Driving in Kenya really isn't for the faint of the heart. Between the roads, motorized vehicles and pedestrians, circumstances conspire to give you an enraging experience on a regular basis. Matatus are obviously top on my list in terms of irritants with their devious ways, but it seems like everyone and anything can ultimately surprise you at any time. Here's just a list of some of my current peeves
- Matatus stopping on the road
This literally just happened to me today: I'd just made it up a precipitous hill, and was balancing my car as I waited for my chance to branch right onto the road. A matatu driver pulls off to my side of the road to drop people, blocking my view of oncoming traffic! It's hard enough trying to balance a manual car up a hill that steep, and be able to get enough thrust to gun it; however, doing this without a clear view of oncoming traffic (sometimes very fast approaching) is insane!
Somewhere along the line, it became acceptable for matatus to just stop in the middle of the road, park on the side road preventing you from merging onto a road, or even just pull off ever slightly off the road but have enough of the vehicle jutting onto the road to cause some concern (or even an impending accident). - Grandfather with wheelbarrow on the road
This particular entry is so specific, I just had to highlight it. The other day as I was driving to Kiserian, this (perhaps senile) old man was just standing square on the edge of tarmac in my lane, and he was just totally oblivious. There was an oncoming car in the opposite lane, and I'm pretty sure if I'd driven on I would've hit the man. I actually had to come to a complete standstill, wait for the other vehicle to pass, then maneuver past the idiot. I pray that he learns better road etiquette or he won't have many more days on this earth with that kind of behaviour. - Pedestrians crossing at idiotic places
I have previously been accused of being very hard on pedestrians, perhaps signifying that I am a vehicle-snob. Granted, most of Kenya is a walking-nation (I would actively eschew driving for a walk or a decent bus ride), but none of that excuses rank idiocy on the roads. I once drove through Kawangware (hopefully never again), and it was a nerve-racking experience trying to steer clear of pedestrians who'd invade the road any chance they got.
The sheer lunacy from pedestrians is mind-boggling. Some people have gotten into the habit of pointing their open palms at you to stop as if they're the police; others simply walk so slowly once they plant their feet onto the tarmac, it's as if they assume they have bragging rights to the road. I once saw a man walk directly into a roundabout (with freely flowing traffic mind you) in much the same way that a car would!
Some of these pedestrians are just begging to get hit. Sad reality is that people think that if you hit them you owe them a ride to the hospital, and a responsibility to pay for all their medical procedures. If only people really understood the amount of convalescence and rehab associated with ghastly road accidents (in addition to expenses and lost productivity time), they might try to be more careful on the roads. I feel sad for all the children who have to learn to cross roads from these obviously deficient adults, because they'll end up making the same mistakes - Poorly marked/maintained roads
It always astounds me how many bodies are charged with taking care of our roads, but then they seemingly can't get some simple things fixed. It's already a nightmare driving on roads with people from oncoming traffic veering into your lane on occasion, but this is magnified further by failing to mark roads with the occasional fresh coat of paint.
Then there are those times when you encounter massive potholes that are literally craters. Sometimes you just find yourself waiting for the other shoe to drop, because in the back of your mind you're pretty sure that the pothole will undoubtedly end up being a "widow-maker". Don't the employees of these road maintenance bodies drive through these very roads everyday?
With all the money we pay in form of taxes (particularly those tacked onto already inflated fuel prices), you'd think that we could get well marked and maintained roads. This isn't brain surgery! - Non-standardized bumps
I remember that while I was learning to drive in the US, when it came to something like honking/hooting/beeping it was understood that it was something you did to warn people; thus it need not be used punitively. I imagine the same principle stands for putting bumps on the road. I can't understand why for the life of me some of the bumps on the road are erected so tall; there are some bumps so high, that they scrape the base of your car on the regular. Then there are those irritating bumps which you have to slow down to a measly 8 km/h to climb them, or face the prospect of a jolt in your ride.
This, however, isn't the norm; there are some elegantly designed sections of road (both old and new) that get their bumps right. As a plus, they actually mark them so that you can be aware of the bumps much earlier. Can't we just aim for the best standards in our roads instead of playing russian roulette with quality? - People not using their turn signals appropriately
Sometimes I wonder how many people actually passed their driving tests without having to pay a bribe to get the requisite pass. According to the way some people drive, you'd think that turn signals are just an unnecessary accessory on their vehicles. Many a time, I've had to employ defensive driving because someone randomly just slows to a complete standstill without any warning; there is nothing more insulting than seeing them then turn on their turn signal, as if that was enough prior warning that you required. Worse still, there are people who would never make any indication at all - People driving on unpaved shoulders
Save for the few rains that have quenched the scorched earth in most of the country, it has been really hot and dusty outside. Of course I'd like to keep my windows open and soak up the breeze, but that becomes impossible when matatus, bike riders and cars resort to using unpaved shoulders to beat traffic. They kick up so much dust that is immediately suffocating, but ultimately also a nuisance because they make my car interior and exterior look like I've taken a drive through the Sahara. - Impatient idiots
Sunny Bindra once remarked that Kenyans talk so much about (traffic) jams that you'd assume that it was our staple food! Granted, we do spend a lot of time sitting in traffic jams, but nothing stirs up my gall more than watching drivers jump onto the oncoming traffic lane to avoid the jam. Sometimes they even end up making the situation worse. It's as if they think they're better or more intelligent than everyone else.
You can add self-important politicians and like-minded individuals to the list. I long for the days long gone of President Moi when there were minimal motorcades on the road. Nowadays you could even see run-of-the-mill diplomats with chase cars, and they're driving on the wrong side of the road. If our politicians don't have the decency to fix the underlying causes of the traffic jams (very well within their domain of responsibility), then by God they should have the decency to sit in traffic jams like the rest of us. - Roundabouts
Lord knows I didn't get much experience with roundabouts during driving lessons, but with a little practice and attention to the rules it's a skill that you can easily acquire. I do have an issue with the people that don't understand that you can't use the 1st lane (right outermost lane) to make a 270 or 360 Degree turn about the roundabout. I almost had my car T-boned by someone as I was basically driving straight through the 2nd lane; similarly, my mother almost found herself between a rock and a hard place when her car was almost sandwiched between a lorry making such a maneuver in the 1st lane, and a bus in the 3rd lane. - Motorcycle (boda boda) riders riding aggressively
As if it wasn't bad enough that a huge number of motorcycle riders are unlicensed and poorly taught, they have the gusto to ride extra aggressive on the roads. I recall that once I was driving in Kileleshwa, and this lorry driver gave me way so that I could merge onto his lane. Would you believe that NOT one, BUT two motorcycles (with passengers in tow) came up from behind me, and without slowing down squeezed into the small gap between myself and the lorry. If I hadn't slammed on the brakes, I'm pretty sure I would have crushed those people to death.
Now I've been around an orthopaedic ward or two, and could regale you with the variations of fractures and soft tissue injuries that I've come across when it comes to boda boda riders. The worst thing about these injured riders is that their friends visit them while they're in hospital, see the horrific injuries, dastardly surgeries and long recovery times that their colleagues undergo, but learn nothing from the experience, and go on to perpetuate the carelessness.
Stay safe.
No comments:
Post a Comment