Wednesday, March 21, 2007

WORLD CUP DIARY: Crossing Streets in Kingston

This is something I have been meaning to write about ever since I reached Jamaica, but never seemed to get around to doing it...

You know, both in Montego Bay and here in Kingston, pedestrians and drivers have this fantastic understanding between them that makes life very, very simple. A car will be driving down the road. Unless it is going at a very high speed, all a pedestrian has to do to cross the street, is step on to the road, put out our hand asking for the car to stop, and walk across. The car will invariably stop.

And that's not all. For us visitors who don't know this system, it takes just one walkaround to get it. Stand on the sidewalk, waiting for the traffic to ease up before walking across. But you don't have to do that. If a driver spots you waiting on the sidewalk, s/he will stop for you anyway, and signal at you to go across. No problem. Yah, mon!

Fantastic, isn't it?