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Highway 101 [Basic traffic engineering or a route to San Luis Obispo]
By Joe Pivetti

Once roadsides were wooded with walnut And medians sweetened with oleander, But even bore-holed boles were too stout And flowery hidden cables too cutting; So (Jersey barrier) K-rail was installed and the cable taken out. These sloped concrete barriers redirect careening vehicles With only some vertical skid marks to show How much safer it makes the road. Some shoulders got wider and traversable With clear zones sans trees and utility poles, That provide safe sight distances that are more observable And effective stopping space to save drifting souls. Most traffic signs became breakaways, Including backwards facing ones reading "Do Not Enter" (Where freeway entry might be gained from an exit rampway Or where highways have to allow cross traffic to enter). Another added feature is the rumble strip, which warns of peril To distracted or drowsy drivers when they're headed over the edge. Impact absorbing big sandy crash cushions (aka Fitch barrels) Were added at off-ramp vees, toll booths and bridge parapets. Improvements were made to mountain road guardrail To keep vehicles inside of deadman curves, And to crosswalk visibility and islanding in the burbs. And lately, car safety features have become the holy grail, With seat belts, air bags, autonomous anti-lock braking, Automatic rear traffic and blind spot warning, And adaptive cruise and lane departure controlling. Hopefully, one day, cell phones will have speed limits imposed And cyclists will be instructed to keep off of the left side of the road.