What price stupidity? One woman's account of being stranded in the Cross City Tunnel.

Laser focus is a good thing...until it's not. 

I've always been known for my laser focus.  I get things done.  Period. As a result I tend to ignore some rather important details from time to time.

As a result of that I've also been known for doing some boneheaded things - especially when I get too focused. 

The other day was a prime example of that.  I drive a scooter.  It appeals to my inner environmentalist and it's a bloody convenient way to get around town (and rarely do I pay for parking!)  My scooter has a nasty habit of going from 1/4 of a tank of gas / petrol to empty in an incredibly short amount of time.  I knew that I was on 1/4 of a tank when I looked on Monday night. 

But Tuesday morning I was on my way to a client's office.  I passed my local petrol station and noticed that I was on E.  I was, as usual running late.  Now I hate to run late, more than anything in the world!  So I decided to take a chance, remembering that I'd been on 1/4 of a tank just the night before. 

I entered the 2.1 KM long Cross City Tunnel that runs under Sydney and got about 1/3 of the way through it when I started sputtering (the bike, not me). 

I was screwed and I knew it. 

Luckily I coasted to someplace safe to pull over.  I waited for a cab to pass by.  They were all full.  I called a cab and they said they'd dispatch one immediately. 

Immediately for a Sydney cab means be prepared to pack a lunch. 

But just 2 minutes later I saw flashing yellow lights.  Wow!  That was quick!  Slowly but surely I saw not one but 2 VERY large trucks round the corner. 

They read "Incident Dispatch".

"They can't be for me!"

Oh, but they could.  Seems the Roads and Transit Authority have cameras throughout the Cross City Tunnel and take stranded motorists very seriously. 

They pulled over, (these trucks were 30 feet long if they were an inch...and there were 2 of them!)  I didn't feel silly at all. 

They barked orders to me to get in the cab of the front truck (apparently they take pedestrians getting killed very seriously as well) and spent the next 20 minutes loading my bike onto the back of the truck and securing it with a number of bright yellow straps.

10 minutes later we were at the local petrol station and they did the whole thing in reverse. They were actually quite nice guys once they and I were out of harms way.

So what price stupidity?  Don't know yet, I haven't gotten the towing bill from the RTA.