Bus driver on cell phone
published: Wednesday | February 12, 2003
THE EDITOR, Sir:
I AM addressing this letter to the President of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC), Mr. Stirling Soares.
Dear Mr Soares,
On the morning of (Thursday) January 2, 2003, I was travelling towards North Street from Lyndhurst Road - on my way to The Gleaner Company. Upon arriving at the junction of Lyndhurst and Brentford Roads. I made the necessary halt before proceeding. I looked right, first, and then left (for obvious reasons) and upon turning my head to look right again there was one of your company's articulated buses making a left onto Lyndhurst. Nothing wrong with that; the driver was going about his business, as was I. The problem was that the bus was coming so dangerously close to my vehicle - which doesn't normally scare me - that I had to turn leftwards out onto Brentford in a split second to avoid being 'graze' and then make an acute right turn to reposition properly and proceed down the road. Please note that as I turned my head to observe this driver, unable to believe what had just happened, it was to realise that he was manipulating a vehicle of those dimensions with his left hand only while the right hand was comfortably holding a cell phone to his ear. He was so engrossed in his conversation as to be smiling broadly and hadn't even paused for a second, while I was sitting on the side of the road, somewhere between nonplussed and angry.
I spoke of this to a few persons, who became almost equally angry and insisted that I report it. I let it slide, clearly to the detriment of the public, including myself.
This morning I was travelling westward on Retirement Road, as was another of your company's articulated buses (9533 PP), stationary at a bus stop at the time. Having learnt to be triply wary of the persons driving them, I slowed down considerably just in case he might be about to move off. Nothing from him. I, therefore, put on my right indicator and set out to go around him. The next thing I know is that I can't seem to complete the length of this bus... well that would be because it was moving and at the same speed as I was going. Alas, here was one of our other road maniacs - a taxi driver in a 'deportee' - coming full speed at me. Sir, I'm not in the habit of tempting fate and it never suits one to go up against the insane. Consequently, I had to make a hard right and take up refuge in the small parking zone of the wholesale store right there.
I used to be (and I suppose still is to some small measure) that JUTC buses would have indicators that functioned and were used. Further, that the drivers would, without exception, even indicate their intentions and still give other motorists the option to proceed ahead of them. I took this to be a sign of the company's dictates/mandates as well as an indication in itself of the drivers' cognisance of their purpose and duty on the road, especially being at the wheel of buses the size of which requires that much more care in driving.
Alas, have you fired those drivers and hired lesser mortals with no basic manners or did those same employees decide en masse that they are now a part of the horrid road culture that either petrifies or makes animals of otherwise decent road users?
It may not be the JUTC's doing or intention but the drivers represent the company.
