of pleasure, maybe we will force ourselves to find alternatives to these soul-destroying daily freeway trips which pollute our air. Wouldn't it be nice if we could work in our own neighborhoods, and reduce the need for the acres of concrete? Sandra J. Stowell

Seattle