Stopping "Traffic": A Rare Day on Sanibel

With 2/3 of the Island a nature preserve, no traffic lights and no building taller than a palm tree, Sanibel does not come to mind when thinking of traffic jams.

And it probably would not have been a jam a few weeks ago had communications been all that they should have been.

But one hand did not tell the other that our beautiful causeway was to be used for filming a commercial, and the cars and trucks lined up waiting for the clearance on both sides.

Essentially, this is the way it went: Mercedes-Benz USA filmed the commercial using the entire Sanibel Causeway in both directions from approximately 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the day of the filming.

The commercial was filmed aerially by a helicopter and at least four deputies were assigned to assist with traffic control on the bridge while the filming was done. 

So, many cars and other vehicles waited and waited and waited.

Understandably, lots of  people were not happy with their hold up to get on or off the Island. 

 

But there was an upside to the incident. 

 

Christian Bokich of Mercedes Benz USA released a statement saying: “This week, Mercedes-Benz chose the Sanibel causeway and its beautiful surroundings to create stock film footage of our new 2014 E-Class and its various body styles. We estimate that we invested around $100,000 in the local economy by staying at hotels and eating at restaurants, as well as hiring most of the locally-sourced film crew."

 

And beauty was the objective.

 

While we may prefer that no cars transverse the Island as was the case in days of old, the fact is that there is no stopping them now.

 

And if we have to have a communications snag, the multiple benefits to the Island may make up for the inconvenience.

 

Right now, we are just staying tuned to the TV to see how our causeway looks in a commercial production.