Infinite Jest

Here’s a little back-to-school fun:

With the help of an underground tunnel this group of 94 high school seniors from who-knows-where created a never-ending line of pedestrians crossing the street, not allowing a single car to pass for a full 15 minutes. Granted, it’s a bit man power-intensive but wow, is this ever an effective traffic-calming technique. At one point in the video above, a thrilled particpant says, “We are going to get in so much trouble for this!”

In addition to being a fine prank, this is pretty much exactly the same tactic that Transportation Alternatives and Downtown community members used in 1996 to launch what ultimately became the Downtown Brooklyn Traffic Calming Project. As an act of civil disobedience, a line of marchers ground traffic to a halt by walking in a continuous circle, filling all four crosswalks at a busy intersection during morning rush hour.

Via CollegeHumor.com