Takin' it to the streets

There's a story behind today's cartoons. As I'm sure you are well aware, May is National Work Zone Safety Awareness Month, an event to remind everyone to be safe when traveling through construction zones.

We at the Oregon Department of Transportation planned a big event in Portland, Oregon's media hub. We have several special guests lined up, including our new governor, Gov. Kate Brown. Our event was timed to hit the news cycle to get maximum coverage, an easy story on a quiet news day (someday I'll have to show you the infographic I made).

Then, the president happened. A couple of days ago, Pres. Obama announced that he is coming to Oregon. While it's not at the same time as our press event, the media is now focused on the arrival of the Commander in Chief.

We'll see what happens. Maybe we can get his entourage to drive through a work zone.

You may recognize the ol' Explore Provo guy that I did for the Utah Department of Transportation, when we rebuilt University Avenue in Provo. I dusted him off to have him give a few work zone safety messages. Here are a couple of examples.

So, yeah. Be safe in work zones. Slow down, pay attention.