What has our society come to when the elderly sitting behind the wheels of a car, curses and gesturing obscenities at others.
23rd August 2007
I was on my way home, driving 10mph under the speed limit, and keeping to the slower right most lane. Upon approaching a round about, I slowed down and stopped, there were three cars in front of me, each attempting to speed off as soon an opening revealed itself.
I heard the vigorous honking of a car, so I turned to my left; I saw an elderly man in a Volkswagen, smacking at his horn, looking at the car in front of him and gesturing, with his hand, to the driver sitting patiently in the car in front of him, to hurry up and move.
‘Move where’ I thought, they too were stuck at the round about waiting for an opening.
So I turned around, looking forward, and ignored his persistent honking, waiting patiently until the cars in front of me passes on and I was able to drive past the roundabout, and towards the right.
I drove on, on the straight road and turned into the left most ‘high speed’ lane, a minute later I reached the end of the road and in front of me was another round about; there were at least four cars in front of me, so I slowed down to a halt, and prepared to wait patiently for my turn to pass.
I heard a honking from the car behind, so I looked up into the ‘rear view mirror’ and I was stumped to see the same old geezer behind me, angrily blowing his horn at me and gesturing with his hand. I could only laugh… he continued to honk on….when my turn came, I passed the round about and drove into the middle ‘medium speed lane’.
I head yet another all too familiar honking, this time from my right, coming from the left most ‘slow speed lane’. I turn and look, and what do I see, the old man had performed a sharp right turn from behind, trying to get into the slower land, and almost crashing into a four wheel drive jeep, and again he was gesturing and screaming at the driver. This time, the driver, a much younger man, was screaming and gesturing back.
I’d understand had it occurred once, maybe the second time could have been my fault, but it wasn’t; three straight incidents, the same old man, there is no way to explain it other than that our society is changing for the worst.
The roads of Bahrain are not safe, and have not been for a long time now, only now but I can confirm without a doubt, that there is no age limit that is excluded; we are all potential ‘ROAD RAGE MANIACS’; from the young speedsters, to the mature law breaking vigilant drivers, and now, not excluding the old timers, whom once were considered patent and law abiding, are now no better than the worst of us.
I blame society; the stress is catching up to everyone. No one seems to know the ‘Driver’s code of conduct’ anymore. It’s everyone for himself, speed into the opening before the other driver, speed past the traffic light just as it turns red, turn into the car in the adjacent lane without using you signal indicators, do not give the right of way to others, It’s your road, to Hell with the others.
I hope new regulations are implemented by the Traffic Directorate; the lame excuse of an awareness campaign is not enough. They must get tougher on the law breakers and hooligans, road rage must not be condoned by reprimanded.
I wondering when in the world, will our government build a freaking monorail/metro system? I need to stop driving a cars.
...I need to get off the roads…………….they are getting worse by the minute…they …re….not…..SAFE...from...anyone.
Citizen X :| This is how i see things... (in layman terms)
Showing posts with label Traffic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Traffic. Show all posts
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
How serious are the Traffic Directorate with their new campaign? Lets see...
Yesterday’s GDN had an article proclaiming that the Traffic Directorate has now launched a campaign against speeding drivers. The claim is that the number of Drivers caught speeding has increased since last year. I believe them, ignoring the published figures, even a blind can tell you that there are just too many speedsters on the roads of Bahrain, young and old, nationals and foreigners, and lets not forget that our country has become a great weekend get away/destination for our many GCC neighbors…
But that’s not all, Bahraini Drivers believe the ‘Driving License’ grants them the right to do as they deem fit, the pile of metal on wheels is a misleading cocoon of death. Putting pressure of the pedal, releases life sustaining juice, to crank and nudge the bucket of nuts and bolts forward, ever so slowly; yet that is not enough, we want more, to go faster, and faster. So we press down a little bit more, a bit more forceful this time. The pedal reclines, even more juice gets pumped into the tin can’s loins; it purrs, and then speeds up. Now, you’d think that would satisfy us, but nooooo, now our eyes are toying with us, showing us that the car driving to the side is a bit further ahead, your mind kicks in and taunts you. Is the other car better that yours? Maybe it’s faster! Maybe the driver is better than you.
So, down goes the foot, full throttle and away we GOOOOOO.
But wait, the lights are turning red, I’ll have to stop, but that will mean that other car will now catch up, NOT IF I CAN HELP IT!
The foot pushes down, all the way this time, until the pedal can sink no further and is met head on, with a numb thud, the bottom has been breached, the RPM sprints at the speed of light. You cross the line, but the lights have already turned red, no matter, with the speed you are doing, you can easily avoid a collision……..
With all the education that we’ve had, we’re ignorant of the facts and don't realizing the seriousness of the situation, and by not acknowledging that we are riding in loaded guns, every one of us, we continue to roll the dice, playing with people’s lives.
WELL, WHAT DOES THE TRAFFIC DIRECTORATE (TD) EXPECT?
There’s no one really watching us, there are too few cameras, and I can’t help but laugh hysterically when they claim that six new state of the art camera’s are to be installed NEXT MONTH. How many will that make? 10, 12, 20?
WHY CAN’T WE HAVE THOSE LIVE CAMERA FEEDS THAT OTHER COUHTRIES HAVE? In no time at all, they’d pay for themselves, and then generate a large revenue reserve which can be tapped to further improve the road systems.
To make my point, the current TD advertisements hanging on the road sides are pathetic, they are grey and dull, and will be ignored by most drivers. In contrast, the advertisements that Shamil Bank displayed a month back had traffic lights on them, very colorful and eye catching, I never once drove by one without staring at it. Each time i'd see them i'd reduce my speed, only later realizing it was a sale ploy for their visa cards. THAT GO MY ATTENTION, these adverts will have no such success.
And they say they are serious…..
To close off, and I quote from the article here “The traffic directorate is also considering tougher punishment against drivers breaking traffic rules”
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? For god sakes, suspend people’s licenses for second time offenders, six months to two years, maybe some jail time will do them some good, or just revoke their driving privileges for ever.
