Traffic delays take precious hours from our lives, and as of late, gas money from our wallets.  But there's not much the average citizen can do about it, right?

Carol Greenberg of Perryburg, Michigan disagrees.  After getting stuck in a work-zone backup in Monroe County, Michigan late last month, she decided it was time to teach the Michigan Department of Transportation a lesson.

She began her crusade for a traffic-free state by sending the Michigan DOT an e-mail complaint. Next she sent them a bill for $16 for the gasoline she estimated that she burned while idling in traffic. 

"Thousands of vehicles from both Interstates, including mine, sat an estimated 50 minutes, wasting thousands of dollars worth of $4-per-gallon gasoline, belching tons of emissions into the atmosphere," she wrote. 

Rob Morosi, a department spokesman in Detroit seemed shocked. "We usually get damage claims about stones kicked up from the roadway or overspray from painting I have never heard of anyone being compensated for the loss of gasoline," Morosi said.

Mrs. Greenberg knew the chance of getting her "bill" paid was zero, but she wanted to convey her frustration with the state for not providing adequate warning about the work zone she came upon. "I just sent it in to vent about it."

Not surprisingly, the Michigan DOT did not pay her gas bill.  But her concerns did not go unnoticed.

"It is not MDOT's policy to reimburse motorists for lost time, wages, or gas when traveling through or near a work zone. Please understand, if we paid out for one, we would have to pay out for all and that is simply not feasible," Michigan DOT's Kari Arend wrote to Mrs. Greenberg.

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