Another Red Robot complaint

[slowpoke]

yip daggavis - dis my punt - volgens sekere mense as dit 'n "unimportant law" is dan maak dit nie saak nie... nou hoe veel mense sterf oor sulke behaviour van die mense met die quads? geen. so as far as some people here are concerned we must just accept it. and now you suffer every day.

 

ffs people, consideration for others and adherence to the law is not that difficult.

 

just remember, the wheel turns - so go ahead, jump lights, ignore the law, just do NOT friggin expect any sympathy from me - my sympathies lie with daggavis.

[Guest Big H]

I just returned back from Nigeria. The main reason why I returned was the lack of respect the people have. Lack of respect for themselves, the law, the environment and everything around them.

 

The lack of respect for law and oreder abounds in the way the "area boys"..... tsotsis or skollies as we know them has a total grip on all public transport. No taxi, bus or Okada (small 125cc motorbikes) can move without paying them. There are trafic police (LASMA) at all major intersections ..... end of month they stand "bakhand" asking for their share or dash. They stop cars at these intersections and fine you if you do not stop. The Okadas however do not stop and you can imagine a busy intersection with smal bikes swarming in their hundreds form all directions whiolst you are trying to cros. If you hit one of them they gather in their hordes and may even assault you as the passenger (Oyobo - white man)and may even kill you.

 

Since the British left Nigeria in the mid sixties there was a military government that assured there was law and order. There are however not many of the old standards set by the British left. Nobody seems to remember the standards and their own lawless standards was created. We surely do not want this type of mini-anarchy to happen and evolve here. By adhering to laws and sticking to them is the only way we can uphold the standards of a normal society. We do not want our country to become like Lagos who is sinking and smothering in its own filth and lack of moral standards.

 

Not all in Lagos is bad but typical of other African nations they are scared of the so called "strong" people and become a silent majority that are herded from one "atrocity" to the next.

 

I say we MUST stand on our own hind feet and oppose ANY transgression of the law to ensure we stay a strong country with good moral values ....... it may be too late already!!!!!!!!

[bob_the_builder]

 

 

As if NOT skipping a RED traffic light 'safely' is gonna turn this world into a better place! SA has more to worry about cyclist skipping RED traffic lights!

 

 

And when do you start worring? At what point does a crime become one where we have to do something about it? Breaking "minor" traffic laws is ok, how about drink driving? Speeding - and remember speed is relative to the conditions - at, say for example, 60kmh, in front of a school, where the advertised limit is only 40? Have you seen the damage a car does to a human being, especially a little human when travelling at 60kmh? Hell even at 40kmh for that matter.

 

Are you going to be the only one with common sense who will tell us which laws are ok to break, and which laws are not ok?

 

The fact of the matter is that breaking the law, any law, breeds a culture of lawlessness. And that culture of lawlessness is what SA has to worry about. You and me, individually we need to do our best to change that culture. Society and the culture it presents are not great monolithic structures that "they" or the state, or someone can change remotely. A society is made up of you and me. We need to change every little thing, first, for there to be any effect on the great big things

 

 

[slowpoke]

Oom, unfortunately, judging by some of the replies here, it is already too late.

[bob_the_builder]

 

 

I say we MUST stand on our own hind feet and oppose ANY transgression of the law to ensure we stay a strong country with good moral values ....... it may be too late already!!!!!!!!

 

If you would just use Campag, we could get along

 

[Guest Big H]

This morning whilst out on the tandem we saw a Taxi driver throw a bag of rubbish into the grass. I accosted him and he picked it up...... maybe only to dump it somewhere else!!!!! ...... but we need to to cjange our own mindsets and start FIGHTING BACK!!!!!!!!!

[word]

This morning whilst out on the tandem we saw a Taxi driver throw a bag of rubbish into the grass. I accosted him and he picked it up...... maybe only to dump it somewhere else!!!!! ...... but we need to to cjange our own mindsets and start FIGHTING BACK!!!!!!!!!

Looked up the word accosted:

 

ac?cost  http://cache.lexico.com/g/d/premium.gif  http://cache.lexico.com/g/d/speaker.gif   (ə-k?st', ə-kŏst')  Pronunciation Key 
tr.v.   ac?cost?ed, ac?cost?ing, ac?costs

To approach and speak to boldly or aggressively, as with a demand or request.

To solicit for sex.

Now since we have to assume that you did not ask for sex, you are very brave to speak boldly or aggressively to a taxi driver.

 

They must make you okes tough in Nigeria

[Guest Big H]

Nope..... Naaigerieja makes you TOUGH!!!!!!

[Flemish Lion]

Bold or stupid ... I tuned a taxi driver a few months ago and he waved an axe at me in response ... we are powerless in such a situation. Big H must have come accross the friendliest taxi driver in Gauteng ...

 

"Are you going to be the only one with common sense who will tell us which laws are ok to break, and which laws are not ok?"

 

The above is not my intention ... who am I to say whats right or wrong ... evaluate the situation when you approach a RED traffic light (topic), don't bring other people or yourself in any danger by using your common sense!

 

I'm sure we're all on the same page here ... but the traffic situation in Gauteng (as you know) is many times worse than anywhere else in SA ... and we are clearly more frustrated as nothing seems to change ...