Set up a nation wide database of abusive drivers; provide online access to car rental companies and Sales agents so that the abusers no longer get their hands on a set of wheels, ever again.
There is so much more, be firm in the penalties, don’t give third time offenders an option to bribe their way out of trouble. THE Law must apply to all, normal people and VIPS, NO EXCEPTIONS.
And yet, by the end of the campaign, the message will not penetrate our thick skulls, I wonder WHY?
It’s not our fault; the Traffic directorate is not doing its job right.
Hummmm, maybe......, you think i can use that excuse when i get pulled over for a traffic violation or when I get my mug shot taken, whizzing by the newly installed high tech cameras…
But that’s not all, Bahraini Drivers believe the ‘Driving License’ grants them the right to do as they deem fit, the pile of metal on wheels is a misleading cocoon of death. Putting pressure of the pedal, releases life sustaining juice, to crank and nudge the bucket of nuts and bolts forward, ever so slowly; yet that is not enough, we want more, to go faster, and faster. So we press down a little bit more, a bit more forceful this time. The pedal reclines, even more juice gets pumped into the tin can’s loins; it purrs, and then speeds up. Now, you’d think that would satisfy us, but nooooo, now our eyes are toying with us, showing us that the car driving to the side is a bit further ahead, your mind kicks in and taunts you. Is the other car better that yours? Maybe it’s faster! Maybe the driver is better than you.
So, down goes the foot, full throttle and away we GOOOOOO.
But wait, the lights are turning red, I’ll have to stop, but that will mean that other car will now catch up, NOT IF I CAN HELP IT!
The foot pushes down, all the way this time, until the pedal can sink no further and is met head on, with a numb thud, the bottom has been breached, the RPM sprints at the speed of light. You cross the line, but the lights have already turned red, no matter, with the speed you are doing, you can easily avoid a collision……..
With all the education that we’ve had, we’re ignorant of the facts and don't realizing the seriousness of the situation, and by not acknowledging that we are riding in loaded guns, every one of us, we continue to roll the dice, playing with people’s lives.
WELL, WHAT DOES THE TRAFFIC DIRECTORATE (TD) EXPECT?
There’s no one really watching us, there are too few cameras, and I can’t help but laugh hysterically when they claim that six new state of the art camera’s are to be installed NEXT MONTH. How many will that make? 10, 12, 20?
WHY CAN’T WE HAVE THOSE LIVE CAMERA FEEDS THAT OTHER COUHTRIES HAVE? In no time at all, they’d pay for themselves, and then generate a large revenue reserve which can be tapped to further improve the road systems.
To make my point, the current TD advertisements hanging on the road sides are pathetic, they are grey and dull, and will be ignored by most drivers. In contrast, the advertisements that Shamil Bank displayed a month back had traffic lights on them, very colorful and eye catching, I never once drove by one without staring at it. Each time i'd see them i'd reduce my speed, only later realizing it was a sale ploy for their visa cards. THAT GO MY ATTENTION, these adverts will have no such success.
And they say they are serious…..
To close off, and I quote from the article here “The traffic directorate is also considering tougher punishment against drivers breaking traffic rules”
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? For god sakes, suspend people’s licenses for second time offenders, six months to two years, maybe some jail time will do them some good, or just revoke their driving privileges for ever.
Set up a nation wide database of abusive drivers; provide online access to car rental companies and Sales agents so that the abusers no longer get their hands on a set of wheels, ever again.
There is so much more, be firm in the penalties, don’t give third time offenders an option to bribe their way out of trouble. THE Law must apply to all, normal people and VIPS, NO EXCEPTIONS.
And yet, by the end of the campaign, the message will not penetrate our thick skulls, I wonder WHY?
It’s not our fault; the Traffic directorate is not doing its job right.
Hummmm, maybe......, you think i can use that excuse when i get pulled over for a traffic violation or when I get my mug shot taken, whizzing by the newly installed high tech cameras…
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Isn't it high time we get our very own Railway (Monorail/Metro) system?
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Monorail systems have been built in many countries around the world, many of them on elevated tracks through crowded areas that would otherwise require the construction of expensive underground lines or have the disadvantages of surface lines.
Isn't it time for a Railway System here in little old K.O.Bahrain?
Again, Dubai beat us to the punch a long time ago; back in 1997 they commissioned a feasibility study known as R7100, which was completed by 2000, it concluded that Dubai could no longer wholly rely on Roads Transport System to cater to its escalating traffic demands. The findings also recommended a need for a transit system to ease congestion.
b) A rapid transit, underground, subway, tube, elevated, or metro (politan) system is a railway—usually in an urban area—with a high capacity and frequency of service, and grade separation from other traffic. In most parts of the world these systems are known as a "metro", in London the system is called the "underground", while in most of North America and in Glasgow, Scotland it is a "subway".
c) To be updated shortly.
Monorail systems have been built in many countries around the world, many of them on elevated tracks through crowded areas that would otherwise require the construction of expensive underground lines or have the disadvantages of surface lines.
Isn't it time for a Railway System here in little old K.O.Bahrain?
Again, Dubai beat us to the punch a long time ago; back in 1997 they commissioned a feasibility study known as R7100, which was completed by 2000, it concluded that Dubai could no longer wholly rely on Roads Transport System to cater to its escalating traffic demands. The findings also recommended a need for a transit system to ease congestion.
Quote from their site: Dubai Metro
The Dubai government commissioned studies to “evaluate most efficient and cost-effective solution to combat traffic congestion” that resulted in the birth of Dubai Metro. Termed as the flagship project of the Roads and Transport Authority, this 15.5 billion Dirhams project will be a benchmark in terms of its state-of-the-art engineering, being an architectural showpiece and for its direct role in providing social benefits.
The project will be delivered in two phases wherein the first stage will construct the Red Line and will run along the famous Sheikh Zayed Road, on a viaduct. The second phase that will deliver the Green line will be built mostly underground. The Red line (Phase I) is marked for completion on September, 2009 while the Green Line (Phase II) is scheduled to be completed in March 2010.
