July 02, 2004

Likke most oonu hear say mi dead!

Boy oh boy. Grenadians don't know the use of pedestrian crossings.

This evening I was walking back from the gym and had to cross the road. On my side, there were no cars coming, so I proceeded to the middle of the road. The driver in the red bus on the other side of the road saw me and stopped. This eeediot driver, young bwoy in a black car, swings round the bus and proceeds toward the pedestrian crossing.

Now I have on a bright neon lime green T-shirt and I'm not a small girl, so you can't miss me. I gesticulate with the golf umbrella that I'm about to cross the road and di bwoy nuh just drive past me!

All mi could do was shake mi head.

Earlier ah get cuss off. There is another pedestrian crossing right where the gym is. The vehicle on my side of the road stops. I am now waiting on the vehicle on the other side to stop as well. The first driver who stops, well actually the people riding in the back of the pick up, start to tell me I must cross quickly and how once the vehicle stop I must walk.

Well him wasn't there two days ago, same spot, when the vehicle on the opposite side of the road stopped to let me through and at least half a dozen cars on my side of the road whiz past!

That was one of the great things about England. Once people see you in the pedestrian crossing they stop one time.

Posted by yamfoot at July 2, 2004 08:41 PM
Comments

Dem nuh easy! People here do that crap as well. Thus is one of the reasons why I am sometimes reluctant to stop allowing schoolchildren in particular to cross the road. I recall having done it in the past at a pedestrian crossing. When I slow down and the little girl in her uniform starts to proceed, a damn mini bus that was behind me, nuh decide fe overtake and nearly lick down de child! :-(( Did he stop? NO!

Same ting a taxi man did once. This time I stopped to allow a very wingy looking puppy to cross the road. Felt so sorry for it, looked like it had become malnourished, ribs showing and all. Poor thing is almost on the other side of the road and woosh, taxi behind me overtakes and runs right over the animal killing it! I cuss him you see...not that it made any difference to him. The fact that it is a puppy makes no difference. If it were a child he would have done the same!

I think that generally, we in the Caribbean are very lax when it comes to the rights of pedestrians and other motorists. No wonder here in Ja. we have so many road traffic fatalities. Sorry about the long comment here.

Posted by: Dr. D. at July 3, 2004 09:48 AM