Drivers: Whingers

What is it about the automobile, that marvellous invention, that makes drivers complete dicks?

Here’s the scenario (and hopefully it’s not too far out, lest I be accused of ‘inventing strawmen’). When you get into your car your sense of time changes. It’s not uncommon for people to drive an hour to work, and it’s not uncommon for people to drive five minutes away from their house to the supermarket. But, walking that distance is beyond the pale because “it’s miles away”.

This apparent compression of distance is what modern dormitory suburbs are all about. Distance is “reduced”, amenities like shopping are centralised and engorged (yes, deliberate use of that word), and cities sprawl. All this is the fault of the car.

What I’ve noticed since living without a car is that those distances pretty quickly spring back to normal. Like other parts of the world where cars aren’t the norm, (like… Africa?) my perception, and especially my consideration of distance has changed. These days doing something like heading out to the beach at Island Bay is practically an expedition. But people drive backwards and forwards all the time. They say, “Hell, it’s only 20mins away, right?”

Well, no. That trip to Island Bay is actually a fixed distance, and that time factor is entirely artificial. It increases or decreases dependent on your access to private and public transport.

And this is why drivers whinge whenever anything changes the time it takes them to get from A to B. They’ve built a house of cards on a form of travel that revolves around time, not distance. Changing the time it takes to achieve their aim, usually getting out of the car and walking the shortest possible distance to somewhere they’re just going to sit down again, usually makes them aggressive, and almost always frustrates them.

Now I know this because I have been a driver.

But what I don’t understand? How you can chose to drive any given time, over any given (fixed) distance, and get angry when you might have to wait 2 seconds for a pedestrian to cross the street? A pedestrian pushing a pram!

Whingers.

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Richard Says:

21 April, 2008 at 11:11 pm

You get annoyed at slow people on the footpath when you’re walking; c’mon admit it.

Che Tibby Says:

22 April, 2008 at 6:31 am

the fckers.

eT Says:

22 April, 2008 at 7:27 am

Wellington’s so topographically challenged I’m surprised the street maps don’t look more like an M.C. Escher drawing. It’s a wonder anyone can get anywhere by car. In fact, it’s a surprise that the traffic isn’t as bad as somewhere with a *really* poorly-designed and ill thought out road network. Somewhere like Auckland.

And there’s a group on Facebook for people who secretly wish they could whack the heads of slow pedestrians in front of them on footpaths. I carry a rolled-up newspaper for this very purpose.

Hadyn Says:

22 April, 2008 at 8:22 am

Man, the amount of times I’ve seen cars just fly around a corner despite there still being pedestrians crossing astounds me.

One day I was crossing the road from the opposite side to the cars and this driver (who wasn’t even indicating) decided to nip around the corner before I could get in front of him and impede his progress. Problem being there was another pedestrian crossing from his side, that he hadn’t bothered to look for.

While being sworn at by the (very lucky) pedestrian the driver looked personally aggrieved and pointed at me in my yellow tshirt as a distraction to his driving duties.

Now while I am stunningly handsome and my shirt was a very bright colour I was not going to be used as a scapegoat for poor driving (any that isn’t my own). So the driver ended up with two pedestrians cursing a blue streak at him before he was allowed to drive off (in a sulking manner).

I’ve also had the drivers who “push” through the crowds of pedestrians crossing the road. Lovely.

Philipa Bean Says:

22 April, 2008 at 9:45 am

Don’t you love the tailgaters who sit on your back bumper and intimidate you to move aside, and they burn past you at 120kph and give you a filthy look? Then, six seconds later, you pull up beside them at the next red. They hate the fact I drive like a pensioner in a sewing-machine car but I get where they’re going without the gunning engine and hyper-masculine dick display.

Just because you *can* defy time by getting behind a wheel, doesn’t mean you *should*.

Deborah Says:

22 April, 2008 at 4:54 pm

Drivers should be grateful to pedestrians, and cyclists. Everyone of them is one less car on the road.

22 April, 2008 at 8:09 pm

i’ve kind of taken to tapping on the boot of cars that push through pedestrians.

not too hard. not aggressively. just to remind them that their 1tonne “personal space” has actual limits.

Andrew Says:

22 April, 2008 at 8:28 pm

The whole concept of cars being able to turn left through pedestrians crossing the road is potty and should be stopped. It’s a sign of the priority given to cars in NZ that this happens at all – should just have cut-and-dried pedestrian-only crossing periods within the sequence of lights. Also some pelican crossings – places where the traffic lights change to red when pedestrians push on the button to indicate they want to cross the street.

Would also be a good idea to get those lights they have in Singapore and Phnom Penh (at least) which count down the time for each sequence of lights – so you know if you’ve got 30 or 5 seconds to make the crossing/get through the lights before they turn red.

And sitting in Melbourne as I am at the moment, when the hell is Wellington going to get some trams back, eh? Eh?!

Garrick Says:

22 April, 2008 at 10:06 pm

They were
trialling this in Auckland at the end of 2006. Don’t know if they were adopted but it would be crazy if they weren’t. There is certainly none in Wellington.

Ghet Says:

23 April, 2008 at 11:34 am

What boggles me is this. People will cruise round for ages trying to find a carpark nice and close to the entrance to the mall (at least, they will here, because most times you can find one within about five minutes). They can’t bear to walk too far from the car to the door. But once inside the mall, they’ll easily walk a couple of k’s around and between shops.

Slow-walking people in the supermarket make me want to kill them.

24 April, 2008 at 8:49 am

@ghet. heh. i had a french girlfriend in melbourne who mocked me roundly for that behaviour.

i was looking for a park and she exclaimed, “wot are you, a housewife!!”

so i parked way the hell out whereever i could. this didn’t please her either.

@andrew.

24 April, 2008 at 8:13 pm

‘@andrew’ what? The fact that I’m in Melbourne leaves you speechless?!

24 April, 2008 at 9:16 pm

what the! damn comments ate my comment.

“envy”.

Will de Cleene Says:

24 April, 2008 at 9:48 pm

Idiot nearly bowled me at the Webb and Willis intersection this morning. Standard response: Full-hand chin flick. Y’know, that Italian thing. Make sure they see it in their rear vision mirror. Visual curses are effective and relieve stress on the giver.