SO WHAT ABOUT BAHRAIN?
An article published in the GDN on 21 June 2007 under the title ‘Mega railway project is discussed’, may be a hint that our Government has now somewhat realized that we too require a railway system or metro that is most appropriate for our needs.
Their aim should be to providing a cheaper and alternative mode of transport; it should be a means to ease the dependency on cars and thereby reduce traffic congestion.
The implementation of the metro will not only ease congestion but will also help to improve economic development and urban regeneration, and help reduce pollution. (I stole this like from the Dubai metro site)
WHO SHOULD OWN & PAY FOR THIS VAST PROJECT?
Lets be realistic, the people who can most afford such a project (other than the Government) and actually be adversely affected by its implementation, if they are not part owners or involved, are the recognizable names like E.K. Kanoo, Zayani Group, Almoayyed, BinHindi, National Motor, Behbehani and so on…. Yes, all the giant CAR Dealership owners who are currently wreaking the benefits of an extraordinarily high car sale figure for the past couple of years.
Yes, if such a project becomes reality in the K.O.Bahrain, provided it’s a carefully thought out and intricate network that covers all or most of the areas around the Island, then believe you me when I say that you will get a lot less demand for cars.
There would be a lot less demand for continuous usage of cars; the roads would be less congested, exceptions would be for very long distances not covered by the railway; usually trips to be taken abroad via the Saudi Causeway and later the Bahrain Qatar causeway, the latter may not really necessitate your own personal car as the talk going around is that there will also be a train system built onto the bridge.
Exciting times or NOT!
Ooh, I can just dream of such a day, it would be a huge leap for our country. Sadly, my biggest fear is this may only remain a dream and never a reality, taking into view the fact that a few weeks back, the newspapers indicated that the Government hand a long term Roads Transport System modification plan that goes past 2020. ??
What the hell is that? If we take their word for it, then the projected date for an online fully functional up and running system would be 2080.
I don’t believe I’ll be alive by them, you never know.
BUT for now, I will continue to use my car, and wait impatiently in the long queues, or at the redundant Traffic lights, or search desperately for a vacant parking spot near my residence; while other countries in the GCC surpass us.
WHAT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE TO US?
a) Mono Rail - A monorail is a single rail serving as a track for a wheeled vehicle; also, a vehicle traveling on such a track.
b) A rapid transit, underground, subway, tube, elevated, or metro (politan) system is a railway—usually in an urban area—with a high capacity and frequency of service, and grade separation from other traffic. In most parts of the world these systems are known as a "metro", in London the system is called the "underground", while in most of North America and in Glasgow, Scotland it is a "subway".
c) To be updated shortly.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
'Road toll' will become a reality in Dubai on 1st July 2007. Should & Will we follow suite?
Dubai will go live on the 1st of July 2007 with 'SALIK', its road toll system; with the current traffic congstion problem and the increasing number of new cars on the roads of K.O.Bahrain, will it be long before Bahrain follows suit.
Quote from the official site
"HOW IT WORKS
Salik is a free flow tolling system without toll booths, barriers, or gates, allowing traffic to move freely through the tolling point at highway speeds.
There will be two tolling points: Al Garhoud Bridge and Sheikh Zayed Road near Mall of the Emirates.
Each time you pass through a Salik tolling point, the toll of AED4 will be deducted from your prepaid toll account using the latest in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.Your vehicle will be identified to the system through communication with the small, thin Salik sticker tag affixed to your windshield."
The Dubai RTA authorities are adamant that the scheme will go ahead as planned even though there has been speculation that it may be delayed because of the public reaction & uproar.
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/06/24/10134636.html
What about Bahrain?
DO WE NEED SOMETHING LIKE THIS?
Will implementing such a system benefit us in the long run?
Will the tolls collected in such a scheme be reinvested to improve the road systems, were it to be implementing here?
Would we agree to pay the toll? I don't remember agreeing to the 1% it that still did not stop the government from implementing it!
Huh..., only time will tell.
Personally, i believe there should be a tolling system but only on healivy congested roads & bridges in K.O.Bahrain. It should be a smart system that records data like;
a) the number of times a car drives on the the road in a day,
b) Whether the car is registered under an individual residing in the area, or registered under a company located there,
...... and any other important information that ensures only the people abusing or misusing the roads to be charged.
Fees are not to be charged for normal use.
The fee should not exceed BD0.200 fils.
And the income obtained should only be used as a slush fund to further improve the road systems.
It should not be a personal Piggy Bank for the government at our expense.
What's you view in this matter?
Sunday, June 10, 2007
My first blog CAME TRUE!
On the 3rd of April 2007, I posted my first blog titled ‘NATION OF TRAFFIC LIGHTS’ where I criticize the Roads and Traffic directorate for setting up traffic lights in every nook and cranny, especially in the middle of high ways.
One of the areas I was emphasized on was the Traffic lights at the Al Khareeta ‘The Map traffic lights’, the junction that divides Manama and Tubli.
Well, what do you know; the government has announced a scheduled plan to remove the Traffic lights and build a fly-over instead.
The article that confirms it was in Thursday’s GDN;
BD10m project revamp on way
One of the areas I was emphasized on was the Traffic lights at the Al Khareeta ‘The Map traffic lights’, the junction that divides Manama and Tubli.
Well, what do you know; the government has announced a scheduled plan to remove the Traffic lights and build a fly-over instead.
The article that confirms it was in Thursday’s GDN;
BD10m project revamp on way
WAS I right or was I right?
Now, who wants me to read their future to them?
If you do, then send me an e-mail with your vitals, the date and time of your birth, and a little description of yourself; I will then forward you a mailing address where you can send me a cheque for $1000. When the cheque clears, I will send you the results.
Juts keep in mind, NO REFUNDS.
It doesn’t matter if you agree with the results or not, I’ve got the gift, NOT YOU!
I KNOW BEST!
Now, who wants me to read their future to them?
