Put a brake on those maniacs

Much as I laud the new uniflow system introduced into the city of Colombo and realize that it will take a few months before we all get used to it, I feel that here is an opportunity to educate drivers on a few commonsense rules.

Buses should not be allowed to race on all lanes and then suddenly cut to the left to pick up or drop passengers. They, together with trishaws should only be allowed on the extreme left lane and at most the left two lanes, leaving the other lanes free for cars, vans, motorcycles etc.

Pedestrian crossings should be thought out with urgency as it is now a nightmare to cross these super highways that seem to have more boys with toys racing through the city.

With the price of petrol going up and up, the uniflow also forces us to travel further to reach our destination. Perhaps we should now begin walking to destinations that are in our neigbourhood, like in Europe. But, to do that the city council has to first redo the pavements, as it is a nightmare to walk on the uneven pavements that are sometimes non-existent.

My final point is that frequently I have been given speeding tickets on deserted roads out of Colombo, sometimes at 4 in the morning when even the dogs and cattle are still asleep! What is the point of having good roads, if we have to keep to archaic speed limits that will make a normal journey double its time.

The tickets should be given for reckless driving more than for speeding. I have observed many buses and trishaws veering suddenly to one side or another to pick up passengers with no thought for other traffic. Why is it they get off scot-free?

By A frustrated driver