The southeaster is pumping again and the first big mountain fire is currently being fought by our excellent firefighters near Camps Bay. I would hazard a guess that it is once again man made, whether intentional or not. The pattern over the last few years makes me lean towards the former. A huge problem is the rubberneckers who insist on driving to the scene to take photos and get a first-hand version. Do they not realise that they are blocking access to the scene for emergency services and generally being a complete nuisance?
Rubbernecking seems to be a national disease. A single car parked at the side of the road (not crashed, just parked) can cause a major traffic jam as every single car that passes slows down to peer at and into the parked car to see why it is parked. It defies understanding. It may as well be a jack-knifed pantechnicon with multiple pile-ups for the trouble it caused. And this is an everyday thing. Here in the Deep South Peninsula, we are very limited for choice of exit routes to the other side of the mountain where apparently Life Happens! If a real accident occurs, and this is also frequent due to the lack of driving skills, an alternative route can take you an extra 30 kilometres. If an accident and a parked car occur on two of the roads, you may as well stay at home.
Major roadworks are currently under way to relieve the severe traffic problems, but I have my own ideas about what the real problems are, apart from badly marked roads in terms of traffic control, and I wait with bated breath to see if I am proved right. I do hope I'm not.
No comments:
Post a Comment