If you do, then send me an e-mail with your vitals, the date and time of your birth, and a little description of yourself; I will then forward you a mailing address where you can send me a cheque for $1000. When the cheque clears, I will send you the results.
Juts keep in mind, NO REFUNDS.
It doesn’t matter if you agree with the results or not, I’ve got the gift, NOT YOU!
I KNOW BEST!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Traffic Directorate, sucking milk directly from the Cash Cow's udder!
Have you ever wondered why, even after numerous declarations by the Traffic Directorate emphasizing Bahrain’s citizens to adhere to the Traffic Laws, or face stiff fines and / or time behind bars, there is no actual nation wide enforcement of some laws except during the last ten days of every month.
Have you notices that?
Yes!
Why do you think that is?
The offences that I am referring to are;
a) Not wearing your seat belts
b) Talking of a cell phone while driving
The new cell phone law just made some people very rich by selling lots of Bluetooth ear phones, but you can still hundreds of people continuing to speak on their mobiles while driving.
Why is that?
These are ‘cash cows’, and they have been milking them for such a loooooooong time, its pure profit being harvested at their discretion; income generated through non-application of existing Traffic laws which generate lots of income for the Traffic Directorate.
I have a theory that goes something like this; If the Traffic directorate come down hard on all offenders, and really implement a nation wide ban of the above two offences by making examples of perpetrators, then, the money will immediately stop flowing.
So the cows are a allowed to graze and every so often, they are herded back into the barn, plugged into the suction gizmos and the white gold just flows, milked till they quench their thirst, always leaving more for later.
Don’t get me wrong, there are many laws that the Traffic police won’t stand for and will stop offenders and issue citations, but they are not willing to let the udders dry out and continue suckling on them each time the thirst resurfaces.
Would you like a glass and some biscuits?
What do you think, have I lost it or is there really some truth to what I am saying?
You be the judge.
Have you notices that?
Yes!
Why do you think that is?
The offences that I am referring to are;
a) Not wearing your seat belts
b) Talking of a cell phone while driving
The new cell phone law just made some people very rich by selling lots of Bluetooth ear phones, but you can still hundreds of people continuing to speak on their mobiles while driving.
Why is that?
These are ‘cash cows’, and they have been milking them for such a loooooooong time, its pure profit being harvested at their discretion; income generated through non-application of existing Traffic laws which generate lots of income for the Traffic Directorate.
I have a theory that goes something like this; If the Traffic directorate come down hard on all offenders, and really implement a nation wide ban of the above two offences by making examples of perpetrators, then, the money will immediately stop flowing.
So the cows are a allowed to graze and every so often, they are herded back into the barn, plugged into the suction gizmos and the white gold just flows, milked till they quench their thirst, always leaving more for later.
Don’t get me wrong, there are many laws that the Traffic police won’t stand for and will stop offenders and issue citations, but they are not willing to let the udders dry out and continue suckling on them each time the thirst resurfaces.
Would you like a glass and some biscuits?
What do you think, have I lost it or is there really some truth to what I am saying?
You be the judge.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Our Traffic Directorate & The Four Stages of Acceptance
Our Traffic Directorate & the Five Stages of Acceptance
I FINALLY went to the Traffic Directorate (TD) to renew my car registration yesterday (02 May 2007).
It took me 5 ½ hours to complete.
THE FIVE (actually FOUR, you'll understand why as you read) STAGES of Acceptance
Car examination - (Denial)
I reached the TD at around 1:30 pm and took my place in one of the queue lined up for the ‘Car Examinations’.
At around the 50 minute mark, there were only three cars before me and loads more behind at the back and to my side. With one car to go before it was my turn came, a traffic officer approached me, he asked for my ‘Car Registration’ and indicated to me to drive out of the queue and park to one side.
It took him only 20 seconds to complete the examination of my car; he sent me to the cashier (located in the ‘old building’ to request a new number plate as the old had turned white).
DENIAL - I couldn’t believe it only took 20 seconds; my thought were that there’s definitely something wrong and it’s probably going to come back and hit me in the face later on.
Requesting a new ‘Number Plate’ & The Cashier - (Anger)
I walked into the ‘old building’ and headed into the entrance of the ‘Car Registration’ section, there I approached a crowded counter. I pushed my way in between a couple of guys already standing there and shoved the papers (I had) in the receptionist’s face, asking him where I had to go.
He pointed me to Counter 7.
I went to Counter 7 and told the guy that I need a new number plate; He asked me THE QUESTION, I was screwed.
“Big or SMALL Number Plated?”
“Damn”, I could not remember, So, I ran out of the building, to my car, look at the front to make sure, then ran back into the building to counter 7 and said “BIG please”.
He processed my application and told me to go to the CASHIER.
ANGER –Me and six other people stood at the empty cashiers counter for 15 minutes. I spent this time looking around at the TD employees; typical of a government institution, of the many counters, only 6 - 7 were open and of these only 2 were dealing with customers; the others were manned by mannequins so I thought until one moved to pick up his coffee and take a sip.
IT pisses me off that the ‘$%# of a %!&#*’ cashier was nowhere to be seen. THERE WAS NO ONE THERE TO SUPERVISE THIS Bull $h!t. ‘If only I could turn into the ‘Incredible Hulk’ and SMASK everything in sight.
Alas, 20 minutes into the wait, we were directed to another counter. The cattle around me stampeded OVER leaving me standing in their dust, from being first I was now last, ‘M@&%#@ F$%#%^&’.
When my turn came it took the guy 45 seconds to process the cash and give me the receipt.
The stamps of acceptance;
I finished and ran back out to the same ‘traffic officer’ to get his stamp of approval. He stamped my papers and sent me to his colleague who did the same. I was then directed towards the ‘Traffic Citation’ office.
The ‘Traffic Citation’ (background) check - (Bargaining & Depression)
The office was in the next hanger. I walked over and entered; inside there were six tables each placed side by side to make a long counter. There were two employees sitting at the make shift counter, checking for past citations, collecting outstanding fines and stamping documents when your records was clear or Settled.
