No one following code of the road
GEELONG has been my home for about 18 months — but I’ve got an axe to grind.
I’m born and bred in Melbourne’s outer southeast, so at least twice a month I take the 90-minute-plus drive back to catch up with family and friends.
And it’s the drive which often wears me down.
As a general observation, motorists in Geelong drive too slow and Melbourne drivers see speed limits as a recommendation rather than law.
To some drivers in Geelong every day is a Sunday drive as they travel along in blissful ignorance at up to 20km/h under the speed limit.
While in Melbourne erratic and impatient drivers seem to compete to free up the right lane of the Princes Freeway by tailgating as many other motorists as possible.
Heading toward Melbourne on the freeway I’ve witnessed motorists clearly travelling at more than 100km/h in the right lane being tailgated by others intent on getting ahead.
But tailgating isn’t confined to the right lane. Late last year a B-double tip truck tailgated me from Werribee to Altona North in the middle lane of the Princes Freeway. I refused to move. Now there’s a push to change the speed limit along the Princes Freeway between Werribee and Winchelsea. But I wonder if that will only introduced an opportunity for motorists to be tailgated at higher speeds. Now I’m not a perfect driver, having picked up a few speeding fines in the almost 10 years I’ve had a licence. But surely drivers can stick to the speed limit and show a bit of respect and patience on the road. Other misdemeanours are also permeating road use across Geelong and Melbourne.
Lane changing on the freeways is often a challenge as no one lets you in.
Drivers overtaking across solid lines also seems an issue.
As is cars turning without indicating.
There’s also the drivers who pull onto the freeway at about 70km/h meaning everyone behind them has to get on the brakes.
To combat frustration during my drive to Melbourne, I’ve turned to memorising the words of some of my favourite rap songs ... namely Chin Check by NWA and Dr. Dre’s Nothin’ But a G Thang.
Belting out verse by verse, profanity and all, is proving a remedy — well, for now anyway.