Delusions and diapers
For the entire week, this week, I had the misfortune of having to travel from the main city, pass through the city wishing to be ‘the Kapitolyo’ and conduct business on diaper island. I say misfortune because I have had to endure horrendous traffic, misleading road signage and the total lack of coordination of traffic enforcers from the two latter cities. It is bad enough that our snail-paced public works people are tearing up all the roads and taking forever to finish road repairs. What makes it worse is that traffic enforcers are rerouting vehicles into these work areas.
Take for instance that stretch of road from the “new” kapitolyo city signage all the way past the derelict convention center. At this point in time, everyone already knows that what once was a multi- lane road has been reduced to a single lane. But rewind to a month back, and every single motorist passing through this thoroughfare got caught flat-footed and ended up getting stuck for almost an hour in traffic.
Do you want to know why this happened? I can give you three reasons. First, there were no detour signs posted a few blocks before the worksite to forewarn motorists of the impending inconvenience. Had there been detour signs posted, many motorists could have taken alternate routes and lessen the number of vehicles passing through the worksite. Second, there weren’t enough traffic enforcers deployed in the area to help untangle the monster traffic jam caused by undisciplined motorists who refuse to follow pre-designated lanes and squeeze in through every gap and crevice available on the road. Instead of directing motorists to follow lanes, they just let them freely do whatever they want because of reason number three. These traffic enforcers are clueless about certain aspects of their job.
As traffic enforcers, these people are supposed to, as their name suggests, enforce traffic regulations. Instead of doing so, they let many brainless, unqualified motorists dictate their jobs. If these traffic enforcers knew their jobs, they’d be writing booklets upon booklets of citations for erring motorists instead of being yelled at and end up looking stupid.
Speaking of looking stupid, have you seen the traffic lackeys of diaper island? I am not talking about the guys who have to bear the midday sun while dancing to music they can only hear in their heads. Rather, I am talking about the way they cluster in areas far away from their assigned posts. How sure am I that they are not in their assigned posts? Well, unless you consider the corner sari-sari store their assigned post, then I can bet you a pack of Chieftain’s diapers they’re not.
Take for instance the roads they closed off for the so-called victory celebration this weekend. Instead of traffic enforcers reinforcing discipline by manning posts hundreds of meters before the major intersection, they were all standing around fifteen meters inside the closed off road. What were they doing there, one may ask? Well, I can guarantee you, they were not doing their job. There is no traffic to control in closed roads, you know.
If these traffic enforcers believe they’re doing a good job, they’re being extremely delusional. A good job is disciplining motorists by strictly enforcing traffic laws, and easing the flow of traffic by providing motorists with alternate routes. But then again, what do you expect? One city head thinks his city is the capital, while the other has no grasp of the concept of satire.