BARGAINING – I do not bargain, well I may…No, No, No!. I do not Bargain. (so this one is not counted)
I had to wait 15 minutes, in one of the two ‘snake shaped’ lines; and there were around 10 people in front of me. The ‘checkers’ were taking their time.
DEPRESSION - When my turn came up, I handed over my papers; the guy checked the system by banging on the keyboard, picked up his stamp and gave me the ‘A.OK’. 15 seconds, can you believe it, only 15 seconds ……….
I could see the black clouds hanging over my head; Huh, I walked out of the office sulking.
It was now time for the finally, I need to find a ‘Post office’.
Registration at the Post Office - (Acceptance)
I went to my good old ‘Post Office’ at the Bahrain Mall. There, again I waited 10 to 15 minutes; looking around, wasting time, thinking what I would have been doing that moment had I not had to renew my ‘car registration’.
Can you believe it, this guy just walks by me and three others standing in the queue at the post office, he handed over his envelope to the employee and ‘POW’, he completed his transaction while we were stood there in disbelief.
ACCEPTANCE – Which every way I turn, fate apparently has it out for me; So I take it up the ‘wazoo’ and move on with a smile on my face.
In conclusion
What could have taken maybe 5 minutes tops, took around 5 ½ hours; Including the drive to and from the TD as well as to the Post office and home.
Oh yah! If you did not get it yet, our Traffic Directorate needs an overhaul, no punt intended(ignore the 'T' as my spelling has been corrected by a lazy smart ass, just joking dude ; THANKS).
I FINALLY went to the Traffic Directorate (TD) to renew my car registration yesterday (02 May 2007).
It took me 5 ½ hours to complete.
THE FIVE (actually FOUR, you'll understand why as you read) STAGES of Acceptance
Car examination - (Denial)
I reached the TD at around 1:30 pm and took my place in one of the queue lined up for the ‘Car Examinations’.
At around the 50 minute mark, there were only three cars before me and loads more behind at the back and to my side. With one car to go before it was my turn came, a traffic officer approached me, he asked for my ‘Car Registration’ and indicated to me to drive out of the queue and park to one side.
It took him only 20 seconds to complete the examination of my car; he sent me to the cashier (located in the ‘old building’ to request a new number plate as the old had turned white).
DENIAL - I couldn’t believe it only took 20 seconds; my thought were that there’s definitely something wrong and it’s probably going to come back and hit me in the face later on.
Requesting a new ‘Number Plate’ & The Cashier - (Anger)
I walked into the ‘old building’ and headed into the entrance of the ‘Car Registration’ section, there I approached a crowded counter. I pushed my way in between a couple of guys already standing there and shoved the papers (I had) in the receptionist’s face, asking him where I had to go.
He pointed me to Counter 7.
I went to Counter 7 and told the guy that I need a new number plate; He asked me THE QUESTION, I was screwed.
“Big or SMALL Number Plated?”
“Damn”, I could not remember, So, I ran out of the building, to my car, look at the front to make sure, then ran back into the building to counter 7 and said “BIG please”.
He processed my application and told me to go to the CASHIER.
ANGER –Me and six other people stood at the empty cashiers counter for 15 minutes. I spent this time looking around at the TD employees; typical of a government institution, of the many counters, only 6 - 7 were open and of these only 2 were dealing with customers; the others were manned by mannequins so I thought until one moved to pick up his coffee and take a sip.
IT pisses me off that the ‘$%# of a %!&#*’ cashier was nowhere to be seen. THERE WAS NO ONE THERE TO SUPERVISE THIS Bull $h!t. ‘If only I could turn into the ‘Incredible Hulk’ and SMASK everything in sight.
Alas, 20 minutes into the wait, we were directed to another counter. The cattle around me stampeded OVER leaving me standing in their dust, from being first I was now last, ‘M@&%#@ F$%#%^&’.
When my turn came it took the guy 45 seconds to process the cash and give me the receipt.
The stamps of acceptance;
I finished and ran back out to the same ‘traffic officer’ to get his stamp of approval. He stamped my papers and sent me to his colleague who did the same. I was then directed towards the ‘Traffic Citation’ office.
The ‘Traffic Citation’ (background) check - (Bargaining & Depression)
The office was in the next hanger. I walked over and entered; inside there were six tables each placed side by side to make a long counter. There were two employees sitting at the make shift counter, checking for past citations, collecting outstanding fines and stamping documents when your records was clear or Settled.
BARGAINING – I do not bargain, well I may…No, No, No!. I do not Bargain. (so this one is not counted)
I had to wait 15 minutes, in one of the two ‘snake shaped’ lines; and there were around 10 people in front of me. The ‘checkers’ were taking their time.
DEPRESSION - When my turn came up, I handed over my papers; the guy checked the system by banging on the keyboard, picked up his stamp and gave me the ‘A.OK’. 15 seconds, can you believe it, only 15 seconds ……….
I could see the black clouds hanging over my head; Huh, I walked out of the office sulking.
It was now time for the finally, I need to find a ‘Post office’.
Registration at the Post Office - (Acceptance)
I went to my good old ‘Post Office’ at the Bahrain Mall. There, again I waited 10 to 15 minutes; looking around, wasting time, thinking what I would have been doing that moment had I not had to renew my ‘car registration’.
Can you believe it, this guy just walks by me and three others standing in the queue at the post office, he handed over his envelope to the employee and ‘POW’, he completed his transaction while we were stood there in disbelief.
ACCEPTANCE – Which every way I turn, fate apparently has it out for me; So I take it up the ‘wazoo’ and move on with a smile on my face.
In conclusion
What could have taken maybe 5 minutes tops, took around 5 ½ hours; Including the drive to and from the TD as well as to the Post office and home.
Oh yah! If you did not get it yet, our Traffic Directorate needs an overhaul, no punt intended(ignore the 'T' as my spelling has been corrected by a lazy smart ass, just joking dude ; THANKS).
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Just missed the bullet.
Yesterday (Saturday, 28th April 2007), I left home at 5:00pm on my way to a 5:30 appointment at my barber shop, for the monthly hair cut.
