Weather and Selfish Drivers

[Aruntraveller]

Ok - I've had enough.

In my stupid, idiotic way I try to do my little bit for the environment by walking to work every day. Takes me 35 minutes - a bit of exercise, fresh air, etc. All good for me.....EXCEPT when it rains.

Then everthing that is wrong with our nation (this is in my mind) comes to the fore.

Selfish, bastard drivers who somehow think that it is acceptable to go at speeds of more than 30 mph in a 30 mph zone and for some reason seem completely oblivious of pedestrians walking on the pavement. The combination of surface spray, pot holes on the road and their stupid arrogant disregard for everyone but themselves and their pathetic rush to wherever they are going, results in me yet again being soaked in dirty rainwater and needing to wash my clothes when they were clean on this morning. Even walking right against the walls and fences (thus incidentally risking stepping in another example of inconsideration of people - you know what I am talking about) doesn't save me from the waves of gritty water aimed in my direction.

Does courtesy and consideration no longer exist in this country.

Don't even answer that!

[Udayana]

Do you wear hi-viz? It's the only thing they notice now so many have lights on all the time.

[Rhiannon]

Selfish drivers are a menace to other drivers too. I do over thirty miles a day just on the school run and it's terrifying sometimes how drivers speed, overtake close to bends and ignore poor driving conditions. They think they are great drivers, but they aren't.

[ekim]

Even walking right against the walls and fences (thus incidentally risking stepping in another example of inconsideration of people)

Yes, I know what you mean.  Most pick up the mess in a polythene bag, some leave it, some leave it in the bag on the ground pretending they will pick it up on their return journey but never do, some bag it and throw the bag in the hedge where it hangs for evermore in the brambles.

[floo]

Ok - I've had enough.

In my stupid, idiotic way I try to do my little bit for the environment by walking to work every day. Takes me 35 minutes - a bit of exercise, fresh air, etc. All good for me.....EXCEPT when it rains.

Then everthing that is wrong with our nation (this is in my mind) comes to the fore.

Selfish, bastard drivers who somehow think that it is acceptable to go at speeds of more than 30 mph in a 30 mph zone and for some reason seem completely oblivious of pedestrians walking on the pavement. The combination of surface spray, pot holes on the road and their stupid arrogant disregard for everyone but themselves and their pathetic rush to wherever they are going, results in me yet again being soaked in dirty rainwater and needing to wash my clothes when they were clean on this morning. Even walking right against the walls and fences (thus incidentally risking stepping in another example of inconsideration of people - you know what I am talking about) doesn't save me from the waves of gritty water aimed in my direction.

Does courtesy and consideration no longer exist in this country.

Don't even answer that!

I was having my first walk of the day this morning when an idiot driver, in a 20 mph zone near the local school, came passed at speed, though a puddle and I got wet!

[OH MY WORLD!]

Walking home from downtown last spring I had a cop in a van drench me. My route out of downtown takes me through an area where homeless people hang out. Sure enough there was that van and the cop was out harassing homeless people that were just sitting in a greenspace minding their own business.

[ippy]

Motorists that seem to enjoy splashing pedestrians, are not necessarily splashing in this way on purpose.

Those of us that started using the roads on motorbikes become aware of how slow it's necessary to go through roadside puddles in order to not splash passers by on the pavements, it's so common to see this being done, where the car driver thinks they are travelling slow enough, I think it's something to do with how insulated we are inside of our cars.

Imo where the footpath is particularly narrow the driving speed needs to be no more than walking pace or a little less, if you don't want to splash people.

ippy

[floo]

What I hate is when the last of the snow has gone black and is no more than slush on the side of the road and there is a puddle of it, and some motorist roars through and splashes you with black salty slush.

Yuk!

And it does your clothes no good at all!

[Hope]

As a cyclist, pedestrian and driver, I avoid the puddles if there is a cyclist or pedestrian in the vicinity.

(ed: italicised words amended)

[Gordon]

And a cyclist, pedestrian and driver, I avoid the puddles unless there is no cyclist or pedestrian in the vicinity.

 

Did you really mean that as I read it? 

Hopefully, he did

[jeremyp]

And a cyclist, pedestrian and driver, I avoid the puddles unless there is no cyclist or pedestrian in the vicinity.

 

Did you really mean that as I read it? 

How did you read it? Apart from the fact that the first word is meant to be "as" I can't see anything wrong with it.

[Harrowby Hall]

And a cyclist, pedestrian and driver, I avoid the puddles unless there is no cyclist or pedestrian in the vicinity.

The problem is that Hope has used a double negative -
"unless ... no" an he has also constructed his sentence such that the stimulus event, presence of a pedestrian, follows his reponse, avoidance.

As a result the sentence is more difficult to comprehend than if he had written "If there is a cyclist or a pedestrian nearby then I will avoid the puddle."

[Hope]

As a result the sentence is more difficult to comprehend than if he had written "If there is a cyclist or a pedestrian nearby then I will avoid the puddle."

Thanks for pointing that out, HH!  I think it must have been something to do with the influence of filling in complicated fundraising application forms I'm in the middle of doing!!   

Original amended!!

[Harrowby Hall]

Always at your service. My invoice is in the post.