Only car-sharing and working trains can unlock traffic

NOW THAT the Cape Town Cycle Tour is over we motorists in the far south will have to rethink our route planning. The engineers working on the Kalk Bay/ Clovelly stretch of road have very kindly kept two lanes open until now to give the cyclists enough room to ride..

This certainly hasn’t halted progress in construction. Every time I’ve travelled past there I’ve seen big changes. The great concrete retaining wall marches ahead a few metres every day and tons of Planet Earth are shifted from one place to another as the new road surface takes shape.

From today, however, we will be back to the stopgo traffic system and I can already hear the motorists’ moans. (“I can’t believe it took me two hours to get from Fish Hoek to Lakeside.”)

In the meantime, we can all contribute a little to the improvement of traffic flow by (a) not making unnecessary journeys and (b) sharing transport wherever practicable.

I think many of us could also help by planning our trips to avoid the bad rush hour traffic.

I have suggested several times before that traffic congestion could be eased by encouraging more commuters to use two-wheeled vehicles instead of four. A scooter takes up a quarter of the road space required by even the smallest car, uses less fuel and probably causes less pollution. There does seem to be a significant swing towards two wheels.

Friends have tried to help by using the train service, but have not enjoyed the experience. From what I’ve been told, the trains are not maintained in the most pleasant condition.

We do need to have a safe, clean and comfortable ride to work and, if the trains don’t provide it, the traffic will continue to crawl at a snail’s pace.

Hairy Thought

Several readers wrote in offering possible reasons why sports personalities have taken to wearing a fiveday growth of beard instead of going the whole Amla full-beard route or being clean-shaven.

John Slabber, who’s a regular Tavern reader, remembered hearing an international cricketer (he thinks it could have been Dave Richardson) explaining why he didn’t shave during a match.

First of all, the stubble protected his skin against the sun and acted as additional sunscreen.

Then there was the possibility of nicking himself while shaving, and in some countries where the water was not of a very high quality, this could lead to skin infections.

Several other readers offered similar explanations and I was perfectly happy to accept them until David from Gauteng wrote to point out that Makro sold a special beard trimmer that could be set to leave a “freshly unshaved” look. The user could decide on the settling and select the “growth” for the day. “Ah, I think I’ll go for a three-day growth today.” This seems to indicate that it’s all a matter of fashion, not health. Men are notoriously insecure and maybe the macho, unshaven look is a pathetic cry for recognition.

Here, at least, is one activity at which women cannot compete.

Last Laugh

Overheard: “My doctor is really wonderful. When he learned that I couldn’t afford to have an operation he just photoshopped the X-rays.”