One of the benefits I've found to living in a small city is that I can call City Hall and actually talk directly to the bureaucrats who make the decisions that affect my life. For instance, I just got off the phone with the guy who runs the Traffic Projects department of the Engineering Division of the city. His direct phone number was posted on the city's website, and he was willing to listen to my complaint about a new traffic light that was recently installed along my commute route.
The fact that I could get right to the person who could address my problem made me incredibly happy, and I was careful not to waste his time after telling him that the light cycles red along the main thoroughfare so long that the street sometimes backs up onto the highway during rush hour. The delay isn't really significant, only 30 seconds or so each way, but I told him that it appeared to be an unnecessary impediment to the flow of traffic. Even though he didn't think it could be fixed at the moment (because right-turners were triggering the inductor in the street and triggering the unnecessary light changes) it was still gratifying to know that my complaint was heard by someone who seemed eager to do his job well.
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