Pedestrians are always right – the law says so. They are the real kings of the roads in Singapore. I can easily identify these “monarchs” by their sauntering ways.
A pedestrian who is crossing anywhere other than a designated crossing, such as a traffic light junction or a zebra crossing, tends to be slightly hesitant, gingerly or briskly crossing when there is a break in traffic flow. Kings of the road, however, may not even glance my way. But they are perfectly aware that my car is approaching, upon which they’ll slowly sashay across in front of me. From the look on their faces, it’s obvious they derive an incomprehensible sense of satisfaction from such acts, knowing full well that there’s nothing I can, or dare to, do about it. They have the upper hand, so to speak.
Any road safety campaign is as good as a mandate for these tyrants. It tells these wayward pedestrians that the roads are all theirs – and their grandfathers’, as the saying goes.
Whoever the roads belong to, it’s definitely not motorists like you and me, that’s for sure.
By the time I’m done giving way to pedestrians, I might as well just walk with them.
