Last night, I had the misfortune of having to travel into the city centre in a car when it was slap bang in the middle of rush hour. This shouldn’t have been a problem as I was travelling IN to town and not OUT. However, as per usual, you cannot predict the state of British roads.
After only a few minutes, a massively long queue appeared on the dual carriageway and it had brought all traffic to a complete standstill. As I have the luxury of only very short journeys as a driver at the moment – and the fact being that I was ensconced safely in the passenger seat – I checked my traffic warnings on my phone. Yes, it registered a jam but no update on why.
So, here began the dangerous manoeuvres on the road. I saw people pulling out without notice in front of one another, pedestrians weaving into and out of traffic that was unpredictable, cars crossing shaded and solid lines and even one car driving on the wrong side of the road at a junction.
All these things I’ve named above aren’t allowed simply because they aren’t – it is because when people do them the road becomes an extremely dangerous place. I was in pain and tired, yet still I wasn’t requesting the driver of the vehicle to start careering around as if he didn’t know the rules of the road.
Don’t forget people, as far as anyone knows you only get one chance. Sitting in a queue for 20 minutes may be annoying and upsetting, but let’s face it, if you’re not moving then you’re probably safe and sound. Please don’t put a rush before your safety or anyone else’s.
How about this then -in a queue on a motorway, people turning round and driving the wrong way down the hard shoulder back to the previous exit.