So I got into my car and started to drive, I passed one traffic light and then another, then I noticed that the traffic flow in front of me was slowing down dramatically.
‘What Gives?’, I thought, ‘It’s definitely an accident’, something that’s frequent on our roads.
I patiently sat in my car, one hand hanging out the window and the other on the steering wheel, lazily looking around (as I always do) trying to kill time, which I had a lot off since it was only 5:05pm and my appointment was at 5:30pm.
The traffic slowly began to ooze forward, sometimes a couple of feet, other times a good length. I finally reached to the point where I could actually see what was causing the commotion.
‘Damn!’, the traffic police have setup a check point; It must be the end of the month and the government needs money to pay their salaries, as is the norm.
I felt confident of not being stopped as I was abiding the law by (a) wearing my seatbelt, (b) not speaking on the phone, etc.
Unfortunately, as soon as I saw the first copper, he signalled me to the side.
‘What gives’, ‘This is not good’. I am in deep doo doo; reason being that my licence had just expired 2 days back and I still had not gotten off of my fat @ss to go and renew it.
I was desperate, so the only thing I could do was;
I parked on the side on the road indicated by the officer, put on the hand breaks, turned the car off, and got out.
I walked to the officer, with my hands raised in disbelief, “Wash sayer, ana maa sawate shay ghallat” (what gives, I have done nothing wrong).
He raised his eye brows and looked at me angrily, “ana askari, wa min hagee awagaaf ay wahed” (He meant he was a government official and has the right to stop any one he want to). I had no arguments there, but, I needed to get out of the situation fast, it should not get worse or I’m screwed.
Immediately, I said “Amee, mub kasdee shay, ana bas gaed asallak leanaa maa sawate shay ghalat” (Sir/uncle, I don’t mean anything except that I don’t believe I have done anything wrong)
“Laa”, he said, “Traeegtok galat, ana askari…..bla bla bla bla” (he said that my behaviour was wrong and I should not argue with him since he represents the government ……repeating some of his previous comments)
Anyways, he told me that he stopped me because the digits on my car’s number plates were not visible; which was caused by the long 5 hour drives that I had driving to and returning from Qatar in 2004/2005 (I’ll blog about it sometime in the ‘Down memory lane’ section). Again I had not moved my fat @ss to get them fixed, up to now I was using a marker to colour them blue.
Had he booked me I would have been given 2 citations, unbeknown to him, I was trying to weasel my way out of the situation without showing him my licence.
And I succeeded, he turned out to be a nice guy, thought he did not look it. I got off with a warning and was told to go to the Traffic directorate, to get new number plates.
“Inshallh, bacher barooh almoroor hag tasgeel sayartee wa batlob lee rakum gadeed” (what I meant was; ‘Yes sir. Thank you very much, I will be going to the traffic directorate tomorrow to register my car and will request a new number plate’).
My tactics worked, I missed the bullet this time, now it’s only a matter of getting off my @ss and doing the needful.
Oh yah, I should be registering my car this month, there are still 2 days to go.
I hope to renew my licence at the Post office at Bahrain mall today, then my insurance policy in the evening and, ‘ooh sugar’, I forgot, my right side mirror has been broken for the last three months, I don’t think my car will pass the traffic directorate’s examination without it.
I have yet to get it fixed. Aaah mann!
So I got into my car and started to drive, I passed one traffic light and then another, then I noticed that the traffic flow in front of me was slowing down dramatically.
‘What Gives?’, I thought, ‘It’s definitely an accident’, something that’s frequent on our roads.
I patiently sat in my car, one hand hanging out the window and the other on the steering wheel, lazily looking around (as I always do) trying to kill time, which I had a lot off since it was only 5:05pm and my appointment was at 5:30pm.
The traffic slowly began to ooze forward, sometimes a couple of feet, other times a good length. I finally reached to the point where I could actually see what was causing the commotion.
‘Damn!’, the traffic police have setup a check point; It must be the end of the month and the government needs money to pay their salaries, as is the norm.
I felt confident of not being stopped as I was abiding the law by (a) wearing my seatbelt, (b) not speaking on the phone, etc.
Unfortunately, as soon as I saw the first copper, he signalled me to the side.
‘What gives’, ‘This is not good’. I am in deep doo doo; reason being that my licence had just expired 2 days back and I still had not gotten off of my fat @ss to go and renew it.
I was desperate, so the only thing I could do was;
I parked on the side on the road indicated by the officer, put on the hand breaks, turned the car off, and got out.
I walked to the officer, with my hands raised in disbelief, “Wash sayer, ana maa sawate shay ghallat” (what gives, I have done nothing wrong).
He raised his eye brows and looked at me angrily, “ana askari, wa min hagee awagaaf ay wahed” (He meant he was a government official and has the right to stop any one he want to). I had no arguments there, but, I needed to get out of the situation fast, it should not get worse or I’m screwed.
Immediately, I said “Amee, mub kasdee shay, ana bas gaed asallak leanaa maa sawate shay ghalat” (Sir/uncle, I don’t mean anything except that I don’t believe I have done anything wrong)
“Laa”, he said, “Traeegtok galat, ana askari…..bla bla bla bla” (he said that my behaviour was wrong and I should not argue with him since he represents the government ……repeating some of his previous comments)
Anyways, he told me that he stopped me because the digits on my car’s number plates were not visible; which was caused by the long 5 hour drives that I had driving to and returning from Qatar in 2004/2005 (I’ll blog about it sometime in the ‘Down memory lane’ section). Again I had not moved my fat @ss to get them fixed, up to now I was using a marker to colour them blue.
Had he booked me I would have been given 2 citations, unbeknown to him, I was trying to weasel my way out of the situation without showing him my licence.
And I succeeded, he turned out to be a nice guy, thought he did not look it. I got off with a warning and was told to go to the Traffic directorate, to get new number plates.
“Inshallh, bacher barooh almoroor hag tasgeel sayartee wa batlob lee rakum gadeed” (what I meant was; ‘Yes sir. Thank you very much, I will be going to the traffic directorate tomorrow to register my car and will request a new number plate’).
