A tale of two crossings

Earlier this week on the same day I was involved in an incident – or rather two – at the traffic lights within 75 yards of my abode which may or may not sum up the way this country is going at the moment.

Let me set the scene.

For the past fortnight or more – and certainly the foreseeable future as far as I can tell – some major building works have been taking place some 200 yards along the road to the right which have necessitated a ‘temporary traffic lights situation’ which, together with the aforementioned permanent traffic lights, have not only caused incessant bumper-to-bumper traffic jams in both directions but regular ‘cars left halfway across the pedestrian walkways’ straddling the latter.

And so to the incidents.

In the morning I set off on foot to visit my local corner supermarket. There were long vehicle queues in both ways as I approached the (nearest) permanent traffic lights.

I waited for the lights to go red, thereby requiring the vehicles to stop, after which a second or so then passes before the ‘walking man’ pedestrian light goes green, signifying that any pedestrians waiting to cross the road have precedence.

At this point, given the overall situation, it was only to be expected that perhaps a car might be left awkwardly straddling the pedestrian area – around which the pedestrians might then have to weave in order to cross the road.

The lights went red – the millisecond until the ‘walking man’ green light came on passed – and therefore I set off to cross the road. By this time, however, unusually there were about three car-lengths of space created behind the vehicles that had gone through.

Annoyingly – because the traffic lights were now set for pedestrian precedence – a car to my left then went through in defiance of the red light supposedly stopping it. Plainly the driver, perhaps irritated by the general hold-up in progress, had decided to chance it, in the process ignoring the inconvenience and/or danger this would cause any pedestrian who was then crossing the road.

Rolling my eyes at this discourtesy, I paused to let the car pass before proceeding any further.

At that moment a second vehicle – one of those silly ‘smart car’ jobbies (in the 1960s we’d have called it a ‘bubble car’) then decided to shoot through as well, containing two guys in their twenties of Asian appearance [that fact being perhaps unnecessary and/or irrelevant but I mention it merely as a matter of record].

By this time we were five seconds or more into ‘pedestrian time’.

Having gone through, the state of the traffic meant that said vehicle was left no more than ten yards beyond the pedestrian area I was proceeding upon.

I couldn’t help myself.

I let out an audible exclamation of protestation at what the driver had done. Never mind that the first car that had clearly ‘gone through’ after the traffic lights had turned red … this guy had gone though about five seconds later!

Immediately from the car came a defiant and aggressive stream of invective towards me from the driver’s seat – as if either he had been in the right all the while and totally entitled to do what he had done, and/or alternatively “So what, you silly fat old sod with your snow-white hair?!?”

I’m not the sort to shrink from a challenge of this nature.

I continued to point out – whilst the fellow continued his diatribe, and at a similar volume to his – that he had clearly shot a traffic light way, way after it had gone red.

For good measure I also that if he was as blind and/or stupid as he appeared to be, then perhaps he shouldn’t be driving at all and – as he continued to rant at me – as I appeared on the passenger’s side of his car, the window of which was down, I told him not to worry because I’d registered his number [–12 FDA if any Rust reader is interested, two letters withheld here for my own self-protection] and would be reporting him to the police.

I didn’t actually report him to the police (at it happens) but my statement allowed me the smug impression that I had won this particular verbal battle.

A gap in time then occurred.

Later – at about 4.00pm – a similar but markedly different incident took place.

For this one I was again embarked upon an errand across the road.

The traffic queues both ways were still in evidence.

The permanent traffic lights again went red. This time – because of the state of the queue proceeding to my right had randomly stopped – thereby leaving a mid-sized what-I-believe-is-called a ‘compact car’ (e.g. a VW Golf or Ford Focus) straddling the middle of the pedestrian walkway area.

No pedestrian in my vicinity (nor I) paid it any particular mind – the forty-something female driver had, through no fault of her own, simply been left in an awkward position.

Nevertheless, as I began to proceed to walk behind her car, she wound down her window and with a doleful face said to me “I’m most terribly sorry …”

It was a gracious and (as I’ve hinted) not altogether necessary gesture on her part.

I smiled at her to put her at her ease and replied “Don’t worry, it’s just one of those things, no problem”.

The relief on her face, which matched my inner glow of at her display of good manners, stayed with me as a happy memory for the rest of the day.

That’s all I wished to mention.