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5 Stupid Questions for: John Butterworth
The Shadow Traffic guy manages to make morning commuting sound almost … pleasant. As the Garden State native marks 26 years on the air, he pulls over to answer some burning questions.
Why would anyone in his right mind drive the Conshohocken Curve at 8 a.m.?
It usually takes about 20 minutes to get through the delay, and it takes about 22 minutes to go around on Route 23. So it takes you just as long to go around it as it does to go through it.
Are you ever tempted to just run a tape of yourself saying the same stuff — “I-95 slow from Academy through Girard” — and go get coffee?
To you, they all sound the same, but to the trained ear, they’re all different. Keep in mind, you’re only listening for one thing when you listen: You want to know what the road conditions are where you are. Everything else is just like Charlie Brown talk: “Wa-wa-wa-wa.”
What’s the worst traffic jam you’ve ever seen?
In 1980, I-95 was closed for days when a gasoline tanker erupted. It delayed the start of a World Series game.
Have you ever gone to do a typical rush-hour report and there was just no traffic, for no apparent reason?
Oh, sure, that happens. Especially in the summer, when college kids aren’t in session. That takes 10 to 20 percent of volume off the roadways.
Finally, are you any relation to Mrs. Butterworth?
Yes, she’s my wife.
It usually takes about 20 minutes to get through the delay, and it takes about 22 minutes to go around on Route 23. So it takes you just as long to go around it as it does to go through it.
Are you ever tempted to just run a tape of yourself saying the same stuff — “I-95 slow from Academy through Girard” — and go get coffee?
To you, they all sound the same, but to the trained ear, they’re all different. Keep in mind, you’re only listening for one thing when you listen: You want to know what the road conditions are where you are. Everything else is just like Charlie Brown talk: “Wa-wa-wa-wa.”
What’s the worst traffic jam you’ve ever seen?
In 1980, I-95 was closed for days when a gasoline tanker erupted. It delayed the start of a World Series game.
Have you ever gone to do a typical rush-hour report and there was just no traffic, for no apparent reason?
Oh, sure, that happens. Especially in the summer, when college kids aren’t in session. That takes 10 to 20 percent of volume off the roadways.
Finally, are you any relation to Mrs. Butterworth?
Yes, she’s my wife.
Originally published in Philadelphia magazine, May 2007
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