I have to say something about the attitude of drivers in my neighborhood. It’s not just my neighborhood but elsewhere in Malaysia.
I walk a lot. What I notice is that in general, our motorists have no regard for the zebra crossing and the rights of pedestrians.
There are a few zebra crossings in Damansara Uptown which I appreciate BUT… many many times cars simply do not give a crap to pedestrians who want to cross the road.
There are even motorists who speed up when they see us at the zebra crossing. And when we are crossing, they stop too close (making us panic). I think you guys should stop at a reasonable distance so that pedestrians have an assurance that you have the intention to stop (and not mow us down).
And pedestrians, please yah, when cars stop for you, kindly walk faster quickly and don’t lenggang lenggok. Be considerate to the driver as well because they ain’t got the whole day to wait for you to cross.
I have been so conditioned (for years) by the inconsiderate behavior of Malaysia motorists that even when I was in Boston and LA, I hesitated at the zebra crossing only to be astonished when a fleet of cars came to a halt to allow me and my fellow pedestrian to cross. I had never felt so jakun in my whole life.
Let me share an experience recently when I was crossing the road outside Public Bank together with a foreign lady. She was a little ahead of me and we both crossed at the zebra crossing.
As we were half way across, a car driven by a young lady just zoomed right at us. OMG! Me and my fellow pedestrian ran for our lives and we were both bewildered (and super annoyed) that this driver just simply had no regard for the danger she put us in.
If I could stop that car and drag the driver out, I would give her a few jabs in the face. Sorry for the violent thought but sometimes a road rage victim simply asked for it. God forgive my evil heart.
Look at this.
This is the zebra crossing opposite the Uptown 7 carpark.
An auxiliary policeman had to be stationed at the zebra crossing to make cars stop.
Is this ridiculous or what?
We are now in 2020. Remember Wawasan 2020 (Vision 2020)? We are supposed to move towards developed nation status and yet something as fundamental as stopping your vehicle at a zebra crossing is lost upon our people. I feel embarrassed.
Already I was disturbed by the political events in the past two weeks and when I was confronted with what I saw at this zebra crossing today, I just lost it.
Anyway, life goes on. No point getting angry.
I ate this today. Like a champion. Will blog about it when I am in a better mood.