My tactics worked, I missed the bullet this time, now it’s only a matter of getting off my @ss and doing the needful.
Oh yah, I should be registering my car this month, there are still 2 days to go.
I hope to renew my licence at the Post office at Bahrain mall today, then my insurance policy in the evening and, ‘ooh sugar’, I forgot, my right side mirror has been broken for the last three months, I don’t think my car will pass the traffic directorate’s examination without it.
I have yet to get it fixed. Aaah mann!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
VIP or RIP?
On my way home yesterday night, I was stopped by a red light at the ‘Al Khareeta’ (The MAP) traffic lights, it was 9:40 pm, and I was heading towards Manama from playing Basketball with a couple of my friends at the Gulf Air club.
To pass my time, I looked around, at the ads on the large screen, at the ‘McDonalds’ logo (thinking of a Big Mac), I turned around and noticed a Traffic police car blocking the cars coming from the turn from the Manama freeway that leads on to the highway going towards Isa Town.
I realized that a VIP was probably headed our way, coming towards us from the Mina Salman port highway, my suspicions were confirmed when all the traffic lights turned red and no cars were moving.
So we sat and waited; at 9:44 pm, I saw the flashing lights slowly appearing from the distance, I braced myself and eagerly peered over trying to get a glimpse of the person in the on coming car. With no warning at all, the Traffic police car moved on, and a Range Rover with a Special Forces unit took its place, WOW, What’s going on here? Who’s THIS VIP? Is it a VVIP, or maybe a VVVVVVIP?
And when it did pass by I was shocked to see Lorries carrying containers, with ‘Special Forces’ in pursuit. This is not a blog about what was in the containers. My question here is much more important, so;
I got to thinking, these were only containers and we were made to wait for 4 to 5 minutes at least, NO VIPs, WHAT then would the REACTION of TRAFFIC POLICE have been had there been AN AMBULANCE STRANDED IN OUR LANE with its LIGHES FLASHING and its HORNS HONKING and a POOR UNFORTUNATE SOUL in the back with an EMMERGENCY, fighting for his life? What is Bahrain's Traffic law on something like this?
To pass my time, I looked around, at the ads on the large screen, at the ‘McDonalds’ logo (thinking of a Big Mac), I turned around and noticed a Traffic police car blocking the cars coming from the turn from the Manama freeway that leads on to the highway going towards Isa Town.
I realized that a VIP was probably headed our way, coming towards us from the Mina Salman port highway, my suspicions were confirmed when all the traffic lights turned red and no cars were moving.
So we sat and waited; at 9:44 pm, I saw the flashing lights slowly appearing from the distance, I braced myself and eagerly peered over trying to get a glimpse of the person in the on coming car. With no warning at all, the Traffic police car moved on, and a Range Rover with a Special Forces unit took its place, WOW, What’s going on here? Who’s THIS VIP? Is it a VVIP, or maybe a VVVVVVIP?
And when it did pass by I was shocked to see Lorries carrying containers, with ‘Special Forces’ in pursuit. This is not a blog about what was in the containers. My question here is much more important, so;
I got to thinking, these were only containers and we were made to wait for 4 to 5 minutes at least, NO VIPs, WHAT then would the REACTION of TRAFFIC POLICE have been had there been AN AMBULANCE STRANDED IN OUR LANE with its LIGHES FLASHING and its HORNS HONKING and a POOR UNFORTUNATE SOUL in the back with an EMMERGENCY, fighting for his life? What is Bahrain's Traffic law on something like this?
Thursday, April 19, 2007
$on of a B*%@&! Oh! HI, it's you!
Have you every been cut off while driving on a freeway, highway, a narrow lane OR anywhere else for that matter?
I have, on many occasions i might add and I don't like it. It infuriates me to the extent that i just want to ram right into the other car and then flip the person(s) the middle finger; but i refrain from doing so as i am civilized (what ever that means). Though, i do call them a$$@@@@, b@$^&*d, $on of a B*%#$, and any other 'good word' that comes to mind, this goes for both guys and gals. I don’t discriminate between sexes; equal opportunity and all that.
Alas, it happened to me today (18th April 2007), AGAIN. I was on my way to work, late as usual and in a hurry to swipe my card on the Car Park entrance machine by the 7:30 am mark so as not to be tagged late, AGAIN. I was driving on the freeway that runs from Salmaniya to the Pearl round-about, past the first traffic light. On approaching 200 meters from the intersection leading to the round-about, this copper coloured 92 Ford Lincoln came right at me from the left, trying to cross over into my lane, i immediately put my foot on the breaks to reduce my speed & avoid hitting the jack ass. He swerves & pulls back just in the nick of time, twit.
I keep my calm and continued driving until i stop at the junction, i'm pissed off but because I'm almost late, i turn the other cheek; all this time I am still observing the @$$h&&&; I had one eye on the road and the other on the left-side mirror, he was in it. He then begins to drive around me from the back; I got sight of him in my rear view mirror, and finally the right side one.
From the corner of my right eye, I could see his car pulling by my right hand side window. I got ready to turn around, grouped my eye brows together in an angry motion and was ready to turn around and give him the stare. As soon as I turned, I recognized him. He was one of the guys at work. (This is not the first time an incident like this has occurred between me and someone else I know, and I don’t believe it will be the last)
He smiled and waved; I smiled back and waved, and nodded my head in recognition.
We moved on...
Had it been someone I did not know, we would probable be at each others throats, waving fists, grunting, and swearing; and of course the universal sign for hello, how are you, and UP yours, the 'middle' index finger.
What do you do in an awkward situation like this?
I swiped my card at 7:33 am, AGAIN!
I have, on many occasions i might add and I don't like it. It infuriates me to the extent that i just want to ram right into the other car and then flip the person(s) the middle finger; but i refrain from doing so as i am civilized (what ever that means). Though, i do call them a$$@@@@, b@$^&*d, $on of a B*%#$, and any other 'good word' that comes to mind, this goes for both guys and gals. I don’t discriminate between sexes; equal opportunity and all that.