Flemish Lion2008-02-22 03:25:11

[fandacious]

Now since we have to assume that you did not ask for sex' date=' you are very brave to speak boldly or aggressively to a taxi driver.

 

They must make you okes tough in Nigeria

[/quote']

 

Why would you assume he didnt ask for sex??

[Guest Big H]

Now since we have to assume that you did not ask for sex' date=' you are very brave to speak boldly or aggressively to a taxi driver.

 

They must make you okes tough in Nigeria

[/quote']

 

Why would you assume he didnt ask for sex??

 

Gelukkig vir jou bly jy in die Kaap Kolonie en ek weet jy gaan deur die hele ARGUS wegkruip totdat ek weer weg is terug Transvaal toe!!!!!!!

[widget]

If you allow small violations to go unpunished just because they are minor, it breeds an enviroment of contempt for the law, and people will push the envelope as far as possible, after all define "small violation".

 

We need a clean up like they did in New York in the 90 s - it was dubbed the "broken window" action.

Previously Tmes Square was a hell hole, of pimps, escourt palours, strip joints and kids selling crack cocaine on street corners, it was hardly a place of tourism.

 

Mayor Guillani put his foot down and said, "Right, thats it, if you break the law, you will be arrested and prosecuted, no exceptions.

The implication was that even if you committed a crime as minor as breaking a window, you will be prosecuted.

 

The police took up the challenge and it worked. Today Times square is a great tourist attraction, its safe, its fine for families to stroll around in (you wont be accosted by a pimp or a "pavement worker") and to this day, the police maintain law and order, jumping the underground without paying your $2.00 ticket will get you a night in jail, thats how serious they are.

 

The problem here is, people KNOW FULL WELL THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT - so of course they will do it. Start prosecuting and jailing cyclists for jumping lights, and it will soon stop.

 

..............and dont cry, thats using too much force, its not, the law is the law, stick to it or face the unpleasant consequences.

  

widget2008-02-22 03:36:13

[slowpoke]

Flemish Lion - i take it you're maoning that nothing is changing and yet you are the one who'd efending not changing... please will someone explain this "logic" to me?!!!!

[Flemish Lion]

Flemish Lion - i take it you're maoning that nothing is changing and yet you are the one who'd efending not changing... please will someone explain this "logic" to me?!!!!

 

Again ... please don't state something other people didn't say ... as before, my opinion is that you can skip a red robot when its safe for yourself and others to do so (using common sense).

 

I also said that if you get hit by a car or fined it's well deserved (as you probably didn't use common sense to evaluate the situation).

 

I've gathered that many don't agree and I appreciate their opinions - I don't change their statements! It's a really annoying habit of yours ...

 

And I'm not moaning - its my observation that nothing is changing - I educate taxi- and other drivers every morning ... but they just don't seem to care ...

[bruce]

If you allow small violations to go unpunished just because they are minor' date=' it breeds an enviroment of contempt for the law, and people will push the envelope as far as possible, after all define "small violation".

 

We need a clean up like they did in New York in the 90 s - it was dubbed the "broken window" action.

Previously Tmes Square was a hell hole, of pimps, escourt palours, strip joints and kids selling crack cocaine on street corners, it was hardly a place of tourism.

 

Mayor Guillani put his foot down and said, "Right, thats it, if you break the law, you will be arrested and prosecuted, no exceptions.

The implication was that even if you committed a crime as minor as breaking a window, you will be prosecuted.

 

The police took up the challenge and it worked. Today Times square is a great tourist attraction, its safe, its fine for families to stroll around in (you wont be accosted by a pimp or a "pavement worker") and to this day, the police maintain law and order, jumping the underground without paying your $2.00 ticket will get you a night in jail, thats how serious they are.

 

The problem here is, people KNOW FULL WELL THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT - so of course they will do it. Start prosecuting and jailing cyclists for jumping lights, and it will soon stop.

 

..............and dont cry, thats using too much force, its not, the law is the law, stick to it or face the unpleasant consequences.

  

[/quote']

 

Widget, I agree with your sentiment, BUT, where should we start enforcing the law?  With policemen at every traffic light, jailing cyclists that transgress, or with proper reaction forces that are apprehending people spraying stray bullets around and killing innocent children?

 

The police have a limited amount of resources.  Certainly not enough resources to cope with everything from Nigerian Drug Lords in Hillbrow, down to jay-walkers.

 

Do you believe it is adequate that there is a policeman on every corner, exercising the letter of the law and arresting cyclists, yet when an innocent girl is shot there is not enough man-power to catch these purpetrators.

 

Let's go through the list of everyday crimes:

Nigerian drug rings.

Chinese triads.

Cash in transit heists

Armed robberies.

Rape and abuse of women and children.

People being shot in their workplace (happened in my office this year).

ATM bombings - happening every single day.

Massive credit card skimming and fraud.

Hijacking.

It's very easy to sit in an ivory tower, and tell everyone that the law is the law, and that these cyclists must be arrested.  But it all boils down to a resourcing issue and the 80/20 principle.

Quite frankly, with the amount of time and effort that is spent on these forums going on and on about cyclists going through red lights (not that I condone breaking the law, I just believe the time and effortis misplaced) I think these efforts could beput to better use.

[javadude]

.

 

velo2008-02-22 04:09:09