Alas, it happened to me today (18th April 2007), AGAIN. I was on my way to work, late as usual and in a hurry to swipe my card on the Car Park entrance machine by the 7:30 am mark so as not to be tagged late, AGAIN. I was driving on the freeway that runs from Salmaniya to the Pearl round-about, past the first traffic light. On approaching 200 meters from the intersection leading to the round-about, this copper coloured 92 Ford Lincoln came right at me from the left, trying to cross over into my lane, i immediately put my foot on the breaks to reduce my speed & avoid hitting the jack ass. He swerves & pulls back just in the nick of time, twit.
I keep my calm and continued driving until i stop at the junction, i'm pissed off but because I'm almost late, i turn the other cheek; all this time I am still observing the @$$h&&&; I had one eye on the road and the other on the left-side mirror, he was in it. He then begins to drive around me from the back; I got sight of him in my rear view mirror, and finally the right side one.
From the corner of my right eye, I could see his car pulling by my right hand side window. I got ready to turn around, grouped my eye brows together in an angry motion and was ready to turn around and give him the stare. As soon as I turned, I recognized him. He was one of the guys at work. (This is not the first time an incident like this has occurred between me and someone else I know, and I don’t believe it will be the last)
He smiled and waved; I smiled back and waved, and nodded my head in recognition.
We moved on...
Had it been someone I did not know, we would probable be at each others throats, waving fists, grunting, and swearing; and of course the universal sign for hello, how are you, and UP yours, the 'middle' index finger.
What do you do in an awkward situation like this?
I swiped my card at 7:33 am, AGAIN!
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
NATION OF TRAFFIC LIGHTS
The global markets have just announced that there is a shortage of 'Traffic Lights' (TL) in the worlds supply due to the high demand from a small island in the oil rich Middle East known as the 'Kingdom of Bahrain' (KOB). Apparently, the 'TLs' are now more in demand than the local currency and is being used as a means of barter/exchange for high quality goods and services.
For god sakes!
Now a days, every which way you turn you are bound to drive on to a road that has a lot of 'TLs' installed on it, distributed every 2/3/4 hundred meters. It’s just mind boggling and it just sucks!
What’s the big idea? Does anyone in the Government ('Big B' - Big Brother) actually consider performing studies to verify the best solutions for solving problems or do they just fake it? Apparently it’s the latter.
The introduction of more 'TLs' to replace redundant 'roundabouts' is not the answer, it just adds to the problem. The fact of the matter is that there are just too many cars driving on Bahrain's roads and the road system have not evolved to cope for the demand nor has 'Big B' learnt from past mistakes, this is apparent in the way the new road systems are being planned. I don’t expect this to change any time soon so the same blueprints will probably be used to plan future road constructions.
The Solution: Well, there never is one specific solution to a problem; the best solutions I believe are always a combination of things (changes / alterations or implementations). Someone out there must have heard of an over head (I think that’s what they’re called). An excellent solution to bottle neck causing TLs as junctions, don’t you think? All our highways must have these built on/into them? (you understand what I mean). Hey, even Saudi Arabia and Qatar have them, I wonder WHY?
(Picasso was on leave so you will have to make due with my artistic impression)
I am certain this would be the solution to at least three bottle neck TLs that lead to heavy traffic pile ups daily;
a) one being the TL at the cross-road junction on the highway that runs from the Mina Salman to the Saudi Causeway at the point where the Map of Bahrain resides (i.e. the Al Khareeta – The Map traffic lights), dividing Manama and Tubli
b) the second is the TL at the cross-road junction that immediately succeeds the ‘Al Khareeta – The Map traffic lights ‘, dividing Manama and The Sitra Causeway,
c) A third, the Bahrain Financial Harbour TL which has caused huge traffic pile ups that reach far back as the Seef High Way (Coubry) and beyond.
You can probably point out hundreds of other TLs that have given you nightmares.
The trick is getting someone at the ‘Big G’ to listed and implement. Hello, anyone out there………
For god sakes!
Now a days, every which way you turn you are bound to drive on to a road that has a lot of 'TLs' installed on it, distributed every 2/3/4 hundred meters. It’s just mind boggling and it just sucks!
What’s the big idea? Does anyone in the Government ('Big B' - Big Brother) actually consider performing studies to verify the best solutions for solving problems or do they just fake it? Apparently it’s the latter.
The introduction of more 'TLs' to replace redundant 'roundabouts' is not the answer, it just adds to the problem. The fact of the matter is that there are just too many cars driving on Bahrain's roads and the road system have not evolved to cope for the demand nor has 'Big B' learnt from past mistakes, this is apparent in the way the new road systems are being planned. I don’t expect this to change any time soon so the same blueprints will probably be used to plan future road constructions.
The Solution: Well, there never is one specific solution to a problem; the best solutions I believe are always a combination of things (changes / alterations or implementations). Someone out there must have heard of an over head (I think that’s what they’re called). An excellent solution to bottle neck causing TLs as junctions, don’t you think? All our highways must have these built on/into them? (you understand what I mean). Hey, even Saudi Arabia and Qatar have them, I wonder WHY?
(Picasso was on leave so you will have to make due with my artistic impression)
I am certain this would be the solution to at least three bottle neck TLs that lead to heavy traffic pile ups daily;
a) one being the TL at the cross-road junction on the highway that runs from the Mina Salman to the Saudi Causeway at the point where the Map of Bahrain resides (i.e. the Al Khareeta – The Map traffic lights), dividing Manama and Tubli
b) the second is the TL at the cross-road junction that immediately succeeds the ‘Al Khareeta – The Map traffic lights ‘, dividing Manama and The Sitra Causeway,
c) A third, the Bahrain Financial Harbour TL which has caused huge traffic pile ups that reach far back as the Seef High Way (Coubry) and beyond.
You can probably point out hundreds of other TLs that have given you nightmares.
The trick is getting someone at the ‘Big G’ to listed and implement. Hello, anyone out there………
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